U.S. collegiate basketball player and coach Kimberly Duane Mulkey was born on May 17, 1962. She now serves as head coach of the women’s basketball team at Louisiana State University.
In addition to being the first person in NCAA women’s basketball history to win a national title as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, she also won gold medals at the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1984 Olympics.
As Baylor’s head coach, she took the program to three consecutive national titles in 2005, 2012, and 2019. Besides the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Mulkey will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Controversy
Women’s basketball coach at Baylor, Kim Mulkey, has apologized for remarks she made last week about the campus sexual assault incident. Mulkey responded to her statement from the day following the Bears’ 500th victory, when she said, citing ESPN.com,
If you know me at all, you know I’m an emotional person; I’ve been coached and coached with emotion, so I apologize if my words and timing came out as insensitive. Since this is one of my favorite places on Earth, the emotions just overtook me. Many tragic events took place here, and I have never stopped thinking about the victims.
John Elizondo of ABC 25 in Waco, Texas reports that after Baylor’s victory over Texas Tech, Mulkey addressed the fans inside the Ferrell Center and said:
Kim Mulkey sounds off on recent national scrutiny about #Baylor and female student safety on campus after Lady Bears' win. pic.twitter.com/Jy8YUDhtBW
— John Elizondo (@johndelizondo) February 25, 2017
In an interview with espnW.com Mechelle Voepel Mulkey expressed contrition for his prior views.
I feel terrible that I made the comment about hitting them in the face, Mulkey added. “What I said was figurative. I wanted to emphasize the importance of being solid in your response to them. As a rule, I try to avoid conflict. I’m sorry that I used such a terrible phrase.”
Read More: Maverick City Controversy: Vocalist Issues A Conditional Apology For The Offensive Photo
According to CBS Sports
Mulkey made those initial remarks in response to a complaint filed in January by a former student who claimed that 31 different Baylor football players committed 52 “acts of rape” between 2011 and 2014.
A campus sexual assault scandal has resulted in a lawsuit, and last month Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported that the Big 12 Conference would withhold 25% of Baylor’s revenue share “until an outside review determines the university and athletic department are complying with Title IX guidelines and other regulations.”
USA Basketball
For the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, Mulkey was chosen to compete for the United States. They swept the competition, winning all five games, and took home the championship trophy. In his career, Mulkey scored 12.4 points per game on average.
In the 1983 World Championships, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mulkey competed for the United States national team. There were two losses to the Soviet Union on a team that went 6-2. The U.S. squad held a nine-point halftime advantage, but the Soviets rallied to take the lead, and a final shot by the U.S. squad went wide, giving the Soviets an 85-84 victory in the opening round.
The U.S. squad went on to win their next four matches, setting up a gold medal showdown with the Soviet Union. In this game as well, the score was tied at 82 with just six seconds remaining.
Elena Chausova of the Soviet Union took the inbounds to pass with 0.1 seconds remaining and made the game-winning shot, giving the USSR team the gold medal with a score of 84-82. The American squad placed second, almost missing out on gold. Mulkey scored 3.1 points per contest on average.
Read More: Mark Wahlberg Controversy: Racism-Related Hate Crimes In The Past
Personal Life
Mulkey wed Randy Robertson, the quarterback for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in both the 1974 and 1975 seasons, in 1987. Makenzie played basketball and softball at Baylor and is currently an assistant coach on her mother’s staff, while Kramer is a professional baseball player and NCAA All-American at Louisiana State University.
Kim Mulkey-Robertson was her legally recognized surname while she was married to Robertson. The separation between Mulkey and Robertson occurred in 2006. She grew up in Tickfaw, Louisiana.