Kim Mulkey is coming home to Louisiana.
Late Sunday afternoon, the 58-year-old Mulkey, a native of Tickfaw told her Baylor University players in a team meeting that she is leaving the school after 21 seasons to become LSU’s head coach.
Mulkey confirmed what Tiger Rag reported Saturday afternoon, a stunning move for the three-time national championship coach who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May. She will be introduced in a 5 p.m. Monday press conference in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Fans are invited to attend.
“Kim Mulkey is a champion and a Hall of Famer, and we are thrilled to welcome her home,” LSU Athletics director Scott Woodward said. “Her accomplishments are unprecedented, her passion is unrivaled, and her commitment to winning in all aspects of life – in the classroom, on the court, and in the community – is unparalleled. We look forward to working with her as she instills that championship culture at LSU.”
Mulkey replaced Nikki Fargas, who resigned after 10 seasons to become president of the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA.
Mulkey has been a part of five national championships. Besides coaching Baylor to titles in 2005, 2012 and 2019, she was a starting point guard on two national championship teams at Louisiana Tech and a Tech assistant coach on another national title team. She won an Olympic gold medal as a player in 1984.
Mulkey is the only person in college basketball history – men’s or women’s – to win national championships as a head coach, assistant coach and a player. She’s one of just three coaches (Bobby Knight and Dean Smith) in college basketball history to win national titles as a player and a coach.
She became the fastest coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins (needing only 700 games) in 2020 and has a record of 632-104. Her 600 wins in 700 games bettered the previous mark held by Adolph Rupp of Kentucky, who needed 704 games.
As a player, Mulkey led the Lady Techsters to a 130-6 (.956) record, two national titles and four Final Fours from 1980-84. During that time, the 5-foot-4 playmaker, known for her spectacular passes and French braids, also led Louisiana Tech to its first two national championships (1981 and 1982) and was a part of the USA’s Gold medal-winning team at both the 1984 Olympics and the 1983 Pan American.
Mulkey, born and raised in Tangipahoa Parish, played Dixie Youth baseball as a 12-year old as well as two years of Pony League baseball and made the all-star team two of the three years.
At Hammond High School, she led the basketball team to four-straight state championships, posted a 136-5 record and finished her career with a then-national record 4,075 points. She earned all-district, all-state and All-America honors each of her four years at Hammond High. She also graduated as her class’ valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Mulkey has a street named after her in her hometown of Tickfaw.
Mulkey, who is divorced from former Louisiana Tech quarterback Randy Robertson, has two children, daughter Makenzie (29) and son Kramer (26) who was an a first team All-SEC shortstop and second team Louisville Slugger All-American in 2016, and garnered third-team Collegiate Baseball All-American, honorable mention Perfect Game All-American and second-team All-SEC accolades in 2017.
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