Our coach has a statue

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RUSTON, La. – Kim Mulkey had her statue unveiled Wednesday night by Louisiana Tech at the Sarah and A.L. Williams Champions Plaza. Mulkey was a star point guard for the Lady Techsters before joining the staff as an instrumental assistant coach for 15 seasons.

Her statue was unveiled with five other statues of Louisiana Tech stars – Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, Karl Malone, Willie Roaf and Teresa Weatherspoon. The plaza, named in honor of former LA Tech student-athlete and football coach A.L. Williams and his wife, Sarah, had its groundbreaking back on April 22.

Mulkey, the most successful player-turned-coach in basketball history, claimed national championships as both a player and assistant coach at Louisiana Tech before going on to win multiple national titles as a head coach, most recently in April during her second season at LSU. She 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 is also the only head coach to claim national championships at two institutions.

During her tenure in Ruston as both a player and coach, Mulkey was associated with 11 Final Four squads and three national championship teams. She has either played or coached in the national championship game on nine occasions. Mulkey played in and won the inaugural NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship in 1982.

A native of Tickfaw, Louisiana and star at Hammond High School, Mulkey went from south Louisiana to north Louisiana in Ruston where she excelled as the point guard at Louisiana Tech. 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 (AIAW 1981 and NCAA 1982) and was a part of the USA’s Gold medal-winning team at both the 1984 Olympics and the 1983 Pan American Games.

Over her 15-year stint as an assistant and associate head coach at her alma mater, Louisiana Tech posted a 430-68 (.864) record and advanced to seven Final Fours. Along with head coach Leon Barmore, Mulkey’s coaching mentor, the Lady Techsters claimed the 1988 national championship. Mulkey held the title of associate head coach for her final four seasons in Ruston. Her responsibilities at Tech included coordinating recruiting, tutoring Lady Techster guards, overseeing the players’ academic progress and running the summer camps. Because of her diligence, no Lady Techster was ever declared academically ineligible.

Her athletic career began at an early age. 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 has gone on to be inducted into nine-time Hall of Fames, including both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Hall of Fame.

This season she will lead a star-studded LSU squad as the defending national champions. The Tigers begin official practice on Monday, September 25 – an event open for fans to attend. LSU will begin its season against Colorado in Las Vegas on November 6 and will host Queens (NC) on November 9, the same night that the 2023 National Championship banner will be hoisted in the rafters.

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