Mulkey points to the crowd, acknowledging their support. 

By: Lily Smith

Lily Smith is a first-year undergraduate at BGSU from Oregon, Ohio. She is majoring in Sport Management with a Marketing minor. 

March 30, 2024

Kimberly Duane Mulkey was born May 17, 1962 in the days of John F. Kennedy’s presidency. Kim was born in Santa Ana, California, but raised in Tickfaw, Louisiana. Growing up as one of the first girls to play organized boys’ basketball, she was predicted to be a star. This was proven by Hammond High School winning four state championships, led by Kim herself. This success foreshadowed her future playing and coaching careers. 

Many people have a lot of opinions about Mulkey, her coaching style, her political stances, and even her fashion choices. There is a lot to be said about all of these things, and I want to dive deeper into these choices and the reasons behind them, while also providing a history of this influential women’s basketball icon. 

History

Mulkey during her time at Louisiana Tech.

Kim’s persona didn’t start out being characterized by sparkles, ruffles, and hot pink. Her collegiate career was spent at Louisiana Tech University. Standing at just 5 ft 4 in, often with her hair in braids as pictured above, Mulkey made a name for herself as a point guard. During her college career, she earned the title of All-American. Mulkey and the Lady Techsters earned two national championships. In 1981, they claimed the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championship. They also impressively gained the title of national champions of the inaugural National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament in 1982. Her accomplishments as a player led her to win the first women’s Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (top college senior under 5 ft 6 in) in 1984. 

Mulkey poses in her Team USA uniform.

In 1983, Kim was selected to play for Team USA at the Pan American Games in Venezuela. She also played for the Jones Cup in Taipei during 1984, as well at the Olympics in Los Angeles that year as well. During her Olympic run, she averaged 5.3 points per game, and claimed the gold medal.

After her international playing stint, Kim returned to her alma mater, Louisiana Tech as an assistant coach to the women’s team. Later, in 1996, she was promoted to associate head coach under Leon Barmore. During her coaching tenure, the Lady Techsters reached seven Final Fours, had a 430-68 record, and clinched the 1988 NCAA Championship. Mulkey stayed with Louisiana Tech until 2000 when she took over as head coach at Baylor. The previous year, the Lady Bears had gone 7-20 and finished last in the Big 12.

Mulkey coaching at Baylor.

Kim’s takeover at Baylor was truly noteworthy. In her first season, Baylor had their first ever NCAA tournament bid. In 2005, Baylor took down Michigan State for the NCAA title. This feat crowned Mulkey as the first woman to have won an NCAA Division I title as a player and head coach. Years later, in 2012, the Lady Bears achieved a perfect season, going 40-0, the highest number of wins in a single season in college basketball history, women or men. That same season, Baylor took home the NCAA championship yet again.

Controversy

Mulkey with Baylor and WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

During Kim’s glorious reign at Baylor, there were some things going on behind the scenes. Mulkey was very critical of her star player, Brittney Griner. Since then, Griner has seen her own controversies, but she still stands as a women’s basketball icon. She is an openly gay black woman. However, during her time at Baylor under Mulkey things were a bit different.

Griner was reportedly forced to hide her sexuality, and even other things like her tattoos. She was not allowed to speak freely, and had to wear sleeves underneath her jersey. Griner did not feel comfortable coming out to her coach or her peers because there was kind of a “Baylor standard,” and this kind of thing would not be allowed. Later on, Kim was asked if she had ever had a gay player on her team and Kim responded, “Don’t ask me that. I don’t ask that. I don’t think it’s anybody’s business. Whoever you are. I don’t care to know that.”

Understandably, everyone involved in this situation was getting criticism. In a sense, Mulkey was trying to suppress her athlete’s lives. Which in some cases is alright to do, because those athletes are there to play their sport, but they are people, too. Everyone deserves to be known and allowed to express themselves, inherently, as a human.

Being smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt comes with some challenges for people of color and queer people. Women also hold a different position in society as well, taking place in a more traditional way. Forbes has an article diving into the standards of southern women. You could be an astronaut, but you had to keep dinner on the table for your family. The whole goal is “serve” God properly, and to not be too “out-there,” wear “too-little” or clothing that is “too distracting,” you can be “pretty” but you can’t be overly confident, and of course you “can’t” be a tom-boy.

Tom-boy or hyper-feminine?

Historically, taking the position of a basketball coach, or any coach in the sport industry is easier if you are a male. Therefore, it is inherently a male-centered career. Any female head coach is a pioneer of the industry, and it comes with some tough battles. “Feminine” women are viewed as not tough, ruthless, or victorious. I believe as in the following source that there is quite an interesting boundary between being a female and being an athlete.

Throughout history, women did not typically become athletes especially in sports that required speed, strength, and agility. Think back to the first modern Olympic games in 1896, there were only male competitors. Right now, close your eyes and think about the perfect example of an athlete. Probably not a woman, right? It is probably a well-toned, muscly, oiled-up, big, strong man. Not a woman wearing pink, having long styled hair, wearing makeup, having her nails painted, AND having muscles and other athletic features. This is just not the way society has constructed the ideal athlete.

Now, think about a successful basketball coach. You are probably thinking about an older man, with grey hair, khakis and a sweater vest. This is where Kim Mulkey comes in. A lot of her colleagues, mentors, and former coaches, probably all fit this standard. Still to this day, this is the standard of coaches across all sports, leagues, and ages.

Maybe to combat this kind of male-focused standard, Mulkey feels like she has to hyper-feminize herself to make it known she is a woman. Maybe it is not about female empowerment, but stems from an inner-feeling cultivated in the Bible Belt. She is the perfect example of a Southern woman on paper; she just happens to also be a championship winning basketball coach.

Mulkey is a conventionally attractive woman. Her hair is always perfectly hair-sprayed into place, her makeup is always perfectly done, and her outfits never seem to be too revealing. She is showing off her femininity, and making it known she is a woman. You will never see her wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, or any sort of comfortable looking clothing or anything that combats her femininity, which would make her more manly looking.

One of Mulkey’s most popular looks.

I personally, like her over-the-top pink, sparkle, feather, ruffle style. I think it’s a statement and if I was in her position I would probably dress a little dramatic. I would get a pink pantsuit and walk into a room full of men. However, I don’t have the idea of a “Southern woman” hanging over my head. I don’t feel as if I have to live up to a certain standard of femininity like she might. I don’t know if my take is right, and it could be that she just likes this style.

There is a lot to be discussed about Kim Mulkey, but I think however you view her, she is an all-round successful woman in the sport industry. She has so many accomplishments and that is nothing to belittle because of the way she dresses. Kim has had her issues, and still continues to have some questionable takes on coaching tactics and politics, and maybe even more that is not in the media. However, all of the female athletes, coaches, and advocates are making way for so many young girls who look up to them, especially during March Madness.