4 minute read
The Other Side of Coach Mulkey
With Baylor’s Head Women’s Basketball Coach, what you see is what you get. But most people don’t get to see the offcourt side of Kim Mulkey. The Louisiana native who loves to eat, work in the yard, and spend time laughing with family and friends is often in the sports media spotlight as being animated and bold. “There’s a perception that I’m a mean woman because I stomp or throw my jacket. They think that’s who you are when you go home, but they don’t understand I’m out there just trying hard to help my kids win a basketball game.”
In her career, Coach Mulkey has amassed five national championships (two as Head Coach at Baylor, one as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech and two as a player there), an Olympic Gold Medal on Team USA, and countless coaching and player awards. She has traveled the world playing basketball games and even written an autobiography. Her favorite role, though, has been mother.
“[My biggest blessings have been] my kids. Kids are miracles. I’ve been blessed with two children who have been good kids.” Makenzie (27) and Kramer (24) both live with their mom today. “My house now is big enough we don’t trip on each other and its wonderful having them here.” Makenzie serves as the Associate Director of Basketball Operations for Baylor women’s basketball and is married to Clay Fuller, a former Baylor football player. After losing their daughter Scout at five months into pregnancy last year due to Hypoplastic Right Heart syndrome and Turner Syndrome, the couple welcomed son Kannon Reid to the family on Friday, October 12, 2018. “He weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and was 22 inches long.” An added layer of joy hums in Kim’s already warm tone as she talks about her grandchildren. Makenzie and Clay are currently looking for a house in Waco after recently moving back.
Kramer, who shares his middle name “Reid” with his new nephew, plays baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (with the High A Minor League Palm Beach Cardinals) and is home until the spring training begins in February. “It’s like the Brady Bunch at my house right now.” Kim jokes.
Raising kids, on and off the court, has posed the same challenges for Coach Mulkey as any woman or parent. “Certainly, there are decisions that I’ve made [with my kids at home] such as a quick spank or a grounding that I question ‘should I have done that’ or ‘was I too hard on them’. But the overall basis of who you are as a parent or coach far exceeds one little decision you made or had.” Coach Mulkey follows up on a specific incident recounted in her 2008 autobiography (Won’t Back Down: Teams, Dreams and Family) when she wished she’d acted differently towards Baylor player Jessika Stratton in a game against Tennessee. “I was immature as a coach and learned a lot from that kid; she taught me so much about perspective. Jessika came to see me recently and she is a tremendous woman and mother. Your kids help you understand it is just a game.”
want to try it.” Maybe Coach just doesn’t need any more courage. “I speak the blunt truth and people get their feelings hurt. That’s all I want… the truth. I will say the things people are afraid to say. Why should we be afraid to speak the truth? Society today [seems like] people can’t handle it or they misinterpret it. But when I put my head on my pillow, I know I’ve spoken the truth.”
In the course of a long career, some might question if that alternate path they could have taken at some point along the road would have been better somehow.
It may be just a game, but she still gets passionate. “Baylor has been good to me and my children. I am blessed to be the coach at Baylor. I will defend Baylor publicly when others are afraid. I know the difference between good and bad and there is far more good about Baylor University than bad. Just do the right thing. I’ll make mistakes, but when it comes to life and doing right and wrong, we all know the difference. You don’t have to go to church every Sunday to do the right thing.”
Growing up in Baptist and Methodist churches, Coach Mulkey enjoys classic hymns, regular prayers with the team and her family, and has never taken a drink of alcohol in her life. “No, I’m not a drinker. I’m a great bartender, and I’m fine with it. It is not for any reason other than I’m afraid I might like it and I don’t
“Oh, NO. My degree is in Business Administration, and I was working on my MBA when I was talked into coaching by F. Jay Taylor (former President of Louisiana Tech) 34 years ago. This is what I was meant to do. I love coaching. I get to do what I want to do. I get to dress in shorts and tennis shoes and no make-up and coach at an elite level.”
In her 2008 book, Coach Mulkey said, “The things that made me happy then, and now, were rooted in home and family. I’m content with the simple things in life—a ballgame on television, or a good book or magazine.” On this fall day, just before the start of the 2018 season, she confirms, “I’m the same person today that I was when I was a child. I’m very much rooted in the values of a home and family, and I don’t go out and have crazy trips and a social life. My life consists of my job, my children, going on a vacation now and then and being in my yard. I don’t need entertainment and I’m not lonely.”
One of Coach Mulkey’s ‘Thoughts for the Day’ to her team states “Today I gave all I had. What I’ve kept, I’ve lost forever.” As Coach Mulkey recovers from her recent spinal fusion surgery in preparation for the season ahead,
she reflects on the seasons past, “I never put my career ahead of or in front of my family. I had help, but I’ve been hands on with my children. I worked my [Baylor] practices around my kids’ ballgames. I’m a big family person. I said that to the Athletic Director when they hired me. I’ve enjoyed every step of the way. I’ll be the same with grandchildren.”
