Back Story

WITH ANN CARR

I often ask myself what has kept me in Starkville at Mississippi State for over 30 years, and I have to say it has been the people. As I sit in now my sixth office in that span, I have to say this is the best one yet. I say “yet” because I’m not finished. I am one blessed individual, I come to the office every day, and I get to be with the people I love. Who are those people? They’re MSU athletes.

I came to MSU as a student-athlete on a basketball scholarship. I can remember Coach Brenda Paul and Coach Akins yelling to run to the line. There may have been some other great things that happened, but that is what I remember the most—the running, which I didn’t like. I always looked forward to when it was time to play. When it was game time, the craziness in my head settled down, or maybe I could block out my coach more. What I remember the most from the games was looking in the bowl of Humphrey Coliseum and not seeing a lot of people. I came from a high school that packed the gym for basketball, so I did not like seeing empty seats, but I loved basketball. Although there were some tough days in basketball, the thing I could never get out of my head was what my mother said, “If you don’t give your all in all that you do, sit in the stands and cheer for the folks on the floor.” So, I gave it everything I had every day.

Now as the sport administrator for MSU women’s basketball, I look around the bowl, and I say “Yes!” I knew in my heart that women’s basketball could fill the seats. I have had the best people around me, from athletic directors, coaches, academic advisers and, most of all, student-athletes who have pushed and pulled me in every direction and challenged me to see that you never give up on people. If you show them you care, the walls they have built to keep people out will start to fall. They will slowly start to let you in, so you can show them the world around them.

I have been an academic adviser, I am the director of student-athlete development, I am the chief diversity officer, I am the senior woman administrator, I am the sport administrator for women’s basketball and more. But what I am truly is a Bulldog! Hail State!

A native of Brookhaven, Ann Carr was a four-year letter winner in basketball at Mississippi State where she earned a bachelor’s in educational psychology in 1990 and a master’s in counseling in 1992. She joined the athletic department staff in 1993 as an assistant academic adviser. She currently serves as deputy athletic director, senior woman administrator, chief diversity officer and director of student-athlete development. In her more than 25-year career with Bulldog athletics, she has been instrumental in shaping players on and off the field through her work in academic advising, life-skills development, M-Club support, and other aspects of MSU sports. Her daughter Khristian, who earned a bachelor’s in communication and master’s in workforce education leadership from MSU, was a fouryear member of MSU’s volleyball team. She currently serves as coordinator of student-athlete development.

P.O. Box AA One Hunter Henry Boulevard Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526 www.alumni.msstate.edu

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Art Around Town

“From City Hall to Lee Hall: We’re in this Together” is one of many eye-catching examples of Bulldog talent that can be found in Mississippi’s College Town. The mural depicting local and MSU landmarks is located along North Jackson Street in downtown Starkville. The project is the result of ongoing collaborations between the Department of Art and the Starkville Area Arts Council. These installations, as well as the more than 30 campus museums and galleries, provide endless opportunities for exploration in Mississippi's College Town.

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MISSISSIPPI STATE 39762 PERMIT NO. 81