EVENT: Inspirational Coach Beverly Kearney
DATE: Nov. 11
Inspirational coach and mentor Beverly Kearney captivates audiences with her stories of coaching and mentoring some of today’s finest athletes to achieve their greatest successes. Utilizing the mantra of “believe it, speak it, do it,” she is recognized as one of the most successful coaches in the history of track and field.
Kearney has been University of Texas Women’s Head Track and Field Coach for the past 14 years. In her 18 years overall as a head coach, she has accumulated enough honors to last a lifetime: 35 Coach of the Year honors, 32 NCAA top-10 finishes, seven NCAA Championship titles, 35 NCAA individual champions, 18 relay national titles, and 21 conference team championships. This impressive track record is a direct result of her unwavering commitment to creating complete competitors in body, mind and spirit.
Kearney’s road to success was not a smooth one. As a high school senior, she lost her mother and was homeless. This did not deter her as she completed college as a standout athlete and finished graduate school as an academic scholar. Adversity hit again in 2002. Traveling in her SUV with friends and family, the car ran off the road at a high speed, leaving two dead. Kearney suffered near-fatal injuries and was told that she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life. Using her own principles, she is walking now and has coached her young ladies from her hospital bed, a wheelchair, a walker, and standing and walking on her own. During her recovery period, she added another national championship to her list of accomplishments.
A dynamic motivator, Kearney has received numerous honors for her achievements, including induction into the International Women's Hall of Fame and the University of Texas Women's Hall of Honor. She has also received the Giant Steps Award for achieving excellence in academics and athletics while having made significant contributions to the community, the Tempe Sports Authority's Gene Autry Courage Award for men and women in sports who have demonstrated heroism in the face of difficulty or danger, and the Gary Bridwell Courage Award from the Dallas All Sports Foundation.
In 2003, Kearney was one of a select few track & field coaches featured in a special section titled "What It Takes To Be A Champion," which is on display in the National Track & Field Hall of Fame Museum at the Armory Track Center in New York. In the fall 2001, Kearney was honored with a special exhibit at the George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center in Austin for her many achievements on and off the track. In 2006, she was honored by the Buoniconti Foundation as a Great Sports Legend.
Kearney will appear at the Cameron University Theatre on Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call the Office of Community Relations at (580) 581-2211.