Jan. 13, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – Kim Hudson, the University of South Carolina’s all-time winningest volleyball coach with 226 victories, announced her resignation Thursday. Hudson, who led Carolina to unprecedented success in the program’s history during her 12-year run as head coach, says she has enjoyed the time she has spent in coaching but is looking forward to pursuing other challenges at this point in her life.
“I cannot say enough good things about the University of South Carolina,” said Hudson. “Coaching here has been a terrific experience. I could not have asked for better support from the administration and fans. Dr. (Mike) McGee has been a tremendous leader and mentor. I have other goals that have been neglected over the years and it is time to focus on achieving those goals and challenges. It truly has been a great ride at Carolina. It’s been a great place to work.
“I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to coach so many outstanding young people. I’ve loved coaching because of that opportunity, and I’ve been fortunate to have coached some great young women at Carolina.”
Hudson was a head coach at the collegiate level for 18 years, amassing 396 career victories. When she took over the Gamecock program in 1993, Carolina had made only one NCAA Tournament appearance and had never won an NCAA Tournament game. She quickly turned the Gamecocks into a highly respected and competitive program at both the Southeastern Conference and national levels, as six of her teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament and made it to the second round on four occasions. Hudson was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the Gamecocks to a second straight second place finish in the SEC Eastern Division standings. Fan interest also swelled during Hudson’s tenure. The opening of the Volleyball Competition Facility in 1996 helped generate renewed enthusiasm for the team and attendance records were shattered, including a record crowd of 1,793 in 2001 against Florida, which ranks as the largest crowd to ever attend a volleyball match in the state of South Carolina. Mike McGee, USC Athletics Director, called Hudson’s contributions to the Carolina program “enormous.”
“Kim Hudson has done a terrific job as our volleyball coach,” said McGee. “She took over a program that was down and brought it to a high level of respectability not only in the SEC, but nationally, as well. Coach Hudson has been a great ambassador for the athletics department and her contributions to our program have been enormous. She believes that at this point in her life, it’s time for some new challenges and we are fully supportive of her decision. On behalf of Gamecock athletics, I’d like to thank her for a job well done and we wish her all the best.”
Many of Coach Hudson’s student-athletes achieved a high level of success under her leadership. Her players were named to the All-SEC first team 15 different times; All-SEC second team 17 times; and Academic All-America on five occasions. In 1998, Shani Abshier, one her of senior athletes, received the prestigious H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year from the SEC.
Prior to coming to USC, Hudson was the successful head coach at Northern Arizona, where her 1991 team registered the biggest single-season turnaround in the country, improving from 9-22 to 26-8. She was head coach at West Texas State for four years (1987-90), a stretch highlighted by her team winning the 1990 NCAA Division II Championship with a 38-1 record. Following that championship season, Hudson was named the Division II National Coach of the Year.
A native of Amarillo, Texas, Hudson was the first woman to receive a full scholarship to the University of Texas-Arlington, where she starred as a volleyball athlete. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech in 1982.
