Missouri State

MARY KAY HUNTER
Softball Coach, 1972-82
Inducted May 3, 1982

In the decade she was at the helm of the Missouri State softball team, Mary Kay Hunter maintained one of the most respected programs in the country. She compiled five national top finishes to her credit, including a national championship in 1974. A native of nearby Mt. Vernon, Missouri, Hunter was a physical education major at Missouri State and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1955. Over the next 10 years, Hunter taught physical education in Pittsburg, Kan., and Carthage, Mo. In 1966, she came back to Missouri State as a supply instructor and served as assistant basketball coach while working on her master’s degree from Missouri. From 1968 to 1971, she taught PE at Southwest Baptist College and coached basketball and tennis. Hunter once again returned to MSU in 1971 as a PE instructor and began coaching softball in 1972. Her national finishes in that time include ninth place in 1972, third place in 1973, first in 1974, seventh in 1977 and 1978, and ninth in 1980. During that period, her teams claimed six state and two regional titles.