Myra Black King
Class of 2004
Recruited as a cheerleader at Calhoun Community College, Myra Black King returned to become one of the top coaches in the history of the Alabama Community College Conference.
In her tenure as a Lady Warhawk basketball or softball coach, ten ofher teams competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournaments.
"Myra was the catalyst that brought women's sports to Athens High School," said Wallace State Community College softball coach Jayne Brown Clem. "She coached volleyball, basketball, softball, bowling and drove the bus and was the sponsor for the Girls Athletic Association. This meant having to raise funds anyway possible."
King retired from coaching duties after the 1995 softball season. She led her Lady Warhawk softball squads to seven consecutive AJCCC/NJCAA Region XXII championships and coached 12 All-Americans. Two ofher teams finished in the runner-up spot in the national tournament. Several of her players also earned academic All-American honors.
Her basketball teams captured three region titles and competed in the NJCAA Women's National Tournament in Overland Park, Kansas. One of the first women's basketball Junior College All-Americans from Alabama, Andrella Gray of Town Creek, played on two o f her earliest teams.
King's basketball teams posted a 94-45 record, while the softball squads won 290 games while losing only 104. In 17 years of coaching, her teams posted a phenomenal record of .720 winning percentage.
A native of Athens, King graduated from Clements High School. She completed two years at Calhoun Community College prior to earning a B.S. at Athens State College. She earned her masters degree from the University of North Alabama.