Life is a long journey filled with both success and struggle — and students at Queens College are about to learn that lesson from someone who has lived it.
She’s been called a legend, a trailblazer in women’s athletics and a role model for all young women. Carolyn Peck, an ESPN basketball analyst and the first African-American female head coach to win a NCAA National Basketball Championship, will speak at the school’s Rosenthal Library in room 230 on Tuesday, February 7, from 5-7 p.m.
An accomplished basketball player at Vanderbilt, Peck went on to coach Purdue University to the 1999 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship – becoming the first African-American women ever to do so.
It was during her second year as head coach of the Boilermakers when Peck orchestrated Purdue’s national title run, as the team compiled a 34-1 record and she was recognized as the Associated Press and the WBCA Division I National Coach of the Year.
She went on to serve as head coach and general manager of the Orlando Miracle – the former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise. Peck has served as an ESPN basketball analyst on the collegiate and professional levels since 2001.
Peck is one of several versatile women’s basketball analysts who regularly contribute to men’s and women’s games for ESPN, including Doris Burke and Kara Lawson.
A native of Jefferson City, Tennessee, Peck was a two-time prep All-American at Jefferson County High School and was named Tennessee’s Miss Basketball in 1987.
The event at Queens College is free and open to the public, but space is limited at Rosenthal and all attendees must RSVP to ginna.neira@qc.cuny.edu no later than February 3 in order to secure a seat.
