Carolyn Peck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Carolyn Peck

Personal information
Born	(1966-01-22) January 22, 1966 (age 59) Jefferson City, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Career information
College	Vanderbilt (1985–1988)
Coaching career	1993–2007, 2016–2018
Career history
As coach:
1993–1995	Tennessee (assistant)
1995–1996	Kentucky (assistant)
1996–1997	Purdue (assistant)
1997–1999	Purdue
1999–2001	Orlando Miracle
2002–2007	Florida
2016–2018	Vanderbilt (associate HC)
Career highlights and awards
NCAA champion (1999) Big Ten regular season (1999) 2 Big Ten tournament (1998, 1999)
Medals Women's basketball Assistant coach for  United States William Jones Cup Silver 1997 Taipei Team competition

Carolyn Arlene Peck, born on January 22, 1966, is an American sports commentator on TV and a former basketball coach. She was the main coach for the women's basketball teams at Purdue University and the University of Florida. She was also the first head coach and general manager for the WNBA team, the Orlando Miracle. Later, Peck was an associate head coach for her old college, Vanderbilt University.

Early Life and Family

Carolyn Peck grew up in Jefferson City, Tennessee. She often talks about how important her family was to her. They taught her to always support others. Peck's mom and grandmothers showed her how to work hard. They also taught her to enjoy life and value family. Her brother, Michael, also became a basketball coach. Carolyn even hired him as her assistant coach for the Orlando Miracle in 2001.

Playing Basketball

As a senior at Jefferson County High School, Carolyn Peck was a 6-foot-4 center. She was named Tennessee's Miss Basketball. She scored about 35 points and grabbed 13.2 rebounds per game.

Peck played college basketball at Vanderbilt University from 1985 to 1988. She averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. She also blocked 180 shots, which was a new record for Vanderbilt women's basketball. She was the team captain for her last two seasons.

In 1988, Peck earned a degree in communications from Vanderbilt. She decided not to play basketball professionally in Spain. Instead, she worked as a marketing consultant at a TV station in Nashville, Tennessee. She also sold medicine for a big company for two years.

Peck returned to basketball in 1991. She quit her job to play professionally in Italy for three weeks. Then, she played for Nippondenso Corporation in Japan for two years. In her second year in Japan, her team won the league championship. She was ranked third in the league for rebounding in both 1991 and 1992.

Coaching Career

Starting as an Assistant Coach

Carolyn Peck began her coaching career in 1993. She went back to her home state to be an assistant coach. She worked for the Tennessee Lady Vols under coach Pat Summitt. She stayed there for two seasons. The Lady Vols won over 30 games each season. They also won the Southeastern Conference championship both years. In 1995, they lost to the undefeated Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Championship game.

After Tennessee, Peck was an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky during the 1995–96 season. Then, she became an assistant coach at Purdue University. She worked under Nell Fortner. The Purdue team finished 17–11 in the 1996–97 season. They also made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

At the end of that season, Fortner left Purdue to coach the USA Women's basketball team. She chose Peck to take over as head coach. This made Peck Purdue's third head coach in three seasons. Years later, in 2016, Peck returned to Vanderbilt. She became an associate head coach for the women's basketball team under Stephanie White.

Coaching for Team USA

Peck also helped coach the USA team in the 1997 William Jones Cup. This competition was held in Taipei, Taiwan. The USA team won their first six games. Many of these games were very close. In the final game, the USA played against undefeated South Korea. South Korea won the championship and the gold medal.

Becoming a Head Coach

Purdue University's Championship Season

In Peck's first season as head coach at Purdue (1997–98), the team had a 23–10 record. They reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. This was a great start for her.

In April 1998, the WNBA announced it was adding two new teams. One of these teams would be in Orlando, Florida. The team's executive, Pat Williams, was looking for a head coach and general manager. Carolyn Peck was not on his first list of candidates. However, other coaches recommended her. In June 1998, Peck accepted the job with a four-year contract.

Peck faced a tough choice. She had to tell her Purdue team that she would be leaving after only one season. Some players felt upset and betrayed. After thinking it over, Peck asked Pat Williams if she could stay at Purdue for one more season. She wanted to finish the 1998–99 season before moving to Orlando. Williams agreed to her request.

In July, it was announced that Peck would be the first head coach and general manager of the Orlando team, which was later named the Miracle. She would coach Purdue for one last season.

The team's feelings improved after a trip to Switzerland and France for exhibition games. By the start of the season, the team was united. Peck did not talk about leaving or answer questions about Orlando.

The Purdue Boilermakers started their 1998–1999 season with a big win. They beat the Lady Vols, ending their 46-game winning streak. The Lady Vols were the top-ranked team and had won three NCAA championships in a row. Led by players like Katie Douglas, Stephanie White, and Ukari Figgs, Purdue had a 28–1 record during the regular season. Their only loss was by one point against Stanford.

The team went on to win the 1999 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. This was the first national championship in Purdue women's basketball history. They won all six of their tournament games by at least 10 points. This included a 62–45 victory over Duke in the final game.

Peck became the first African American woman to coach a Division I basketball national championship team. Dawn Staley later achieved this in 2017. Peck was named Women's Basketball Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. She also became the first woman and first African American to win the Winged Foot Award. This award honored the best coach in college basketball. Two weeks after leading Purdue to the title, Peck was in Orlando, getting the Miracle ready for their season.

Peck received many awards in 1999. These included the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year, the WBCA Coach of the Year, the AP College Basketball Coach of the Year, and the Naismith College Coach of the Year awards.

This championship is still the only one won by a Big Ten Conference school in women's college basketball.

Coaching the Orlando Miracle

Peck started as the Orlando Miracle's head coach on April 1, 1999. This was right after Purdue's championship season ended. She said it was hard to build a team from nothing. In the first season, she focused on helping the players work together. The team's first season record was 15–17. They tied for second place in the Eastern Conference. They were just one game away from making the playoffs. Peck then became an expert guest analyst for ESPN during the playoffs that year.

During Peck's three seasons as WNBA coach, the Miracle had a 44–52 record. The team included players like Shannon Johnson, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales, and Sheri Sam. They made it to the playoffs in 2000. They lost to the Cleveland Rockers 2 games to 1. This was the first time a WNBA team reached the playoffs so quickly after forming. They were also the first non-original WNBA team to win a playoff game.

In 2000, Peck coached the WNBA On Tour Eastern Team. This team played exhibition games in cities without WNBA teams. In 2001, Peck hired her brother Michael as an assistant coach for the Miracle. They became the first brother-sister coaching team in the WNBA.

Leading the Florida Gators

On April 3, 2002, Peck returned to coaching college basketball. She became the head coach for the Florida Gators women's basketball team at the University of Florida. Her younger brother Michael again worked as her assistant coach.

During her five seasons at Florida (2002–03 to 2006–07), the Gators had a 72–75 record. They made it to the NCAA tournament twice. The 2003–04 team had a 19–11 record. They were eliminated by Baylor in the second round of the 2004 NCAA tournament. They had beaten New Mexico in the first round.

The 2005–06 team had a 21–7 record. They received a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. However, New Mexico beat Florida by 24 points in the first round.

The 2006–07 season was difficult. The Gators had a 14-game losing streak and finished 9–22. After this losing streak, the university decided to let Peck go in February. However, they allowed her to finish the season as coach. Former Florida Gators player Amanda Butler took over as coach for the 2007–08 season.

Sports Analyst Career

Carolyn Peck did not stay away from basketball for long. ESPN hired her as a basketball analyst within a few months after she left Florida.

After working for ESPN for nine years, Peck was hired by her old college, Vanderbilt, in June 2016. She became an assistant coach there. After the 2017–18 season, Peck decided to stop coaching and returned to ESPN.

Peck has spoken about how people expect different things from women athletes. She also talks about how women's basketball is becoming more recognized as a major sport, not just a "women's sport."

Coaching Records

College Coaching Record

WNBA Coaching Record