Mulkey has waved storms. The Louisiana State University Lady Tigers’ head coach, Kim Mulkey, is professionally acclaimed. She has won the NCAA Championship four times, most recently with her new team. Given her steady relationship with her players and ability to manage stars, fans often speculate about her people’s management skills in her married life. And with it, they also ponder what could have gone wrong with her husband Randy Robertson that the couple decided to separate.
Mulkey’s love story
Mulkey met Robertson, who had played as a quarterback for the Bulldogs. They were introduced to each other when Mulkey was at Louisiana Tech. Mulkey was then plying her trade as a basketball player for her university. As destiny would have it, they were introduced by a common friend as per LIC Merchant Blog, and soon fell for each other. The duo were soon a couple and started dating.
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After knowing each other for almost seven years, the two decided to take their relationship to the next level and got hitched on July 17, 1987. The couple tied the knot at an intimate ceremony at the First Baptist Church in Louisiana. The 4x NCAA championship-winning coach sure knows the importance of family but has had her difficult share in her relationship with them, considering how her father wasn’t a part of her wedding day! Problems started with a difficult phase when her parents divorced and her father remarried. She had invited her father and her stepmother to the wedding. However, there were some issues regarding where her new mother would sit at the wedding. As per Dallas News, Mulkey didn’t want her mother to be sitting with the “wedding party.”
Finally, her father opted out of the wedding. Nonetheless, her husband sent a written letter which didn’t receive any response. Mulkey didn’t lose heart and completed her ceremony without her father.
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Soon their life was filled with more joy as they became parents to two sweet and loving kids. Their son was born in 1994 whereas their daughter entered their life in 1991. The son goes by the name of Kramer Robertson and their daughter is named Makenzie Robertson.
Mulkey’s troubled waters
The children are also equally supportive of their mother. As per Dallas News, Makenzie stated in an interview that though her mother might seem to be “hardcore, strict, intimidating woman”, she in her real life is “really laid back”. Her son too confirmed a similar story when he stated that Mulkey is “not mean like people think”.
They spent 19 years together, but destiny had other plans. The relationship hit rock bottom when they decided to part ways in 2006, as per Playerswiki. Though the reason behind taking such a step is not known, many suggest that it was because of their busy careers. Back then, Mulkey had recently won an NCAA championship in 2005 as the Baylor Bears defeated the Michigan State Spartans. As per her own admission, she was ready to leave her coaching job just to save her marriage. She also acknowledged that “divorce is the most devastating thing” that has taken place in her life.
Perhaps they were finding it difficult to get time for their relationship amid their professional success. The two, however, have never let their split turn things sour for them. They have remained friends despite the issues and come together to co-parent their children. In fact, as per Playerswiki, the duo can also be seen at each other’s events offering support through thick and thin.
As per ESPN (h/t: Playerswiki) Mulkey shed light on their strong bond revealing that Robertson is her “best friend” and they “talk all the time”. She even heaped praises on him by stating that his ex-husband is a “great dad to our kids”. Their children have also followed in their footsteps. While Kramer played baseball for the LSU Tigers before being drafted into the Major League Baseball (MLB) by the St. Louis Cardinals, her daughter Makenzie won a national championship with her mother for the Baylor Bears in 2012.
Makenzie, after her bright accomplishment, has moved on to other facets of her life, getting married to Clay Fuller. Fuller was a former Baylor Bears football player and has two children, namely Kannon Clay Fuller and Kollyns Jo Fuller.
Motherhood: A first of two
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There is another interesting incident that took place when Mulkey was pregnant. She divulged that she “was in a depression” when she got the news of pregnancy and was worried as to how she would be “going to work?” The Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach Pat Summit guided her during this time and informed her, “You will neglect your job for your children”. This revelation struck true.
Albeit Mulkey didn’t ignore her work, she took her children on trips and found time to feed them before and after the matches. The California-born was so dedicated that she also tried to never miss her children’s school events.
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Mulkey has had a bumpy life and experience has translated on-court since she knows how to manage players and extract the best out of them. Poor performances have not deterred her from giving her best and making a comeback. And that’s surely what champions are made of.
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