Karen Hawkins wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she arrived at Texas Southern University from St. Louis on a track and field scholarship in the mid-1970s.
She had no idea of the greatness that was awaiting her.
“I was kind of sheltered a little bit,” Hawkins recalled during a recent conversation with the Defender. “It was the first time I had ever really been away from home.”
But it didn’t take long for Hawkins to feel at home and begin an unforgettable world-class career that lasted from 1976-1980. The soft-spoken standout sprinter not only dominated the SWAC and women’s college athletics, but she became a force on the world stage while representing the Lady Tigers.
Hawkins was a three-time SWAC champion in the 100-and 200-meter sprints, a national champion in the 200 meters, and a member of the 1980 USA Olympic Team for the 200. As a result of her rare prowess, she was inducted into the TSU Sports Hall of Fame this past spring.
She and 23 other former TSU standouts — including her track coach, the late Dave Bethany — will be officially inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 4. It’s the school’s first induction since 1996.
“I’m very thrilled because it’s been a long time coming,” Hawkins said. “I haven’t participated in track and field in a long time, so just to see this announcement is coming to me, I’m ecstatic, especially with this distinguished class that I’m going in with. I’m walking with my head high.”
Hawkins, who now serves as the head girls’ track and field coach at Alief Taylor, had no idea she was crafting a hall-of-fame-type career during her time at TSU. It was the furthest thing from her mind.
“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “Being a student-athlete, you just do the best that you can when you compete. The Hall of Fame was the furthest thing from my mind.
“But to be recognized, I felt that my peers saw something in me that I didn’t see, that I deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. You just try to be the best you can when you compete.”
Porter Robinson, who was an assistant coach for the Tigers, says he and Bethany saw greatness in Hawkins from the start. They knew her potential because of the St. Louis-to-TSU pipeline that was already in place.
In no time, Hawkins’ her potential turned into dominance.
“She was an outstanding individual,” Robinson said. “She was always softspoken and never no problems with her. She did everything that was expected of her.”
It wasn’t long before Hawkins began to gain national and international recognition. In addition to the training she received at TSU, Hawkins also spent a great deal of time receiving guidance at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
She was a member of the championship 4 x 100 relay team during the 1979 Pan American Games and won silver medals in the 100 and 200 meters at the 1979 Spartakiad Games in Moscow, Russia.
But a year later, after qualifying for the 1980 Olympic Games with a second-place finish in the 200 meters during the Olympic Trials, Hawkins was denied the opportunity to compete in the Moscow Games because President Jimmy Carter decided to boycott the Olympics in Russia.
Hawkins would never get the opportunity again.
“It was really rough because sometimes when you put all of your eggs in one basket and you fall on that crack and you don’t have any left,” she said. “It was heartbreaking.
“I tried to stay around for the next four, but to be honest, I started doing worldly things and wasn’t concentrating as much.”
But when Hawkins looks back now, she has no regrets. She appreciates her time at TSU and her many accomplishments collegiately, nationally and internationally while representing the Lady Tigers.
“My teammates and coaches were very supportive. It was a great four years. I met a lot of people from all of the United States, so it was a good round of friends.”
Texas Southern University will induct a star-studded 24 former student-athletes, coaches and contributors into its Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 4 in the Ballroom at Bayou Place at 6 p.m.
Here is the list of inductees:
| Dave Bethany Donovan Carl Campbell Sonja Dixon Clyde E. Duncan, Sr. Willie Ellison Dr. Dwalah Fisher Charlie Frazier Thomasina Garza Dr. Kevin Granger, Sr. John Harvey Karen Hawkins Ernie Holmes | Mike Holmes Dr. Jesse Hurst Chantel Jefferson Shonda Johnson Homer Jones Robert Moreland Dr. Roderick “Rod” Paige Donald Narcisse Darlene Hale-Stowers Michael Strahan Nerissa Redo James West |
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