McDowell Named Bill Hartman Award Recipient
October 20, 2016 | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. --- With a post-collegiate coaching career that has boosted Emory volleyball into national prominence, former Georgia volleyball standout and current Emory head coach Jenny McDowell has been named the 2016 Bill Hartman Award recipient, one of the highest honors given to a former UGA student-athlete.
McDowell will be recognized at the football game against Georgia Tech on November 26.
Named for the late Bill Hartman, Georgia's long-time kicking coach and chairman of the Georgia Student Educational Fund, the Hartman Award is one of the highest honors given to a former UGA student-athlete. The Hartman Award has been presented annually since 1992 and recognizes former Georgia student-athletes who have demonstrated excellence in their profession and/or in service to others by 20 or more years of superior performance after graduation. Only former varsity athletes who have received a baccalaureate degree from Georgia can be considered for the award.
“I can’t begin to express my sincere gratitude for being selected for this prestigious award that is named after a man who had a deep love for the University of Georgia,” McDowell said. “Bill’s contributions and devotion to UGA are well documented and celebrated, as is the impact that he had on his country, community and business world. The life he lived embodies what it means to be a Bulldog, and to be included with a long line of distinguished UGA grads who have been recognized for this honor is certainly humbling and something that I will always treasure.”
McDowell enjoyed an illustrious career as a Lady Bulldog setter. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native led the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference titles in 1985 and 1986. She was named as an All-SEC player twice and Academic All-SEC honoree. She became one of Georgia’s first-ever AVCA All-Southeast Region selections, earning the distinction in 1986 and 1987. McDowell’s career assist total of 5,667 is the sixth-most ever by a SEC setter. Still the career record leader while holding two of the top three spots for single-season records, she became the first and only UGA volleyball player to have her jersey retired.
McDowell graduated from the University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing. She joined the Bulldog coaching ranks as a student assistant and continued her education through UGA’s master’s program in sport management.
After serving as an assistant coach for her alma mater and guiding the Bulldogs to five-straight NCAA Tournaments, McDowell took the over the helm of the Emory program in 1996, and has led the Eagles to 20-consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, including winning their first-ever NCAA Championship in 2008. During that span, Emory has made it to the tournament’s Sweet 16 a total of 16 times along with five berths to the Final Four and three showings in the national title match.
Holding a career coaching record of 652-147 heading into the 2016 season, she boasts a .816 winning percentage that ranks sixth all-time among Division III coaches. Among Division I, II and III coaches, she ranks among the top-20 all-time winningest coaches in NCAA annals (min. 10 years as a NCAA head coach). Since 1997, McDowell’s teams have ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation in every weekly poll conducted by the AVCA while the Eagles have had 30 or more wins 17 times in her 20-year career.
Along with the team’s success, McDowell’s student-athletes are garnering numerous accolades. She has mentored 25 different players to a total of 41 All-America honors, six players to UAA Player of the Year and seven to UAA Rookie of the Year. Two of McDowell's players earned Division III National Player of the Year honors.
“I often reflect on my experiences as a student-athlete at the University of Georgia and have been able to incorporate the lessons and values bestowed upon me by my coaches, instructors, teammates and administrators into my coaching career,” McDowell said. “There is no question that I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for UGA.”
Previous Hartman Award winners include former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton (1992); Atlanta Olympic Committee CEO and Augusta National chairman Billy Payne (1992); former Gov. Carl Sanders (1993); Atlanta developer Tom Cousins (1993); legendary former tennis coach Dan Magill (1994); former high school coach Billy Henderson (1995); former Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard (1996); noted amateur golfer Jimmy Gabrielsen (1997); physician Dr. Andy Roddenbery (1998); Athens businessman Hilton Young Jr. (1999); Harvard University Department of Dermatology Chief of Staff Dr. Becky Birchmore Campen (2000); vascular surgeon Dr. Thomas Lawhorne (2001); endoscopic laser surgeon Dr. Thomas Lyons (2002); neurosurgeon and former team physician Dr. Robert E. Dicks III (2003); Atlanta businessman William Young (2004); longtime juvenile court judge, the Hon. Aaron Cohn (2005); housing developer Keith McSwain (2006); Athens transportation executive Mack H. Guest III (2007); pulmonary and critical care specialist Dr. Kathy McMinn (2008); Coca-Cola executive Frank Ros (2009); college, professional and international basketball standout Teresa Edwards (2010); Georgia swimming head coach Jack Bauerle (2011); renowned cardiologist Roosevelt Gilliam III (2012); former golfer David Boyd (2013); former tennis player Gordon Smith (2014); and award-winning broadcaster Ernie Johnson, Jr. (2015).
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