Kathy Hawkins Reflects on Her Extensive Tennis Journey

March is Women’s History Month and we are profiling Omaha tennis enthusiast, Kathy Hawkins

Omaha’s Kathy Hawkins is more than just an athlete, she’s an athlete who has been part of history as she was on the first women’s basketball and tennis teams to play at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after Title IX was passed. She was able to play two college sports, she said, because things were vastly different back then. Mostly all the women on the teams were from Nebraska, and travel wasn’t as extensive as it is now. 

“I appreciate what we did back in the 1970’s and I appreciate being recognized as pioneers of the sport,” she said. “I feel fortunate to have been part of it all.”

At the time, Hawkins preferred team sports such as basketball and softball to tennis because of the team dynamic. But now, things have shifted and tennis has become a prime focus of life and professional career.

“It became very obvious, as I’ve aged and continue to play lifetime sports,” she said. “It’s my career and much of my social life. I really developed a love for tennis after college.” 

Hawkins was a coach at UNL when Liz Shaffer played for four seasons, from 1982-1986. Like Hawkins, she also played both tennis and basketball. Shaffer was the first female tennis player inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame, and gives a lot of credit to coach Hawkins.

“Kathy believed in me and would do anything to help me become a better player,” Shaffer said. “It’s because of her constant encouragement and patience that I was able to achieve the things I did as a player.”

Ann Bartek remembers when Hawkins took over the head coaching position, because it was her junior year on the Huskers. She said since she was such a well-respected tennis player, the team was excited to have a coach that knew the game so well.

“Kathy brought on a new dimension to the game as we worked a lot on footwork and recovery with our team,” Bartek said. “My game rose to a higher level with Kathy’s expertise.”

Bartek later joined Hawkins as an assistant coach for the Huskers. She said Kathy had an eye for detail in her coaching, which set her apart from the rest.

“I had the honor of coaching with Kathy in 1987 as the Assistant Coach at UNL. It was this year that I witnessed how well she did with detail and organization of all that comes along with being a coach,” Bartek said. “There is so much more to the coaching position than just knowing how to play and coach.”

Today 68-year old Hawkins continues to play USTA at the 4.5 level on various teams. She enjoys playing the sport for the physical, mental and social aspects of the game.