2006 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE | LINDA KING DOAN
Linda King Doan left her coaching position at Cincinnati Bible College—now Cincinnati Christian University—in 1983 to come coach volleyball at Milligan. She took over the position held by her former Sunday school teacher—and CBC volleyball rival—Dr. Patricia Bonner. She left coaching in 1995 but has remained on faculty as Professor of Human Performance and Exercise Science.
With an impressive overall record of 286 wins to 163 losses, Linda led her teams to eight winning seasons. Nearly every year she coached, her players received many accolades, including several Milligan firsts: one of her players was the first Milligan athlete to receive the honor of Academic All-American. Another of her players received volleyball’s first All-American NAIA honorable mention, and this same player was the first volleyball player to receive NAIA district player of the year and conference most valuable player honors, for two consecutive years.
Her enthusiasm for the sport motivated and inspired her players. Sometimes, at away games, opposing fans would even come up to the team to tell them how much they had enjoyed watching them play.
And the girls did have fun! Linda recalls player Karen Nave slowing down long enough to answer a wall phone in the gym at Bluefield College as she chased down a pass out of bounds. And she remembers the time the team, sightseeing in Washington, D.C. between tournament games, managed to be politely kicked out of the Lincoln Memorial.
Then there are the Coach King bus stories. There was the time she wedged the bus under a bridge underpass near Wittenberg University. Then there is the time she rammed an overhang support at a Nashville Holiday Inn. And we can’t forget the time she got the bus stuck in a parking garage in Chattanooga, or the time she backed into the little red sports car belonging to a King College assistant basketball coach. Or even the time she backed into her own car after returning home from an away game late one night. It is important to mention that her team won all of the games associated with these mishaps.
Also worthy of special note is the fact that Linda coached volleyball as a single mom with two very young children. Milligan faculty, students and friends played a huge role in her family’s life as they helped her juggle her many responsibilities. Linda’s kids were a regular part of campus life, and students were regularly welcome in Linda’s home.
Her bond with her players was genuine and close. Even more important than the strong, accomplished teams Linda King Doan built is the camaraderie and fellowship she encouraged among her players. This is probably her greatest legacy in Milligan’s history.
It is with pleasure that we induct Linda King Doan into the 2006 Athletics Hall of Fame.