Dr. Margaret Hutson died on Wednesday June 7, at age 78.
Hutson was the coach of the Lady Vols basketball team before Pat Summitt.
She had no experience playing high school or college basketball but became the Lady Vols coach in 1970 when she came to Tennessee to teach physical education.
Hutson led UT to a 60-19 record in four seasons, going 25-2 in 1974. She successfully lobbied to allow the women to wear orange uniforms like the men.
Pat Summitt had accepted a position as her graduate assistant when Hutson decided to leave to pursue her PhD. Summitt was then asked to take Hutson's place as head coach.
In 1977, Margaret began her career at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va., as a professor in the Health and Physical Education Department, which she chaired for eleven years. During her 27 year tenure, Margaret, who served as the college's athletic trainer, established a nationally certified Athletic Training Education Program at Emory & Henry, one of only seven such programs in the United States. Margaret also coached the Emory & Henry women's volleyball team for sixteen years. Her teams had thirteen winning seasons, eight seasons with 20 or more wins, one season with 30 wins and played for three ODAC conference titles.
To honor her contributions to academics and to her students, Margaret received the United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award in 2001. In 2006 she received the Fanelli Award for her contributions to Emory & Henry women's athletics. Upon her retirement in 2004, Emory & Henry awarded her with Faculty Emeritus status and in 2011 Margaret was inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, 2017, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Abingdon, Va., with interment at the Holston Conference Cemetery in Emory, Va. Immediately following the interment, the family will receive friends at the King Athletic Center on the Emory & Henry College campus. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Emory & Henry College, Emory, Va. 24327; Ecumenical Faith in Action, 798 Hillman Highway NE, Abingdon, Va. 24210; St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 124 East Main St., Abingdon, Va. 24210; or The Pat Summitt Foundation, 520 West Summitt Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tenn. 37902.