Hall of Fame
Marilyn Carlson
Jennies Basketball/Track & Field, 1973-77
Carlson came to Central Missouri from the small west central Missouri town of Cleveland and became the first "superstar" of women's athletics at CMS, excelling in basketball and track from 1973-77. When the University initiated its annual outstanding senior female athlete award in 1977, Carlson was the first recipient. In basketball, at a time when much of the Jennies' competition consisted of what are now NCAA Division I schools, Carlson led the Jennies in scoring three straight years (1974-76) and in rebounding two straight years (1975-76). Her scoring total of 1,388 points ranks ninth on the Jennies' career list. In track, she earned All-America honors four times. Five records she set in 1976 (400 meters, 800 meters and mile indoors; 800 meters and 400-meter hurdles outdoors) still stand as the Jennies' records in those events. She graduated cum laude from Central Missouri in 1977 and has since earned a master's degree in computer science and is nearing completion of her doctorate in mathematics education. Since 1990, she has been director of college algebra in the department of mathematics at the University of Kansas.
