Lipscomb’s first female athlete inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame, Kim Van Atta, passed away.
Kim Van Atta was a trailblazing figure in women’s basketball, whose impact was felt from the high school hardwood all the way to the collegiate coaching ranks.
A Mt Juliet, Tennessee native, Kim’s journey started at Mount Juliet High School, where she was an all-state tournament and All-Nashville Interscholastic League first-team performer.
Her crowning prep achievement came in 1983 when she led the team to the Tennessee Class AAA state championship, finishing the season with a remarkable 36-1 record and a No. 13 national ranking in the USA Today Super 25 Girls Basketball Poll.
Kim carried that winning spirit into her college years at Lipscomb University, where she became one of the program’s most celebrated athletes.
Over her four-year career from 1983 to 1987, she earned two NAIA All-American honors, three NAIA All-District accolades, and four All-Conference selections.
She graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,163 while also setting school records for career free throw percentage (.850), single-season free throw percentage (.877), and most points in a game with 37.
Her coaching career flourished at the University of Tennessee at Martin, where she and her husband Gatry made history as the first collegiate co-head coaches in Tennessee.
UT Martin Athletics Is Mourning The Death Of Kim Van Atta
The sources confirmed that Kim Van Atta, the Mount Juliet, Tennessee, native, left the world in 2026 at the age of 61.
UT Martin Athletics took to their official Facebook handle to announce the tragic news.
UT Martin Athletics mourns the passing of former women’s basketball co-head coach Kim Van Atta, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 60 The Mount Juliet, Tenn. native helped lead the Skyhawks to their first-ever OVC regular season championship and postseason victory at the NCAA Division I level in 1999
UT Martin Athletics
Him Tripp, a graduate of Western Illinois University, took to the comment section and wrote,
My wife and I were on faculty at UTM when Kim and Gary were hired. They were such a great couple and dedicated to Skyhawk basketball. Prayers to her family.
Jim Tripp
Linda Luther, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, wrote,
My husband (Cal Luther) was the men’s basketball coach when they were hired! Such a great person & wonderful coaching couple on & off the courts! Prayers for the family!
Linda Luther
Eric White, a former transportation consultant at Mikey’s Motors Golf Carts, wrote,
Y’all I’m struggling to find the words. Kim and Coach Van Atta took me in as a young aspiring coach and gave me a platform. They gave me a place to live and spent money feeding me tons of Mexican food at the place in Alabaster.
Eric White
The four years at Montevallo and the 4 years at UTM were so rewarding and fun. I had lost touch with her and Coach but I am so thankful for her and the sacrifices she made to help me get started.
She trained to run a marathon and I had been running a little on the side she recruited me to be her running partner – she had a program we used, started at like 3 miles..went to 5 then like 8 – one Saturday we met up and she said today we gotta stretch it – we basically ran to Jackson and back or at least that’s what it felt like….we actually ran the mileage for a marathon that day..it was an amazing feeling and also a major obstacle I had in mind that she pushed me to overcome. She opened the door for me at Lipscomb to work camps for Coach Meyer..which opened up so much more opportunities..love you Coach Kim!!
Other close ones and relatives have also offered their heartfelt condolences.
A celebration of life will be held at 3 pm, Saturday, May 16, at Lipscomb University’s McQuiddy Gymnasium for Kim Satterfield Van Atta.
Rest in Peace, Kim Van Atta.
