Micki King
Encyclopedia
Maxine Joyce King (born July 26, 1944, in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...

) is a former competitive diver and diving coach. She was a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 winner at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

 in the three meter springboard event
Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
The women's 3 metre springboard, also reported as springboard diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme.The competition was split into two phases:#Preliminary round...

.

She was the dominant figure in women's diving in the United States from 1965 to 1972, winning 10 national championships, including both springboard
Springboard
A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type....

 and platform
Diving platforms
A diving platform or diving tower is a type of structure used for competitive diving.They consist of a vertical rigid "tower" with one or more horizontal platforms extending out over a deep pool of water. In platform diving, the diver jumps from a high stationary surface...

 events. At the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

, she was in first place in the three meter springboard event
Diving at the 1968 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
The women's 3 metre springboard, also reported as springboard diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1968 Summer Olympics programme.The competition was split into two phases:#Preliminary round...

 when she broke her left arm on the ninth dive; she completed the tenth dive, but finished in fourth place. In 1972, she made a comeback at the Munich Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

, winning the gold medal in the three meter springboard event
Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
The women's 3 metre springboard, also reported as springboard diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme.The competition was split into two phases:#Preliminary round...

.

King was a career officer in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 from 1966 to 1992, retiring with the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

. She taught physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....

 and coached diving at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

, becoming the first woman to serve on the faculty of a U.S military academy and the first woman to coach a male athlete to an NCAA championship. She was named NCAA Division II Coach of the Year three times. From 1992-2006, King was assistant athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...

 at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...

. She was also the president of US Diving from 1990-1994. She has been inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame
United States Olympic Hall of Fame
The United States Olympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic athletes.The Hall of Fame was established by the United States Olympic Committee in 1979; the first members were inducted in 1983. Between 1992 and 2003, the Hall of Fame went dormant, with no induction of new...

, the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the International Swimming Hall of Fame
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...

, and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...

.

Early years

King was the daughter of a General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 line worker in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...

. She developed a love of water sports at her family’s cottage in Waterford, Michigan. She began diving at age ten through lessons at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

 in downtown Pontiac. She attended Pontiac Central High School
Pontiac Central High School
Pontiac Central High School was one of two public high schools in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It had been an accredited high school from 1849 until its closing in 2009....

. Throughout high school she entered and won AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 meets regularly.

University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Swim Club

King attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 from 1961-1965. When King arrived at Michigan in 1961, it did not have a women's diving program. When men's diving coach Dick Kimball
Dick Kimball
Dick Kimball is an American former diving champion and diving coach at the University of Michigan. He was the NCAA springboard champion in 1957 and the Professional World Diving champion in 1963. He coached the University of Michigan diving team from 1958-2002 and also coached the U.S. Olympic...

 saw King, he saw a potential diving star; he saw strength, desire, a natural spring and great athleticism. Kimball decided to train King with the men's team. Working with Kimball, King became the first woman to master a number of dives, including a 1-1/2 somersault dive with a 2-1/2 twist on a ten-meter tower.

In the years before Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...

, women were not permitted to compete in Michigan athletics, but Kimball and King circumvented the system. King recalled, “One of Coach Kimball’s greatest lines was that he didn’t coach men or women he coached people. He taught me dives that no woman had ever done before. I pioneered those dives. Coach Kimball knew that we were a team of people.” She noted: "We used the women's pool at the CCRB. What was ironic was that the men were allowed to come into and use the women's pool but the women couldn't even come into the men's. What Kimball would do was sneak us through the back doors because the front door was right in front of the administrators. We used the spectator bathroom and used washcloths and the public sink as a shower. We thought we were lucky."

She was the dominant figure in women’s diving in the United States from 1965 to 1972. In 1965, competing for the Ann Arbor Swim Club (since Michigan did not have a team), King was the US national indoor platform champion, the national outdoor three-meter champion and was named Diver of the Year. After graduating from Michigan, King joined the US Air Force in 1966 and was assigned to the Air Force ROTC program in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...

, where she continued to train with Dick Kimball. In all, King won ten US national diving championships in the outdoor three-meter springboard (1965, 1967, 1969, 1970), one meter (1967), platform (1969), and indoor three-meter springboard (1965, 1971).

King also excelled in water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...

. She led the Ann Arbor Swim Club to two AAU national championships (1961–1963) and was twice named an All-American goalie.

1968 and 1972 Olympic Games

Going into the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

, King was the favorite in the three-meter competition. She was popular with American diving fans not only for her diving ability but also for her personality and good looks. A 1967 Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 article described her as “shapely” and “a vivacious, blue-eyed blond, who does justice to a bathing suit.” She is remembered for her courageous performance in the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

 in which she was in first place when she broke her left forearm on her ninth dive. She later recalled: "I was leading with only three dives to go, but on my second-to-last dive, I hit the board with my arm. The irony was that I could have done my cleanup dive with a broken leg, but I didn't know I had to do it with a broken arm. I didn't think it was going to hurt, and when it did, it shook me up." The pain caused King to lose form on her last dive, and she slipped from first to fourth.

She made an Olympic comeback and won the gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

 in the three-meter springboard event. King noted that, while she was caught up in the pageantry and adventure of the Olympics in 1968, she was 28 years old at the Munich games; she viewed it as her "last hurrah," and "it was all business." Going into the final round in Munich, King was in third place. She won the gold on her final dive, the same half-somersault with a one-and-a-half twist that cost her gold in Mexico City. When Palestinian gunmen took Israeli athletes hostage, King and her coaches used zoom lenses to observe the gunmen on a balcony outside an apartment of Israeli athletes. "The Olympics are such a wonderful tradition for sport, but it has never been the same since 1972, given the tragedy there," King said. "The beauty of sportsmanship is spoiled by the need for security."

US Air Force

King also had a 26-year career in the US Air Force from 1966-1992. While preparing for the 1972 Olympics, King trained at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

 in Colorado. In 1973, she was assigned to instruct physical education and coach diving at the Air Force Academy, becoming the first woman to hold a faculty position at a US military academy, and the only female coach in any sport to coach a male athlete to an NCAA championship. She coached Air Force divers to 11 All-America honors and four national titles, and was twice named NCAA Division II Coach of the Year. In 1992, King retired from the Air Force as a full colonel.

In 1976, King married Air Force pilot, Jim Hogue, and she changed her name during the marriage to Micki King Hogue. In 1982, King had a daughter, Michelle Hogue. In 1984, she had a son, Kevin Hogue.

While serving in the Air Force, King was a member of the committee that led the way for women to be admitted to the US military academies. King’s daughter, Michelle Hogue, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2004. At the time, King noted, “Never once in the two years of committee work did I ever dream that my own daughter would be a beneficiary.” On her graduation, King’s daughter presented King with a class ring from the Academy. King noted, “She said if anybody should have a class ring, I should.”

Television

In addition to being a color commentator with Bill Flemming
Bill Flemming
William Norman "Bill" Flemming was an American television sports journalist who was one of the original announcers for the ABC Sports show Wide World of Sports.-Early life:...

 for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

's television coverage at the 1976 Summer Olympics, King was also a competitor in the 1970s television series, Superstars and Battle of the Sexes. She also appeared on "The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

 Starring Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...

" on October 25, 1972.

University of Kentucky

In 1992, King became an assistant athletic director and senior women's administrator at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...

 where she remained for 14 years. She was also the first woman to command Kentucky’s ROTC detachment. King was relieved of her duties as part of a major shake-up in the Kentucky athletics department in May 2006.

Continued involvement in Olympic diving

She has remained active in Olympic diving over the years. King was a color commentator on ABC television’s coverage of the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...

. She had been scheduled to do the color commentary at the 1980 Moscow games that were boycotted by the United States. At the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

 in Seoul, South Korea, King was the team leader for the US diving team. From 1990 to 1994, King was the president of US Diving, the governing body for US divers, and attended the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 in that capacity. At the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

 in Atlanta, King was again the Olympic team leader for US divers; she sequestered the team for intensive training at the University of Kentucky facilities before the games. At the time, she noted, "We'll train in Lexington because it's in the same time zone, it has great facilities and I wanted another week at home." In 2001, she was part of an independent review commission that concluded that US Track & Field did not intentionally cover up positive drug tests but did not follow procedures in reporting violators. In April 2005, King was elected to serve a four-year term as vice president of the US Olympians Association.

Women's Sports Foundation

In 1974, King was one of the founders of the Women’s Sports Foundation along with Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...

, Donna de Varona
Donna de Varona
Donna Elizabeth de Varona is a former American swimmer of Mexican and Irish descent.-Swimming career:...

, and Wyomia Tyus
Wyomia Tyus
Wyomia Tyus is an American athlete, and the first person to retain the Olympic title in the 100 m....

. She was a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 1988–1990 and has served on its Board of Stewards since 1990. Long a proponent of funding for women's sports, King noted in 1999, "The test of Title IX is to go into high schools and ask the girls about the history of their teams. When today's 17-year-old assumes there has always been a volleyball team at their school, then it has become accepted as part of their culture."

Awards and honors

She has received numerous awards and honors, including the following:
  • In 1978, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame
    International Swimming Hall of Fame
    The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...

    .
  • She was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. She was the first diver inducted, and only 20 athletes were inducted before King.
  • In 1986, King was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
    University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
    The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...

    . She was the first woman inducted.
  • In 1988, King received the Glenn McCormick Annual Award presented by US Diving for outstanding contributions to the sport of diving.
  • In 1992, she was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame
    United States Olympic Hall of Fame
    The United States Olympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic athletes.The Hall of Fame was established by the United States Olympic Committee in 1979; the first members were inducted in 1983. Between 1992 and 2003, the Hall of Fame went dormant, with no induction of new...

    .
  • In 1993, she was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
    Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
    The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports people. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, president of the Greater Michigan Foundation Donald Weeks, general manager of the...

    .
  • In 1994, the University of Michigan “M” Club awarded King an Honorary “M.” When King attended Michigan, women’s diving was not a varsity sport, and she therefore did not receive a varsity letter
    Varsity letter
    A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...

     during her years as a student.
  • In 2001, King received the Phil Boggs
    Phil Boggs
    Phillip George Boggs was a diver from the United States, who won the gold medal in the springboard event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada....

     Award for individual excellence in diving and for giving back to the sport.

See also

  • University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
    University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
    The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...

  • United States Olympic Hall of Fame
    United States Olympic Hall of Fame
    The United States Olympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic athletes.The Hall of Fame was established by the United States Olympic Committee in 1979; the first members were inducted in 1983. Between 1992 and 2003, the Hall of Fame went dormant, with no induction of new...

  • Diving at the 1968 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
    Diving at the 1968 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
    The women's 3 metre springboard, also reported as springboard diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1968 Summer Olympics programme.The competition was split into two phases:#Preliminary round...

  • Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
    Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard
    The women's 3 metre springboard, also reported as springboard diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme.The competition was split into two phases:#Preliminary round...

  • Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Women's 10 metre platform
    Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Women's 10 metre platform
    The women's 10 metre platform, also reported as platform diving, was one of four diving events on the Diving at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme.The competition was split into two phases:#Preliminary round...

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