THE OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA LIONS

A native of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, Killen was the point guard on UNA women's basketball teams from 1984-86, helping lead the team to the 1984-85 Gulf South Conference championship team, while earning all-tournament honors.
              
She earned 8.2 points as a junior and 8.5 as a senior, scoring 452 career points with 114 rebounds, 95 steals and 178 assists. She had a 75.6 career free throw percentage.
               
She received her bachelor's degree in math, health and physical education from North Alabama, then earned a master's degree in physical education from UNA.
               
After two years as a graduate assistant at UNA, she accepted her first teaching and coaching position in 1989 at Deshler High School in Tuscumbia and is still at Deshler 33 years later. While teaching at Deshler,  she has served as the head coach in volleyball, softball and girls' basketball. She also has coached tennis at Deshler and continues to coach basketball and volleyball today.
               
This past season, Killen led the Deshler girls' basketball team to a 34-1 record and a state championship. It was her seventh state title as a head coach.
               
Her varsity basketball coaching record is 842-213 with seven state championships and six state runner-up teams in 33 seasons. Her teams have won 13 regional championships and more than 26 Area championships during her career. Deshler won four consecutive Class 4A state championships in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. That was followed by back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016. The Tigers' state runner-up finishes were in 2002, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018, and 2020.
    
Killen's basketball teams have had only one losing season in 33 years.  She has had 11 teams with 20 or more wins per season and 13 that won 30 or more. Her teams have averaged 24 wins per season with strings of four and eight consecutive 30-plus wins per season.  This year's team finished the season with an 18-game winning streak.
    
Killen's volleyball record is 918-460 with two state runner-up teams in 2007 and 2017. The Tigers have won more than 15 area championships and have had only five losing seasons in 33 years. In 2006-07, her girls reached the Class 4A state semifinals and finished 56-10. Ten of her teams won 40 or more matches per season and another six won 30 or more. Her team last fall also made earned a berth in the Elite Eight state tourney.
    
She added tennis to her coaching duties from 2004-17, producing a state runner-up in 2015. She coached softball from 1989-2001 and has also coached swimming.
              
She was selected Tuscumbia City Schools Teacher of the Year in 2021 for her work and dedication in teaching math.
    
Killen has received numerous coaching honors included being selected state Coach of the Year three times. She has received 13 Florence TimesDaily Coach of the Year awards.
               
Killen was one of 12 individuals enshrined in the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2021, and she was previously inducted into the Colbert County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008
               
In 2021, the court in the Deshler High School gymnasium was named in her honor.