Bettie Lou (Duff) Evans ’62, a member of Transylvania’s Pioneer Hall of Fame and former University of Kentucky golf coach, died Tuesday at the age of 82.
While at Transylvania, Evans played every sport offered for women and was involved with a wide variety of campus groups — from singing in the choir to serving as the Chi Omega sorority president. After graduation, she returned to her hometown of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, to teach high school and start women’s basketball and golf programs.
“My participation at Transy showed me the value of women’s sports and made me enthusiastic about returning to my hometown to start programs and give those girls the same kind of opportunities I had,” Evans said for her 1993 Hall of Fame recognition.
She went on to coach the Wildcats’ women’s golfers from 1979-2001 before becoming director of UK’s golf operations for both the women’s and men’s programs, according to the school.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bettie Lou Evans, who played such a tremendous role in the development of golf in our commonwealth,” said Mitch Barnhart, UK director of athletics. “From her days as a student-athlete at Transylvania, to her four decades at UK, to the time she invested in the golfing community, Bettie Lou’s name is synonymous with the sport.”
Highlights of her career include leading teams to five NCAA championship tournaments (finishing twice in the top 10), coaching All-Americans, serving as president of the Women’s Kentucky State Golf Association and being named the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Coach of the Year.
Evans was also inducted into other halls of fame, including the National Golf Coaches Association, UK Athletics and Kentucky Golf.
Additionally, UK women’s golf regularly hosts the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational in her honor.
Photo: UK Athletics