Jill Stinson

Former Lady Tiger great still excelling on volleyball court

After helping the Cowley College volleyball, softball, and women’s basketball teams achieve great success from 1978-1980, Jill Stinson will be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Feb. 10, 2007.

Stinson, who led the Cowley volleyball and women’s basketball teams to conference championships, guided the Johnson County Community College volleyball team to the NJCAA Division II National Championship in 2005. Ironically, Johnson County defeated Cowley in the championship match.

“It was really incredible,” Stinson said. “When we played Cowley in the finals I thought if I could not get it done as a coach then at least a part of me would get it done.”

At Cowley, Stinson was named a two-time All-Region VI volleyball selection. She was also named the volleyball team’s Most Valuable Player and team captain during the 1979-80 season.

She helped lead the volleyball team to a Region VI championship and a record of 43-9-2 in 1978, and a record of 41-11-1 and a Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division championship in 1979.

In basketball, Stinson was a member of back-to-back Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division championship teams. During her two years, Cowley posted a record of 43 wins and only nine losses.

Stinson also played two seasons for the Lady Tiger softball team and helped the 1979 squad post a record of 13-4.
She went on to play volleyball at the University of Kansas and was named the team captain in the 1981-82 season. She has been involved in coaching volleyball since graduating from the University of Kansas in 1982.

“Cowley served as a great transition for a small town kid to end up at the University of Kansas,” Stinson said. “I don’t know if I could have done that without my time at Cowley.”
She served as an assistant volleyball coach at KU from 1983-86, and then went on to lead  Benedictine College to a record of 30-20 in her only season as head coach.

She left Benedictine for the head coaching position at Penn Valley Community College, where she coached from 1987-1990. While at Penn Valley, she was named the Region 16 Coach of the Year in 1987.

She took over her current position as head coach at Johnson County Community College in 1997 and reached the pinnacle in coaching last season as she led the Lady Cavaliers to the NJCAA Division II National Championship.
By leading Johnson County to the national championship, Stinson was named District K Coach of the Year, AVCA Midwest Region Two Year College Coach of the Year, AVCA National Two Year College Coach of the Year, and the NJCAA National Tournament Coach of the Year.

In nine seasons at Johnson County, Stinson has compiled a record of 244-103-1. She was named the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division Coach of the Year in 1998 and was named the District K Coach of the Year in 2003.
Her father, Harold, also known as “Moon”, brother, Bill Stinson (Arkansas City High School girls basketball coach), and sister, Connie, have also been involved in coaching.

“I really enjoy it and feel if you love what you do you are going to be successful at it,” Stinson said. “Helping people enjoy the sport is what I love.”
The ability to participate in three sports led Stinson to Cowley. Although Udall did not have a softball team in high school, Stinson had played slow pitch softball growing up and made the transition to fast pitch look easy.
“Several of us girls played three sports at Cowley and many of the girls played two sports,” Stinson said.

Linda Hargrove, wife of Cowley softball coach Ed Hargrove, coached Stinson in volleyball and basketball at Cowley. Stinson enjoyed the experience of learning from Hargrove, whom she had known from the time she was a little girl as Hargrove taught her the baton when she was in the first grade. Stinson’s father, Harold, was Linda’s high school track coach.

Stinson’s father, who at one time signed a professional football contract with the Los Angeles Rams, encouraged her to participate in athletics.
“My dad really pushed to get women involved in sports,” Stinson said. “If it was a nice day outside all of us kids were outside competing. We did that every day after school.”

She enjoyed all three sports, but grew to love volleyball the most.
“I love the speed of the game, the precision of the game, the power of the game, and the finesse of the game,” Stinson said.
Stinson is also still excelling as a player as she has had great success playing in the United States Volleyball Association, which is now called USA Volleyball. Her team was the Heart of America Regional Champions 13 times in 14 years (1986-1999).

She also was named a First-Team All-American in the USVBA/USA Volleyball Indoor Open National Championships six times, and was named the Most Valuable Player in 1997.
In 1998, Stinson played professionally for the Kansas City Lightning of the National Volleyball Association. She also teamed to win the Florida Bud Light Series Tournament at Clearwater Beach, Fla. in 1991.
She hopes to compete at the adult national volleyball tournament again this season.

“I would love to play as much as my body allows that to happen,” Stinson said.
Stinson received a Masters degree in education/physical education administration and exercise physiology at KU and teaches several classes at Johnson County. She teaches a Wellness for Life class, First Aid, Health, and Elementary Education classes.

At Cowley, Stinson not only was known for her athletic prowess, she was also a candidate for Queen Alalah as a sophomore. She was also involved in other activities in the school and even donned the Tiger mascot costume for a couple of sporting events.

She has fond memories of her time at Cowley.
“I remember the college having really good people,” Stinson said. “It was also a really neat community, it was good to have the people’s support when we played. I was also fortunate to have coaches that were passionate in what they did.”

Stinson and her husband, Don Barnum, have two children, Rylie 6, and Ryan 3.
Staying busy coaching, teaching, and raising two young children, Stinson did not anticipate being inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I was surprised because a lot of us from those teams were involved in so many things at the school,” Stinson said. “I also did not think I was old enough for the honor. It is a really neat thing.