MCHS 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee: Stephanie Whitaker

Stephanie Whitaker was an accomplished athlete and coach at McLean County High School. She played and coached a multitude of sports, excelling in all of them. Few people have achieved the level of success Stephanie attained while representing the maroon and gold.

Stephanie played basketball for MCHS from 1976-1980. She was team captain for three of those years. During her playing days she led the team in rebounds, free throw percentage, and steals (a school record at the time). She has the fourth most rebounds in school history. She was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the team and in 1978 was a member of the 3rd Region All-Tournament Team.

Whitaker was also a member of the track team, serving as captain in the 1977 and 1978 seasons. She was a member of the 440- and 880-meter relay teams that set school records in 1977. In 1979, Stephanie decided to play tennis, a sport that she enjoyed playing in her youth in Island. She won the Rough River Conference singles title and was a semi-finalist in doubles in the regional tournament.

After high school, Whitaker attended Murray State University where she was a member of the softball team. Upon graduation in 1984, she was awarded the Outstanding Physical Education Major and graduated with honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education and math.

Whitaker returned to MCHS after graduation to teach math and coach. She was an assistant girls basketball coach for over 10 years. During that time, MCHS had some of their best girls teams, winning two district championships and four All ‘A’ Regional Tournaments. Whitaker’s 95-96 JV team had an undefeated season.

Whitaker served as the head softball coach from 1985 through the early 1990s. The 1989 and 1990 teams were both 12th District Champions. In 1991, the softball team was regional semi-finalists, losing to the eventual regional champs Daviess County High School.

Whitaker concluded her coaching career at McLean County Middle School and then Daviess County Middle School, coaching girls basketball. She retired in 2017 after teaching math for 32 years.