Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame
When Amy Culpepper arrived at Rhodes for the 1987-88 season, the Lynx were competing in the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Berea, Ashbury, Sewanee and Centre colleges quickly learned this 5’8” freshman could score. Rhodes was a member of the WIAC for one more season, then the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) was formed and women and men competed in the same league. Berea and Asbury were happy to see Amy Culpepper continued to pour in points for another two years against the Colonels and the Tigers.
Some basketball players are known for their rebounding. Others are known for their ball handling. Amy Culpepper was known for her scoring. Amy could flat “fill it up.” Sarah Hatgas, Rhodes’ head basketball coach during Amy’s career, had this to say, “Amy loved to drive and initiate contact. Referees were often targeted with the Culpepper glare for a no call foul.”
Amy currently stands as Rhodes’ second leading scorer in the college’s history with 1703 points. She holds Rhodes records with 1453 field goal attempts, 696 field goals made and the season field goal percentage mark at 53.1%. Amy posted an amazing 42 double doubles during her career at Rhodes. She was selected All WIAC her first and second years, and All SCAC her junior and senior years. She was named Honorable Mention All American for her great play during the 1990-91 season.
Amy was a Religious Studies major and a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She was an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and served on the Student Assembly. As a teammate so fondly remembers, “Amy Culpepper was the ultimate teammate. Her name was always prominent in the box score because she was usually the leading scorer, but she was always the first on the team to praise another teammate.” For the thrills she brought her family, friends, fans and teammates by her great basketball play for the Lynx, it is an honor for Rhodes College to induct AMY CULPEPPER BULL into the Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame this 3rd day of October, 2008.
