Advice Paved Jennings? Road to the Very Top

Women's BasketballSeptember 04, 2015

Advice Paved Jennings? Road to the Very Top

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Karen Jennings was one of the top student-athletes in the history of collegiate women's basketball. The Persia, Iowa, native, who grew up on a farm, etched her name into the highest available individual national honors, including the 1993 Margaret Wade Trophy, presented to the nation's most outstanding player. Jennings earned back-to-back All-America honors on the court and was named the CoSIDA Women's Basketball Academic All-American of the Year following that same memorable season.

Jennings will be enshrined into the University of Nebraska’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class on Friday and honored Saturday during the Husker-BYU season football opener. Looking back on a productive career on and off the court, Jennings is now a wife, mother and one of Omaha’s top-selling realtors. Like always, she’s a hard charger and a strong finisher, mainly because, to this day, she still follows two of the best pieces of advice she’s ever received.

First, Jennings can still hear her dad’s favorite line ringing in her ears. “If you think what you did yesterday was good, you haven’t done anything today,” the forever diligent Iowa farmer said repeatedly. As much as that resonates, Jennings also can hear seven of the most important words in her life: “Don’t ever forget where you came from,” former Nebraska women’s assistant basketball coach Theresa Becker told Jennings as a consistent reminder that her work ethic enabled almost every achievement.

“I’m so thankful for all of my opportunities and teachings while growing up on a farm,” Jennings said. When asked what kind of advice she gives and values, Jennings pauses. “I’m not sure I know,” she said, “but I hope this is one of them: Every person is given gifts from God, and it’s up to you to develop those gifts to glorify him.”

Jennings: Resources Helped Her Excel, Have Jersey Retired

Jennings was the Huskers' first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired (ceremony pictured above). Jennings' No. 51 now hangs inside the Pinnacle Bank Arena, home of the Huskers, who have since retired two more jerseys (Maurtice Ivy and Kelsey Griffin). To Jennings, that rare honor "just signifies what happens when a young athlete is given an extraordinary opportunity and capitalizes on the resources to build and find success," Jennings said. "Individually, I just wanted to play college basketball."

When Jennings arrived at Nebraska, she embraced the supportive environment of sports nutrition, weight training, skill training, academic support and what she calls superior coaching. "When you add all those factors together, good things happen," she said. "I was blessed with a lot of God-given ability, but it had never been pushed or developed to this level. My family was 100 percent on board with the planning and development of my career at Nebraska. Historically, I feel proud to have been in the first freshman class to eat at the training table and to continue to build the women’s basketball program at Nebraska."

Jennings' Accomplishments Cover the Court and the Classroom

In the classroom, Jennings is the only Husker women's basketball player to be honored as the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, and she is one of only four student-athletes in the history of Nebraska Athletics to be a three-time, first-team Academic All-America honoree.

In addition to being a three-time first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, Jennings was twice recognized as the sport's Academic All-American of the Year. In 2008, Jennings became the only female student-athlete at Nebraska to be enshrined in the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. A two-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year, Jennings was also a three-time, first-team all-conference selection and the 1993 Big Eight Female Athlete of the Year.

Jennings finished her career with 2,405 points and 1,000 rebounds, including a school-record 48 points vs. Kansas State on Jan. 21, 1992. Jennings is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Nebraska women's basketball, and she was the first Husker to total 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Jennings helped the Huskers to the first NCAA Tournament win in school history against San Diego on March 17, 1993. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in health, physical education and recreation studies from UNL in 1993.

Omaha World-Herald Photo

Fondest Memories: Locker-Room Celebrations after Winning Big Games

Ask what career collegiate highlight sticks out most in her mind, Jennings offers up two categories: 1) locker-room celebrations after big games; and 2) traveling with the team. "When you put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into your sport and then success arrives, it's the best feeling," Jennings said. "I loved the singing and the dancing in the locker room after the big games. That's what we worked all year for!"

A constantly striving high achiever, big celebrations also highlight and reinforce Jennings' accomplishments in her own real estate firm. "After working long-hour intense weeks for two and three months, I love it when our real estate team finds success," Jennings said. "It's a hard business, and only the strong survive. One of my favorite lines is failure to prepare is preparing to fail. It's a saying that can motivate you in business and in sport."

Once You're a Husker, You're Special for the Rest of Your Life

Growing up on a farm in Iowa and becoming a Nebraska icon is a consolidated result that matches work ethic with boundless opportunities. "I lead by example through my work ethic," Jennings said. "It's not what I say that matters. It's how I stay focused and driven every day."

The combined support from the University of Nebraska, the state of Nebraska and loyal Big Red fans reinforced Jennings' inherent work ethic and accelerated her drive to succeed. "There's so much unity in the state of Nebraska," Jennings said. "People really care who you are as a person. That's hard to find in other parts of the country. I know this: Once you're a Husker, you're special for the rest of your life."

Jennings credits Nebraska for developing her combined athletic and academic skills. "Nebraska's academic culture is second to none," she said. "If you need any assistance, all you have to do is ask. Nebraska has the top-of-line academic counselors, computer support, tutorial staff, supplementary instruction and life skill program. The environment is constructed to be a positive, uplifting place that promotes consistent support of each athlete’s education."

Omaha World-Herald Photo

Keys to Success: Time, Dedication, Extra Hours, Giving 100 Percent

Competing at Nebraska taught Jennings so many lessons. "You have good days (and good games) and you have bad days (and bad games)," she said. "Success depends on what you do on those ordinary days, so they can lead to the most extraordinary moments you can imagine."

Being a student-athlete, especially at Nebraska, requires a lot of time and dedication. "If you stick with it, there will be some amazing memories that develop," Jennings said. "Not everyone is willing to put in those extra hours of dedication, and some aren't patient enough to wait for their time. I really never expected to be a star player. I really just wanted to contribute and give 100 percent to the team, just like my dad recommended."

Jennings' success traces its roots to an Iowa farmer/father who became one of Nebraska's biggest fans simply because his daughter took him at his word when he said "if you think what you did yesterday was good, you haven't done anything."

That deep-laden thought became an epiphany for Karen Jennings, a talented student-athlete who will never forget where she came from. Why? Because, she said, "eventually, the cream comes to the top.”

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Steve Friesen: Men’s Golf

Charlie Greene: Men’s Track and Field

Jim Hartung: Men’s Gymnastics

Penny Hynes: Women's Swimming and Diving

Karen Jennings, Women's Basketball

Steve Jung: Men's Tennis

Joe Kirby: Men's Cross Country