Nov. 30, 2001
In 1982, Harry Mullins came to the University of Kentucky as a mere freshman hoping to join the rifle team. Little did he know that 21 years later he would still be at the university, this time serving as head coach for the rifle program.
Mullins, 37, was born in Burgau, Germany, and grew up as an “army brat”. His father was a sergeant first class keeping the Mullins family in Germany for 11 years, with the first seven in a small farm town between Stutgart and Augsburg. The family finally moved to the United States in 1976, settling in Indianapolis for four months and then Georgia, where Mullins completed his junior high and high school years.
Mullins looks at his childhood as a positive experience even with all the moving. “I was able to see the world and understand that we are all just a small part of it. It brought a lot of equality to my life,” Mullins said. “Being born in Germany and living there before I could speak English helped me to understand other cultures and see other view points of the world.”
Mullins did not learn to speak English until he was nine years old and developed a strong southern accent with his newly learned language once moving to Georgia. At the age of 18, Mullins became a United States citizen.
The language barrier did not affect Mullins’ shooting ability. He began his shooting career when he first arrived in the States joining a shooting club for Army teens. His career continued into high school at the nationally prominent Fort Benning High School. Mullins says that his former high school coach, Lones Wigger, has helped him tremendously, but the most influential person in his life would have to be his father.
“Dad was and in my mind still is the best shot gun shooter to compete in the game, “Mullins said. “Just being around him all these years helped shape my view on shooting in general.”
After high school, Mullins came to the UK, due to the rifle team and because his father was a state resident. Mullins was a member of the team from 1982-86 as a commanding smallbore athlete. In 1983, 1984 and 1986, he won the Southeastern Conference Smallbore Championship to top off his college career.
In 1987, Mullins took over the UK rifle program and has since turned it from a non-scholarship program to one of the nation’s elite. Mullins credits much of this success to former Murray State coach Elvis Green. “Elvis pulled me under his wing when I first started coaching. He helped get the program to the level it is at now.”
Along with the aid of Green, his success also comes from his own experience. Most coaches can’t understand what kids are thinking and going through on a daily basis, but his career as a Wildcat allows him to close this gap between coach and athlete.
“I try to teach from my mistakes and my success, “Mullins said. “I think as coaches we all live through our athletes in the sense of performance, but being an athlete first helps make the transition of how far we can go before doing more damage than good to an athlete.”
Entering his 15th year as head coach, Mullins’ position just recently became full time at the university, he has gained three out of state scholarships for recruiting, and recent reconstruction has made the UK rifle range one of the best in the country. Before any of these enhancements to the program, Mullins worked with what he had and was successful at it. He was named the National Collegiate Rifle Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year in 1994, after leading the team to a third place finish at the NCAA Championships, and earned the honor again after last season leading the team to an NCAA runners-up finish.
Mullins had the opportunity to coach the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, Nancy Napolski, and one of this year’s NCAA Woman Athlete of the Year nominees, Taryn Lewis. Lewis was a senior on last year’s squad that Mullins led to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Mullins was very proud of the team’s performance last year and feels that the young team has matured as a whole. “I am happy for their accomplishments last year and I feel that if they work as a team this year then we will be seeing good things.”
Those good things include another Great-American Rifle Conference and NCAA Championship. Mullins main goal for this year’s team is to work as hard as possible to achieve the greatest performance. “I feel like we should receive the rewards we are looking for this season, but if not, then we will know that we strived to perform at our best all season.”
Mullins does admit that the success he has endured at UK would not be possible without the support of his wife, Heather, and their one-year-old daughter, Taylor. “Heather is my support system always there for me, regardless of what happens.” Mullins’ family is as important to him as coaching, his only fear is something happening to his family or team that he will not be able to prevent or make better.
Once Mullins closes his coaching career, you may find him on the golf course or painting, two things that not many people knows he enjoys. Mullins would like to look back and know that he was able to enhance others lives and help them achieve their goals. “At the end of my life, I would like to hope that I have been a good father, husband and coach…along with winning a few NCAA Championships,” Mullins lightheartingly added.
