Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Hall of Fame profile: Rick Insell
9/19/2017 3:55:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball
Entering his seventh hall of fame
Hall of Fame profile: Rick Insell
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Head Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell is no stranger to hall of fame inductions. He's already been placed in six halls, the most recent of which came over the summer at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville.
Of all his hall of fame nods, his seventh may be one of his most special, because it comes at not only his place of employment, but also his alma mater. On Saturday, the 1977 MT graduate will be one the five members enshrined into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.
"I'm very humbled to even be considered to go into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame, because that's a very unique group," he said. "So many people have asked me, do you still get excited when you get recognized … and my answer is yes, because you're being recognized by different groups. It's a different group every time that appreciates your body of work and your investment into the game of basketball and into Middle Tennessee.
"None of it would be possible if I didn't have the support from my leaders, and I have that with [Athletic Director] Chris Massaro and [President] Sidney McPhee, in particular."
It's pretty easy to see why Insell is being enshrined in Middle Tennessee's athletics hall of fame.
Since taking over prior to the 2005-06 season, he's racked up the most wins (299) and highest winning percentage (.755) in program history, and his players have also excelled. He's mentored six All-Americans, five conference players of the year and 16 of the 31 players in the program's exclusive 1,000-point club.
Insell's first All-American, 2007 graduate Chrissy Givens, will enter the Blue Raider Hall of Fame on Saturday along with her coach.
"I could write a book about how special it is to go in with the man that gave me the opportunity to break out of my cocoon and be a butterfly," Givens, who was also MT's first WNBA Draft selection, said about Insell. "God put some very special people in my life, and Rick Insell is one of them.
"I never talk about my career without talking about Rick Insell. Every teammate I have played with knows a quote or story about him. The best coach I have ever had the pleasure to play for, and it is an absolute blessing to always know that we went in together to the hall of fame."
Insell's Lady Raiders have won 14 combined championships in his 12 seasons, seven each in the regular season and conference tournaments. They've also played in the postseason every year he's been the head man, nine times in the NCAA Tournament and three times in the WNIT.
With all of their success, the Lady Raiders have also developed a fan following under Insell that consistently ranks as one of the best in the country. MT has been in the top 30 nationally in attendance in nine of his 12 seasons, and the top 25 single-game attendances in program history all have occurred during his tenure.
He remembers a moment during his first season in 2005-06 when he was talking with some of his new players about what he wanted to accomplish, and when he brought up attendance, all the girls laughed.
Now, 12 years later, Lady Raiders' attendance is up 800 percent from before Insell took over.
"When I told them about our goals and our dreams to lead the conference in this and that and that I wanted to fill Murphy Center up, Chrissy [Givens] asked if I had ever been to one of their games, because they didn't have anybody there besides parents, cheerleaders, the scorer's table personnel and that's about it," Insell said.
"I told them we were going to change that."
As a kid growing up in nearby Woodbury and then as a student at MT, Insell would often frequent games or classes at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium, now the home of the Blue Raider volleyball team.
Included in the gym were pictures and plaques of old teams and athletes from Middle Tennessee's past. It was while walking through the gym and reading about Blue Raider greats when Insell first started thinking about the uniqueness of being a Blue Raider Hall of Famer.
"I saw some of the pictures on the walls of old athletes and teams," he said, "and I was always enamored with them. I didn't even know those people, but I would read what was on there about them.
"When I was hired here, I walked around the Kennon Hall of Fame and looked at the guys like Jimmy Earle, Stan Simpson and Boots Donnelly … and I thought maybe one day I could be in something like that. It's kind of mind blowing to know I'm going into that hall, and really and truly it's kind of intimidating."
Come Saturday, Insell's name will be added alongside some of the coaches and players he's marveled at along his road of becoming an all-time great coach and Blue Raider icon.
It will be his seventh hall of fame induction, surely not his last, and undoubtedly one of the most special.
"I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University, my sons graduated from Middle Tennessee State University and now I've worked here for 12 years," he said. "I'm proud of that, and proud for the players that played in our program."
This is the second in a five-part series showcasing the five Blue Raider Hall of Fame inductees.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Head Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell is no stranger to hall of fame inductions. He's already been placed in six halls, the most recent of which came over the summer at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville.
Of all his hall of fame nods, his seventh may be one of his most special, because it comes at not only his place of employment, but also his alma mater. On Saturday, the 1977 MT graduate will be one the five members enshrined into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.
"I'm very humbled to even be considered to go into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame, because that's a very unique group," he said. "So many people have asked me, do you still get excited when you get recognized … and my answer is yes, because you're being recognized by different groups. It's a different group every time that appreciates your body of work and your investment into the game of basketball and into Middle Tennessee.
"None of it would be possible if I didn't have the support from my leaders, and I have that with [Athletic Director] Chris Massaro and [President] Sidney McPhee, in particular."
It's pretty easy to see why Insell is being enshrined in Middle Tennessee's athletics hall of fame.
Since taking over prior to the 2005-06 season, he's racked up the most wins (299) and highest winning percentage (.755) in program history, and his players have also excelled. He's mentored six All-Americans, five conference players of the year and 16 of the 31 players in the program's exclusive 1,000-point club.
Insell's first All-American, 2007 graduate Chrissy Givens, will enter the Blue Raider Hall of Fame on Saturday along with her coach.
"I could write a book about how special it is to go in with the man that gave me the opportunity to break out of my cocoon and be a butterfly," Givens, who was also MT's first WNBA Draft selection, said about Insell. "God put some very special people in my life, and Rick Insell is one of them.
"I never talk about my career without talking about Rick Insell. Every teammate I have played with knows a quote or story about him. The best coach I have ever had the pleasure to play for, and it is an absolute blessing to always know that we went in together to the hall of fame."
Insell's Lady Raiders have won 14 combined championships in his 12 seasons, seven each in the regular season and conference tournaments. They've also played in the postseason every year he's been the head man, nine times in the NCAA Tournament and three times in the WNIT.
With all of their success, the Lady Raiders have also developed a fan following under Insell that consistently ranks as one of the best in the country. MT has been in the top 30 nationally in attendance in nine of his 12 seasons, and the top 25 single-game attendances in program history all have occurred during his tenure.
He remembers a moment during his first season in 2005-06 when he was talking with some of his new players about what he wanted to accomplish, and when he brought up attendance, all the girls laughed.
Now, 12 years later, Lady Raiders' attendance is up 800 percent from before Insell took over.
"When I told them about our goals and our dreams to lead the conference in this and that and that I wanted to fill Murphy Center up, Chrissy [Givens] asked if I had ever been to one of their games, because they didn't have anybody there besides parents, cheerleaders, the scorer's table personnel and that's about it," Insell said.
"I told them we were going to change that."
As a kid growing up in nearby Woodbury and then as a student at MT, Insell would often frequent games or classes at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium, now the home of the Blue Raider volleyball team.
Included in the gym were pictures and plaques of old teams and athletes from Middle Tennessee's past. It was while walking through the gym and reading about Blue Raider greats when Insell first started thinking about the uniqueness of being a Blue Raider Hall of Famer.
"I saw some of the pictures on the walls of old athletes and teams," he said, "and I was always enamored with them. I didn't even know those people, but I would read what was on there about them.
"When I was hired here, I walked around the Kennon Hall of Fame and looked at the guys like Jimmy Earle, Stan Simpson and Boots Donnelly … and I thought maybe one day I could be in something like that. It's kind of mind blowing to know I'm going into that hall, and really and truly it's kind of intimidating."
Come Saturday, Insell's name will be added alongside some of the coaches and players he's marveled at along his road of becoming an all-time great coach and Blue Raider icon.
It will be his seventh hall of fame induction, surely not his last, and undoubtedly one of the most special.
"I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University, my sons graduated from Middle Tennessee State University and now I've worked here for 12 years," he said. "I'm proud of that, and proud for the players that played in our program."
This is the second in a five-part series showcasing the five Blue Raider Hall of Fame inductees.
MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 9/15/25
Monday, September 15
MTSU Football at Nevada highlights – 9/13/25
Sunday, September 14
MTSU Football Postgame Press Conference @ Nevada on 09-13-25
Sunday, September 14
MTSU Volleyball Recap 9/5/25-9/7/25
Tuesday, September 09
