Jennifer McFalls joins me on the podcast for a special conversation recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when college sports—and much of the world—were completely shut down. We connected over Zoom while the country was still under lockdown to talk about the unique challenges of coaching a Division I softball team in such an unprecedented time.
Jennifer has been the head coach of the University of Kansas softball team since 2018, a position she continues to hold today. Her journey to KU is built on an impressive softball legacy. A 1990 graduate of South Grand Prairie High School, McFalls went on to play shortstop for Texas A&M University, where she earned numerous honors—including being named Texas A&M Female Athlete of the Year in 1994. She stayed on as an assistant coach until 1997 and was later inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame in 2001.
Beyond college softball, McFalls is an Olympic gold medalist. She was an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Softball Team and later played shortstop for the gold medal-winning team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. From 2005 to 2010, she also served on the USA Softball selection committee. A proud Grand Prairie native, her hometown recognized her achievements by renaming Cottonwood Park to Jennifer McFalls Park in her honor in the early 2000s. The park, located at Dickey Rd. and 3rd St., is now a symbol of her enduring legacy.
In this episode, Jennifer shares her journey to the Olympics and offers insight into the struggles of navigating college athletics during the pandemic. At the time of our recording, college sports seasons were still on pause, and recruiting had shifted entirely online. Jennifer reflects on the impact this had—especially on senior athletes whose final seasons were cut short, and on the recruiting process, which now relied on game footage rather than in-person scouting.
Share this post