The University of Mississippi Athletics
Peggie Gillom-Granderson and Lynnette Johnson to be Honored as SEC Trailblazers
2/11/2022 | Athletics, Athletics
Celebration to take Place at the 2022 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In conjunction with Southeastern Conference's 50th anniversary of Title IX celebration, former Rebel great Peggie Gillom-Granderson and former senior women's administrator Lynnette Johnson are set to be honored as a part of a distinguished group of individuals from all 14 SEC member institutions during the 2022 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, March 2-6, in Nashville, Tenn.
Known as SEC Trailblazers, this group has contributed to the advancement of women and the growth of women's athletics at their universities and within the Southeastern Conference.
Each trailblazer will be honored on court during half-time of their team's first game of the tournament, as well as with the full group of honorees on semifinal Saturday.
The SEC will have a year-long celebration of the anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation enacted half a century ago that has had a dramatic and lasting impact on opportunities for women in collegiate athletics.
Under the banner of "50th Anniversary of Title IX: Creating Opportunities," the SEC's celebration will include recognitions at Conference championship events, commemoration of achievements through online and social media channels, commemorative memorabilia and a collaboration with the SEC Network highlighting the advancement of women's sports.
Arguably one of the best in the history of Ole Miss women's basketball, Peggie Gillom-Granderson's dedication to Ole Miss has remained years after her days on the court throughout her work with two SEC programs.
Gillom-Granderson led the Ole Miss Women's Basketball team to the AIAW State Tournament Championships in 1978 and 1979 and a berth in the AIAW National Tournament in 1978. A four-year starter at the University of Mississippi in women's basketball, she is Ole Miss' all-time leading scorer with 2,486 points and rebounder with 1,271 rebounds.
After graduation, she went on to play for the WBL's Dallas Diamonds in 1980, then coached in the WNBA before returning to Ole Miss to coach from 1981 to 1997. In 16 seasons as an assistant coach to Van Chancellor, she helped lead Ole Miss to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Sweet Sixteen and four Elite Eight appearances.
Gillom-Granderson coached the Houston Comets in 1997-99, which saw the team win the WNBA championship both years. From 1999 to 2003, she was head coach at Texas A&M University and served as assistant coach for Team USA in the 2000 Olympics, leading the team to capture gold.
She returned to her alma mater in 2003 to help coach the Lady Rebels basketball team until her 2009 retirement.
She currently serves as the women's director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Ole Miss and as treasurer of the Greg Gillom Scholarship Fund, where she continues to mentor countless women and girls both professionally and personally.
As one of the most accomplished women in the history of Ole Miss Athletics, Lynnette Johnson's 32-year tenure at the university ensured the advancement and success for women in athletics for years to come. Over Johnson's time in Oxford, she spent her first nine as an athletic trainer and the last 23 as the senior women administrator, including the final three as deputy athletics director. Johnson tied a bow on her illustrious career, retiring in May of 2021.
As a sport administrator working with up to 16 of the department's 18 programs, Johnson's teams combined for 17 SEC Western Division championships and nine overall regular-season or tournament titles. Among the countless highlights, the 2005 Rebel men's tennis squad advanced to the NCAA Final Four; the women's basketball team reached the 2007 Elite Eight; Soccer played in the Sweet Sixteen in 2015; Softball earned Super Regional berths in both 2017 and 2019; Volleyball captured the NIVC title in 2017; Women's Golf was crowned SEC champions for the first time in 2019 and Rifle achieved its first conference title in 2021.
Under Johnson's tutelage, Ole Miss earned its Collegiate Women's Sports Award in women's tennis. She also spent countless hours not only assisting in the advancement of her own student-athletes professionally, but for many women throughout the industry.
In addition, Johnson has overseen human resources, student-athlete development, gender equity and policy-management for Ole Miss Athletics. She also represented the department on countless campus, conference and NCAA committees, including serving twice on the NCAA Softball Committee.
In her time as a member of the Ole Miss sports medicine staff, Johnson worked with all Rebel teams but primarily with football and women's basketball. In 1997, she became the first female head athletic trainer overseeing all sports in the Southeastern Conference.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native is a 1988 graduate of East Carolina University and a 1990 graduate of Ole Miss with a master's degree in education. In 2018, Johnson earned her doctorate in higher education from Ole Miss.
SEC Trailblazers:
Sarah Patterson, Alabama
Marie Robbins, Alabama
Bev Lewis, Arkansas
Linda Bedford-Jackson, Arkansas
Dr. Jane Moore, Auburn (deceased)
Meredith Jenkins, Auburn (deceased)
Susan Nunnelly, Auburn
Jeremy Foley, Florida
Ann Marie Rogers, Florida
Liz Murphy, Georgia (deceased)
Carla Williams, Georgia
Bernadette Locke-Mattox, Kentucky
Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky
D-D Breaux, LSU
Joyce Walker, LSU
Samye Johnson, Mississippi State
Ann Carr, Mississippi State
Jean Cerra, Missouri
Joann Rutherford, Missouri
Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Ole Miss
Lynnette Johnson, Ole Miss
Dawn Ellerbe, South Carolina
Sheila Foster, South Carolina
Pat Summitt, Tennessee (deceased)
Joan Cronan, Tennessee
Vicki Brown Sobecki, Texas A&M
Brenda Goldsmith Hocott, Texas A&M
Sharon Shields, Vanderbilt
Teresa Lawrence Phillips, Vanderbilt
Known as SEC Trailblazers, this group has contributed to the advancement of women and the growth of women's athletics at their universities and within the Southeastern Conference.
Each trailblazer will be honored on court during half-time of their team's first game of the tournament, as well as with the full group of honorees on semifinal Saturday.
The SEC will have a year-long celebration of the anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation enacted half a century ago that has had a dramatic and lasting impact on opportunities for women in collegiate athletics.
Under the banner of "50th Anniversary of Title IX: Creating Opportunities," the SEC's celebration will include recognitions at Conference championship events, commemoration of achievements through online and social media channels, commemorative memorabilia and a collaboration with the SEC Network highlighting the advancement of women's sports.
Arguably one of the best in the history of Ole Miss women's basketball, Peggie Gillom-Granderson's dedication to Ole Miss has remained years after her days on the court throughout her work with two SEC programs.
Gillom-Granderson led the Ole Miss Women's Basketball team to the AIAW State Tournament Championships in 1978 and 1979 and a berth in the AIAW National Tournament in 1978. A four-year starter at the University of Mississippi in women's basketball, she is Ole Miss' all-time leading scorer with 2,486 points and rebounder with 1,271 rebounds.
After graduation, she went on to play for the WBL's Dallas Diamonds in 1980, then coached in the WNBA before returning to Ole Miss to coach from 1981 to 1997. In 16 seasons as an assistant coach to Van Chancellor, she helped lead Ole Miss to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Sweet Sixteen and four Elite Eight appearances.
Gillom-Granderson coached the Houston Comets in 1997-99, which saw the team win the WNBA championship both years. From 1999 to 2003, she was head coach at Texas A&M University and served as assistant coach for Team USA in the 2000 Olympics, leading the team to capture gold.
She returned to her alma mater in 2003 to help coach the Lady Rebels basketball team until her 2009 retirement.
She currently serves as the women's director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Ole Miss and as treasurer of the Greg Gillom Scholarship Fund, where she continues to mentor countless women and girls both professionally and personally.
As one of the most accomplished women in the history of Ole Miss Athletics, Lynnette Johnson's 32-year tenure at the university ensured the advancement and success for women in athletics for years to come. Over Johnson's time in Oxford, she spent her first nine as an athletic trainer and the last 23 as the senior women administrator, including the final three as deputy athletics director. Johnson tied a bow on her illustrious career, retiring in May of 2021.
As a sport administrator working with up to 16 of the department's 18 programs, Johnson's teams combined for 17 SEC Western Division championships and nine overall regular-season or tournament titles. Among the countless highlights, the 2005 Rebel men's tennis squad advanced to the NCAA Final Four; the women's basketball team reached the 2007 Elite Eight; Soccer played in the Sweet Sixteen in 2015; Softball earned Super Regional berths in both 2017 and 2019; Volleyball captured the NIVC title in 2017; Women's Golf was crowned SEC champions for the first time in 2019 and Rifle achieved its first conference title in 2021.
Under Johnson's tutelage, Ole Miss earned its Collegiate Women's Sports Award in women's tennis. She also spent countless hours not only assisting in the advancement of her own student-athletes professionally, but for many women throughout the industry.
In addition, Johnson has overseen human resources, student-athlete development, gender equity and policy-management for Ole Miss Athletics. She also represented the department on countless campus, conference and NCAA committees, including serving twice on the NCAA Softball Committee.
In her time as a member of the Ole Miss sports medicine staff, Johnson worked with all Rebel teams but primarily with football and women's basketball. In 1997, she became the first female head athletic trainer overseeing all sports in the Southeastern Conference.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native is a 1988 graduate of East Carolina University and a 1990 graduate of Ole Miss with a master's degree in education. In 2018, Johnson earned her doctorate in higher education from Ole Miss.
SEC Trailblazers:
Sarah Patterson, Alabama
Marie Robbins, Alabama
Bev Lewis, Arkansas
Linda Bedford-Jackson, Arkansas
Dr. Jane Moore, Auburn (deceased)
Meredith Jenkins, Auburn (deceased)
Susan Nunnelly, Auburn
Jeremy Foley, Florida
Ann Marie Rogers, Florida
Liz Murphy, Georgia (deceased)
Carla Williams, Georgia
Bernadette Locke-Mattox, Kentucky
Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky
D-D Breaux, LSU
Joyce Walker, LSU
Samye Johnson, Mississippi State
Ann Carr, Mississippi State
Jean Cerra, Missouri
Joann Rutherford, Missouri
Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Ole Miss
Lynnette Johnson, Ole Miss
Dawn Ellerbe, South Carolina
Sheila Foster, South Carolina
Pat Summitt, Tennessee (deceased)
Joan Cronan, Tennessee
Vicki Brown Sobecki, Texas A&M
Brenda Goldsmith Hocott, Texas A&M
Sharon Shields, Vanderbilt
Teresa Lawrence Phillips, Vanderbilt
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