Susan Atkinson Platt

Susan Atkinson Platt, a native of Kingsport, Tennessee, was inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 in recognition of her accomplishments as a volleyball player while attending the college. She was a captain her junior and senior year and led the team to a state championship victory in the 1971 season.

In addition to the 1971 state title, the volleyball team placed third in the state two other years that Platt was on the team. These accomplishments are even greater in light of the fact that they occurred during an era when all varsity volleyball teams from all colleges and universities competed in the same division regardless of school size.

Platt lettered four years not only in volleyball, but in basketball, where she was a captain her senior year, was voted Team Most Valuable Player, and won All-Conference honors. Her other activities included intramural softball and tennis, serving as an instructing assistant in the physical education department, Alpha Beta Chi social sorority, Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and the Cardinal Key Honor Society. She was also the last woman to be voted Miss Emory & Henry before the award was discontinued.

After graduating cum laude from Emory & Henry, Platt completed a one-year master’s degree in Physical Education at Indiana University and was promptly appointed to be a Health and Physical Education instructor at Emory & Henry. She stayed on at the college for four years, serving also as the volleyball coach, before leaving to earn a master’s degree in Community Counseling and becoming a school and community counselor.