Kris Emerson Simpson set records as a basketball star at Caledonia High School and Michigan State University, starred in professional basketball for four years in Sweden and then moved into collegiate coaching.
She was a two-time All-State player for Caledonia and in 1981 led her team to the state semifinals in Class C. She also set six team records, including all-time scoring and rebounding marks, while playing for the Fighting Scots.
At Michigan State she did much the same and started every game over four years. She earned All-Big Ten honors twice and finished her career as the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
She turned professional following MSU and starred in the Swedish Elite division for four seasons and was twice the league’s Most Valuable Player.
After her professional playing career, she coached for 14 years, first as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech before becoming the head coach in 1996 at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) for seven seasons.
She left coaching in 2003 and became a personal trainer at the National Institute for Fitness and Sports in Indianapolis. She remained active in competition as a Triathlete.