Conference USA named Middle Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Rick Insell to its 2025 Hall of Fame class per media release.
Insell becomes the third MTSU member inducted since the hall’s creation in 2019, joining NFL standout Kevin Byard and the late MTSU track and field head coach Dean A. Hayes.
Since Insell’s arrival in Murfreesboro in 2005, the Lady Raiders have accumulated five CUSA Championships and four regular-season titles. Under Insell’s leadership, MTSU has an overall 489-165 record and a 295-54 mark in CUSA contests.
“His accomplishments speak volumes — the championships, the wins, the national recognition — but it’s his passion, integrity and relentless commitment to his student-athletes that truly define his legacy.” MTSU director of athletics Chris Massaro said in a media release. “We are incredibly proud to see him take his rightful place in the Conference USA Hall of Fame.”
During his 20 campaigns at MTSU, Insell’s achievements have secured him a place in nine hall of fames, most notably including the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017, the Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee in 2021 and the Blue Raider Hall of Fame in 2017. Insell earned two selections as the CUSA Coach of the Year, most recently receiving the nod in 2025.
Insell is the all-time winningest coach in MTSU history and has produced six all-Americans and four WNBA draft selections, including three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark, who starred for the Blue Raiders during the 2008 season before being drafted in the second round of the WNBA draft.
The 74-year old coach continues to be a strong advocate for women’s basketball in the mid-state, dating back to his historic high school coaching career at Shelbyville High School, where he notched a 775–148 overall record and 10 state championships.
“His impact on women’s basketball is felt across the nation, and his induction into the Conference USA Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of a coach who has elevated our university.” MTSU president Dr. Sidney A. McPhee said in a media release.
As Insell enters his 20th season on the hardwood for the Lady Raiders, the MTSU great will become one of fifty members of the CUSA Hall of Fame to add to a storied coaching career.
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