El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021: Maria Kennedy

EL PASO, Texas - Maria Kennedy has never been one to shy away from a challenge.

Whether it was coaching or overseeing the athletic department for El Paso's largest school district.

Kennedy always faced a challenge head on and she's been successful at every turn.

On August 25, Kennedy will be inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2021.

Kennedy was nominated under the administrator category.

A native of Van Horn, Texas, Kennedy spent twenty years coaching various sports in Victoria, Texas, Andrews, Texas, before then serving as a coach for the El Paso Independent School District.

In 1998, Kennedy was named the El Paso Times Coach of the Year for the girls’ varsity basketball team at Franklin High School.

In 2016, she was named the athletic director at EPISD.

Kennedy retired earlier this year and admits she does miss the job, but not so much the stress of the job.

"You're so excited if you go through a day and nothing happens," Kennedy said. "Everybody gets to where they're supposed to, and the officials all showed up, and there were no parents complaints or official complaints, it was a good day."

Being a woman in a profession dominated by men was another major accomplishment for Kennedy.

She never backed down, even when it involved a sport she wasn't too familiar with, Kennedy was always willing to learn.

"It's great to see a lot more women in that role as directors," Kennedy said. "There's a lot of assistants, but not as many women directors and there were some challenges. I got to know what I'm talking about. You can't just go in a room somewhere and start talking, you better know what you're talking about especially with my football coaches. I had some anxiety about that, but I said if I can win the football coaches over, I have a chance and then maybe I can get some things done."

Kennedy accomplished a lot of things during her time at EPISD, even overseeing the athletic department during a pandemic.

Now she will be able to add El Paso Athletic Hall of Famer to her long list of accomplishments.

The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony is August 25.

The ceremony will be livestreamed at kvia.com.