Former Center Grove coach and administrator Carol Tumey was a fixture at the high school and in the community for over six decades. Submitted photo
Center Grove’s rise from a small rural high school athletic program to one of the state’s most accomplished isn’t solely because of Carol Tumey.
At the same time, good luck finding someone more responsible.
On October 1, Tumey, a Center Grove employee from 1963 to 2003 who served as a teacher, coach, administrator, ambassador, friend and trusted confidant to so many, passed away at the age of 82.
Tumey and her husband of 61 years, Dale, had no children of their own. Thus, generations of Center Grove students became the couple’s offspring.
When it game to watching her beloved Trojans in person, Tumey, the groundbreaking force who played a pivotal role in ushering in girls athletics during the 1970s, simply never stopped making the effort until she no longer could.
“Carol has been a staple in the community, and to me, there wasn’t a ‘no’ in her vocabulary,” said former Trojans girls volleyball coach Deb McClurg, whose 2000 squad is one of the school’s 20 teams to claim a state championship — a run started by the 1986 softball team and eventually followed by single-class champions in softball (1995) and girls basketball (1996).
“She got it done, and in girls sports, all of our successes stem from her. If there was a way to get something done, she would find a way to do it. Carol was very special.”
Even after her retirement, Tumey, a Franklin College graduate, spent years showing her support to Center Grove’s athletes and the men and women who coached them.
It became common for Trojan girls teams to invite Tumey to be part of celebration photos following a county, conference or postseason championship. Even people born after Tumey had retired were aware of the impact she had made at their school. The hard work. The influence. The incredible legacy.
Marcene Hensley, who taught math at Center Grove for 39 years before retiring after the 2021-22 school year, was a close friend of Tumey.
“Carol was an extraordinary person. She was a mentor and friend for many years,” Hensley said. “After being hired to teach math, I met Carol, and she hired me to be her assistant track coach and start the gymnastics program.”
According to Hensley, Tumey thought it was important to give the females at Center Grove an opportunity to compete for an actual high school team as opposed to private club teams.
“I couldn’t have had a better coaching mentor than Carol,” Hensley said. “She always felt there was a place for competitive women’s sports programs along with the men’s. She worked hard to bring that goal to fruition.”
Tumey’s time at Center Grove also included her being the physical education chair, director of intramurals and girls coach in basketball, volleyball, cross country and track and field.
“Carol was just a really caring person. She cared about all the kids,” said former Center Grove boys tennis coach Ivan Smith, who first came to the school as a teacher at the beginning of the 1970-71 school year and currently serves as the assistant boys tennis coach.
“I kind of felt like I was in her family too, because I was young when we first met and she always looked out for me. Carol went out of her way to include me in things.”
The impact Tumey made earned her a spot in the Franklin College Hall of Fame in 2000. The Indiana Basketball Basketball Hall of Fame inducted her in 2011, and three years later she was enshrined in the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Never once was Tumey’s motivation centered around such honors. It was about trying to make sure as many Center Grove students as possible could benefit from lessons taught by organized athletics.
“Carol was one of those movers and shakers,” Smith said. “As long as she could, she tried to be a visible supporter. She was always at the forefront about trying to put Center Grove in the best light.”
Tumey’s passing dims that light ever so slightly.
