collegesportspodcast

In this episode meet Karen Lichey Usry, 1999 Gymnast of the Year! The story of her and her husband Mike Usry, former UGA football player, is one of love, athletics, 2 national championships, 1 touchdown, and a family of 4.

Karin Lichey Usry is a former GymDog from 1996-1999 and was part of the undefeated and national champion 1998 and 1999 teams. In her days as a collegiate gymnast, she was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 1996 and the Gymnast of the Year in 1999, and the She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top gymnast in 1999. She earned first-team All-America certificates in all five categories 1998 and 1999 and earned a total of 11 All-America awards in her career. And she belongs to a very special club with a membership total of 1 – she is the only collegiate gymnast to have ever scored a perfect 40.0 in the all-around, meaning she scored a perfect 10 in the floor, vault, bars, and beam.

3On Mike’s collegiate career: Mike Usry was a UGA football player, a quarterback. He was a highly recruited QB out of high school. Once he got to UGA, he was always the first one in the gym and worked hard to be at the top of his game. However, he was there at a time when Mike Bobo was the QB and later Quincy Carter, who had been a baseball player. While Mike did not get tons of time on the field, the moments that he had were memorable, which included a huge clutch play wherein he passed the ball to fullback Patrick Pass (a future eight-year NFL player) who ran the ball 40 yards for a touchdown!

On how Karin met Mike: Before there was texting and iPhones, Karin and Mike were introduced thru mutual friends at a bowling alley in Athens. After they met, with a little courage and a landline (yes a real telephone!), Karin called Mike…and the rest was history!

33N83W is a podcast curated for the alumni and fans of the University of Georgia. It’s my mission with every episode to remind you of all the reasons why you can be proud to be a bulldawg! I do this every episode by introducing you to the alumni and people who have made a difference and continue to inspire us. Listen to 33N83W on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Spreaker.