Jane Puckett began her AAU activities as a founder of the Tullahoma AAU Swim Club in 1959. Today she continues to build the Southeastern AAU program by working on behalf of twenty-one sports. Since 1995, almost 70,000 athletes have participated in the AAU in her home state of Tennessee.
Through her vast knowledge of sport, Jane Puckett has assisted the state of Tennessee in hosting the AAU Junior Olympic Games five times in the thirty-four year history. Her talents are currently being put to the test during preparations for the 2002 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Knoxville. Under Jane Puckett’s supervision as AAU Executive Committee National Registration Chair, the AAU has grown to over 500,000 members.
Her insight on the power of the Internet spawned the AAU to create the Online Registration portion of it website. Over 20,000 memberships have been generated since the inception of online registration in 1998.
Jane Puckett will say she has been privileged to watch many of these athletes develop, win gold medals at AAU National Championships, AAU Junior Olympic Games, Pan Am Games and the Olympics. Among these athletes are: Greg Louganis, Jennifer Chandler, Chandra Cheeseborough, Margaret Groos, Tracey Caulkins, Harvey Glance, Kurt Thomas, Tiffany Woolsley, Shaq O’Neal and Anferenee Hardaway. “Jane Puckett symbolizes all that’s good in sports,” said Dr. Jane Hooker, Emeriti Faculty, University of Memphis. “She has been recognized by the National AAU by being inducted into the Volunteers Hall of Fame; Tennessee Swimming Hall of Fame; SEAAU Life Member; National A.A.U. Leadership Award for Outstanding Service to name a few. She’s the best.”