Hall of Fame
Lee Abbott, formerly of Colliersville, N.Y., was the women's swimming and diving coach and associate professor of physical education at Oneonta from 1957 to 1982. During that time she developed and nurtured the program while creating more athletic opportunities at the college for women.
Besides her work for Oneonta, Abbott's greatest notoriety came in the sports of canoe and kayaking. She served as a coach for both sports for two Olympiads in 1968 and 1972. In 1968, when she served as the assistant men's canoe and kayaking coach, she became the first woman to be selected to serve in that capacity in international competition. In 1972, during the games in Munich, she was the head coach of the women's canoe and kayaking team.
A graduate of Bemidji State in Minnesota with a degree in physical education, she received a master's degree in administration from the University of Michigan before enlisting and spending three years in the Marine Corps. After being discharged she got back into teaching and found her way to Oneonta where she spent the rest of her professional life.
