Diane Pimpton of Tutwiler was recently inducted into the Northeastern Oklahoma (NEO) A&M College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Pimpton was honored at the NEO hall of fame banquet, held March 26 at the Calcagno Family Ballroom on the school’s main campus in Miami, Oklahoma.
She was inducted into the athletic hall along with fellow members of the 1991 Lady Norse basketball team during a ceremony that had been postponed from 2021 due to the pandemic.
Pimpton played guard for that NEO team during a magical 1990-91 season that saw them finish as the National Runner-Up in the National Junior College Athletic Association Women’s Championship Tournament.
That Lady Norse unit, who finished the record-setting campaign at 36-2, were crowned NJCAA Region II champions before losing a 61-60 nail-biter to Odessa Junior College in the national championship game.
Pimpton, the daughter of Joe and Alice Pimpton of Sumner, was a four-year letterman at West Tallahatchie High School, where she was named girls basketball MVP and Best Defensive Player for the Lady Choctaws as a senior. She averaged 30 points during her senior season while also earning honor roll recognition.
At NEO, she was a two-year letter winner, averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a sophomore while earning all-conference honors. She was named Junior College Academic All America and Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges with a 3.8 cumulative GPA.
Pimpton continued her education at the University of Mississippi, majoring in Business Management.
As a senior, she led the Ole Miss Lady Rebels in 3-point shooting during the 1992-93 season, earning a trip to New Orleans for the nationally televised NCAA “College Basketball Slam Dunk and Three Point Shooting Championship,” held at Tulane’s Fogelman Arena.
At that event, the 21-year-old Pimpton advanced through multiple rounds before nailing eight treys in 24 seconds to earn the title of 1993 Women’s NCAA National 3-point champion, earning her bragging rights as the best 3-point shooter in women’s college basketball.
Pimpton also graduated from Ole Miss in 1993, where she earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.
