Rick Insell has spent more than five decades in coaching, and he's done it all by being exactly who he is. That authenticity has now earned him one of Tennessee's highest sports honors.
The Tennessean has named the legendary former Middle Tennessee State women's basketball coach the recipient of the 2026 Fred Russell Lifetime Achievement Award. Insell will be formally recognized at the Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards show on June 9 at Music City Center.
Insell's journey to college coaching royalty started with a simple, honest conversation. When he interviewed for the MTSU women's basketball job over two decades ago, deputy athletic director Diane Turnham asked if he planned to coach in college the same way he did at the high school level in Shelbyville.
"You know, I'm gonna come in and be Rick Insell. I don't know any other way to coach," Insell recalls telling her. "So, if the university's wanting someone that's going another direction, you might need to hire somebody else. But if you want me to come in and be Rick Insell, then that's what I'll do."
Turnham laughed and gave him the answer he needed: "That's what we want."
That decision paid off in historic fashion. Insell, now 74, retired after the 2026 season with 505 wins and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances as MTSU's head coach—the best women's basketball totals in school history. His overall coaching record, including his legendary tenure at Shelbyville High School, stands at an astonishing 1,279 victories.
His resume reads like a who's who of basketball immortality: the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, National High School Hall of Fame, Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame, Basketball Coaches of Tennessee Hall of Fame, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, and TSSAA Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the CUSA Hall of Fame in 2025.
When asked about the secret to his remarkable success, Insell keeps it simple: "Decide what you want to do and where you want to go, then find those people and get around them. Most people who give you advice in the coaching field have never made it. Get around the ones that have."
For a coach who built a dynasty by staying true to himself, that advice is a masterclass in leadership—and a fitting legacy for a lifetime achievement award.