Jan Kemp: A Life In Photos

Obituaries

Photos: An obituary for UGA whistleblower Jan Kemp, who sued university, exposed exploitation of athletes in 1980s.

Jan Kemp, the controversial former English professor at the University of Georgia who blew the whistle on preferential treatment afforded to student athletes, passed away Dec. 5 of complications from Alzheimer's Disease at age 59. Named a "hero of the 80s" by People magazine, Kemp was both admired and reviled for filing a lawsuit against the university in 1986 after she was fired for refusing to inflate grades for UGA players.

Kemp was awarded $2.58 million by a jury, though the judgment was later reduced to $1.1 million. "She fought for justice, whatever the price," said daughter Margie Kemp, 24, of Athens. Jan Kemp refused to leave Athens in the wake of the controversy, even though it was not uncommon for her to be accosted by rabid Bulldog fans who blamed Kemp for the program's difficulties. "They were not going to run her out of her hometown," Margie Kemp said.

As UGA fans celebrated Coach Vince Dooley and the 1980 football team's national title, Kemp, in her historic lawsuit, questioned the university's practice of placing student athletes in developmental studies courses. She compared the treatment of the 1980 national football champs to the exploitation of antebellum slaves.

The six-week civil trial captured national headlines, and the seamy details of how a college football powerhouse recruited functionally illiterate athletes led to the resignation of longtime university president Fred Davison (above). Fundamental reforms at UGA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association would follow.

The damage to Georgia, from a public relations standpoint, was much more extensive than the cash settlement amount awarded Kemp in 1986. UGA attorney Hale Almand (above), in his opening remarks to the jury, set an unfortunate tone: "We may not make a university student out of him, but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbage man when he gets through with his athletic career."

Kemp remained an educator after the trial, teaching at Athens Technical College and Clarke County schools until her condition made it impossible to continue. "It was frustrating to her," said son Will Kemp, a UGA junior studying cognitive science. "She knew something was wrong, and she did everything she could to fight it."

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Jan Kemp, the controversial former English professor at the University of Georgia who blew the whistle on preferential treatment afforded to student athletes, passed away Dec. 5 of complications from Alzheimer's Disease at age 59. Named a "hero of the 80s" by People magazine, Kemp was both admired and reviled for filing a lawsuit against the university in 1986 after she was fired for refusing to inflate grades for UGA players.

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