On Saturday, March 21st, Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey announced that his mother, Betty Mullen Brey, suffered a heart attack and passed away that morning. The announcement gained national media attention due to the timing. That same day, Notre Dame and Butler were scheduled to play each other in the second round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. When Mike learned of his mothers passing, he chose to not tell his players until after the game. Notre Dame defeated Butler in over time, advancing the the Sweet 16 for this first time since 2002.
“It was kind of a tribute to her,” Brey said of the game. “It was really a special night. … I think she was definitely with us down the stretch.”
Betty Mullen Brey competed for the United States at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. She did not officially win any Olympic medals due to the rules at the time, but she would have won a medal with modern rules. She was a prelim swimmer for the 4×100 meter freestyle relay that went on to win a silver medal in finals. At the time, only the final swimmers were awarded Olympic medals.
She won two gold and two silver medals between the 1951 and 1955 Pan American Games. In addition to her medals, she also held the World Record in the 100 SCM butterfly.
Wow. Just read another article on her passing. Pretty cool lady. I love reading about all these old timer Olympians. Would be cool to see a ‘Getting to know your old timer Olympians’ feature…