Peggy Harmon Brady

VANDERBILT ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME – CLASS OF 2008

Peggy Harmon Brady (Women’s Golf, 1968-1972) 

She came to Vanderbilt after graduating from Central High School in Shelbyville, Tenn., in an era when there was no varsity athletics for women. Out of the blue her sophomore year, Director of Athletics Jess Neely called to invite her to represent Vanderbilt in the Intercollegiate. Perhaps Neely noticed she had won the United States Golf Association Junior Championship. While her pioneer story is inspiring, little did she realize that she was blazing a trail that her daughter, Chris, would follow decades later. They are the only mother-daughter All-Americans in school history.

  • 1968 Enrolls at Vanderbilt after winning the USGA Junior championship
  • 1969 Medalist at the Broadmoor Women’s Championship
  • 1970 Receives surprise invitation from Athletic Director Jess Neely to represent Vanderbilt at the National Intercollegiate in Athens, Ga., where she placed third. (She was a one-person team)
  • Named All-American by Women’s Golf magazine
  • 1971 Medalist at the Intercollegiate, played at Singing Hills in San Diego
  • 1972 Chose not to play in her third Intercollegiate “because I had a job waiting. If I had it to do over, I’d play in the tournament and let the job wait!”
  • Won the Tennessee State Women’s Tournament several times and has won numerous club championships despite becoming a weekend player due to job and family commitments.
  • Mother of Chris Brady, four-year star and All-America golfer at Vanderbilt under Coach Martha Freitag. Chris is currently playing professional golf.