Julienne Simpson attended John F. Kennedy College but she learned most of her basketball in the womens AAU leagues. She was named AAU All-America four times between 1971 and 1975 and in 1973 was the MVP of the national championship tournament. From 1970 to 1974 she was named to the National Girls’ Traveling League All-League Team. In 1975 she played for the U.S. team which won a gold medal at the Pan American Games and in 1976 made the Olympic team. She later became a women’s college basketball coach, starting out at Arizona State University.