The Woman Who Empowered A Princess
The Princess will not be running alone. She will be among hundreds of other young women who will run through Shelby Farms, competing in the West Tennessee Cross Country Jamboree.
The Princess is my 16 year old daughter. And she is not only a Princess, she is an athlete.
For the past 16 years, the Princess has competed in many sporting events, and I've been present for all of them.
I've watched the Princess chase a soccer ball down the field.
I've watched her do the butterfly stroke in an Olympic size swimming pool.
I've watched her dive for a basketball on a hardwood floor and come up not only with the ball, but with wood burns on her knees.
I've watched her stand anxiously on a track, looking back over her shoulder as she waits a teammate to hand her a baton. And then I've watched the Princess sail around the track, experiencing, in the words of Kipling, an unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run.
She hasn't always won, but she's poured her heart into the effort, just as she will do this Saturday morning. And as a father, that makes me very happy.
I would like to take credit for this. After all, when she was in middle school, I was her cross country coach. But the truth is I did not make my Princess an athlete. There are two people who made this happen. The first is, of course, my daughter. And the second is a wonderful woman named Pat Summitt.
The Princess has never met Pat Summitt, but she knows her. The Princess has sat with me at Thompson Boling Arena in Knoxville and watched Pat as she has coached the Lady Vols. The Princess has grown up watching Coach Summitt on ESPN and respects and reveres her. But the Princess doesn't realize something I believe is true. The Princess would probably not have spent much of the first 16 years of her life competing in soccer and basketball and swim meets and track meets were it not for Pat Summitt.
The Princess and hundreds of other girls would probably not be running this Saturday morning at Shelby Farms were it not for Pat Summitt.
Nearly 40 years ago, on June 23, 1972, Congress passed Title IX, an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title IX was simple and to the point:
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
Very few people realized at the time how this one simple statement of law would change the lives of millions of American women. It literally opened the doors of sports arenas so that young women could enter not as cheerleaders or band members or fans, but as athletes.
But in 1972, Title IX was merely words on a piece of paper. Somebody had to make this new law, in the words of Atticus Finch, a living, breathing reality.
And that someone was Pat Summitt.
In 1974, two years after the enactment of Title IX, 22 year old Pat Summitt became the women's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. Very few sports fans paid attention. Girls playing basketball? Who cared?
Pat did. Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Pat's family moved to the metropolis of Henrietta, Tennessee when Pat was in high school. They moved for one simple reason. Cheatham County High School had a girls' basketball team. Clarksville High did not. And Pat wanted to play basketball. She played at Cheatham County and then at the University of Tennessee at Martin where she became an All American, and then played for the U.S. Olympic team.
And then she moved to Knoxville and began to coach a basketball team, even though women's college basketball was not at the time an NCAA-sanctioned sport.
37 years later, she has won over 1,000 games, 8 national championships, coached a U.S. Women's team to an Olympic gold medal, and has had a graduation rate of 100 percent. You read that right. Every athlete that has played for her for four years has a degree from the University of Tennessee.
But Pat has done more than that. She literally changed the culture of American sports, giving every young woman in America the chance to compete. Simply put, she put women's sports on the map.
My Princess was born in 1995, 23 years after the enactment of Title IX, and 21 years after Pat started coaching basketball. Sports has been and is a major part of the Princess's life. She enjoys it as a spectator. For her, March Madness is the NCAA Women's Basketball, tournament. But the Princess doesn't just watch. Five days a week, she puts on her singlet, running shorts and running shoes and trains with her teammates on the White Station High School Girls Cross Country Team. And then, as she will this Saturday morning, she lines up, anxiously waits for the starting gun to fire, and then she runs.
On some evening next winter, the Princess and I will be at Thompson Boling Arena in Knoxville to watch the Lady Vols play basketball. When the game is over, we plan on waiting outside of the Lady Vols locker room, in the hopes that we can see Coach Summitt as she leaves the arena. We will no doubt be part of a large group, and we may not get to meet her.
But I hope the Princess and I get the opportunity to shake her hand. And if we do, I'm going to say, "Thank you, Coach. Thank you for empowering my Princess to become an athlete."
Comments
Suzanne: Aw, Bill. You brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. Go Lady Vols! Go Pat!
Jack Greiner : My daughter Katie attended college on a swim scholarship and my daughter Ellie is off to the University of Chicago to play basketball. Please thank Coach Summit for them as well. Given all that team sports teaches people -- time management, team work, etc. -- it's fair to say Title IX was truly transformational. Great post Bill.
Dennis Elrod: Powerful! And I hope your princess, and our good friend, does well for WSHS this weekend. Go Spartans! And, go Vols!
Charles Huddleston: AMEN! Well said, Bill! It's a story repeated thousands and thousands of times over across the nation, in the eyes and hearts of young females who decided to become athletes..and not just basketball players, but athletes in all sports....And several generations of those young female athletes, whether they know it or not, owe a tremendous debt to Pat for the glass ceilings she broke and the stereotypes she shattered! She was a gift to all of us dads who wanted our daughters to love sports and learn the lessons and values of team sports as participants not observers, the same way we had enjoyed them ourselves...and Pat blazed that new trail for young girls everywhere! THANKS, PAT. We will always call you Coach!
Denise Bentley: Bill, I had the great, good opportunity to teach at the University of Tennessee for a time. One of the highlights of my tenure there was that I had an opportunity to recruit for the Lady Vols as well as teaching some. If you think that Pat Head Summit empowered your Princess with the way she handled a little old Title IX, just wait 'til you see what she does with her current challenge. We will all say, THANKS, PAT! THANKS, COACH!
Peggy McClure: What a sad story to read in the paper today, but what a wonderful response to it with this current article! Pat Summit is a tough cookie and I'm glad she's relinquishing some of her responsibilities to her capable staff. I hope her players don't get distracted by her situation and, instead, play their hearts out even more! Thanks Bill.
Larry Wilks: Thank you for reminding us all how many great things start small....Many years ago I was present for a dinner at the UT student center when I had the honor of introducing Pat to Coach John Wooden..The Issues Committee invited Coach Wooden to campus to speak and we had a dinner for him, his wife, and the Committee. We invited Coach "Head", Coach Mears, and Coach Battle..Coach Mears could not come due to a conflict. But Pat and Battle came...She was barely older than me but already wiser than her years...She may have met Wooden before that night but I don't think so...Little did I know how she would respond through the years...Many may not know that Wooden came from humble beginnings as well..Dreams, hard work, and a little luck can make for some remarkable examples of success. Pat is the near perfect example for all of us.
Dan Nolan: Wonderful comment and so true. thank you for sharing it with us. It brought tears to my eyes also.
Richard Toussaint: I live in Evergreen, Colorado, home of Tanya Haave, a proud protege of Pat's and one of the 100% who graduated from UTK. While I completely agree with Bill that she embodies Title IX and agree with those that claim she and John Wooden should be remembered as the two coaches who have transformed College Basketball, Pat Summit and her contribution surpasses sports. Her lasting contribution is about a person from a modest background succeeding against prejudice, apathy, and inertia. It is about values, hard work, family, and faith. It is also about the importance of education, and how we help shape young people in ther quest to be relevant. Pat Summit is an American Hero, and I am so sorry she is facing this cruel challenge.
Kate (Redding) Armes: So many Daddies (and Princesses) are agreeing with you right now! Wonderfully said!
cathy thomas: Just couldn't comment after reading your article yesterday, too teary eyed. Today I am stronger and want to help Pat "fight the fight" for herself and others who are struggling. The UT family is bigger than I thought and we are lucky to have each other. Cathy
Pamela L. Reeves: As usual, you manage to say way the rest of us are feeling in a special way. We are all better people for having had Pat Summitt as a role model.
Frankie Wade: Bill, what a terrific tribute to Pat. I've been involved with Pat & the Lady Vols for over 25 years. When I started attending games, very few went. But those who did were hooked. The difference between an incoming freshman and a post season freshman was amazing. Can't begin to count the amount of money contributed. It was worth every penny to see the young girls today participate in every sport & become young women with great self-esteem. Thank you for your tribute!
Crystal Gilreath: Thank you for reminding us that the picture is even bigger than we recognize sometimes. Coach Summit has been able to shape the lives of countless women on and off the court. I am proud to be a UT alumnae, employee and FAN! :) May we all stand a little taller as we support Coach Summit now more than ever. Thank you, Bill!
Julia Wells: As a very loyal Lady Vol fan I have watched with pride the many, many games that Pat Summit has coached and won. How many times I have bragged about our team and how great they are, always acknowledging the influence she has had, not only for Tennessee women but for all women athletes. I was honored several years ago to meet her as she spoke with the delegates to Volunteer Girls State. She is such a hero to ALL women, even those who are not and cannot be athletes. Thank you Pat.
Danni Varlan: Thank you for your beautiful tribute to Pat. She has also been a great role model and mentor to young men. My son has been Tyler's friend since they were little boys. He has worked every Lady Vol's Camp since he was 8, swam, played soccer and basketball wtih Tyler, spent many nights at the Summit home, roomed with Tyler at UT, been a Lady Vol manager and, best of all, had the privilege of getting to know Pat as "Tyler's great mom". The love, support, advice, tough life lessons, and just plain fun she has given him have and will shape him for the rest of his life. I am certain all of Tyler's friends love her just as much as my son does. She is a wonderful mom which is obvious when you know Tyler.