When you have someone like Pat Summitt as your head coach, it seems absolutely inevitable that if you stick around long enough, she will lead you to the top of the mountain to look down over all the others who have been surpassed. The 1986-1987 University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team accomplished the one thing that had alluded the legendary coach up until that point in her illustrious career – they won the NCAA championship. On March 29, 1987, the UT Lady Vols soundly defeated Louisiana Tech, 67-44, in the title game. One of the greatest coaches in the history of all college sports, Pat Summitt is a motivator like no other. “Here’s how I’m going to beat you,” she once said with complete surety. “I’m going to outwork you. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.” Listening to the captivating voice of Summitt, you might believe that hard work alone was all it took to win a national championship. But you ought to remember that Summitt also had an incredible collection of talent on her team. Led by spectacular Olympic gold-medalist, Bridgette Gordon, Summitt’s Lady Vols lifted the spirit and raised the pride of all Tennesseans. Hard to believe that Coach Summitt would lead her Lady Vol teams back to the mountaintop a remarkable five more times in the next ten years!
