Pat Summitt Focus

Pat Summitt was four years my senior and infinitely more focused than I. She mastered a sport, a court, and support. She laid out game plans, stared down lame plays, and stayed by same principles.

She took advantage of opportunities without being an opportunist – moving from graduate assistant to coach, using Title IX to build a team, putting Rocky Top on the map of college sports. She stayed true to her state, her school, and her orange, white, and blue.

She was a mother, a mentor, a friend. She was a leader, a speaker, a motivator. She was a farm girl, a baby sister, and a woman who fought for her father’s hug. 

She moved from a childhood constrained by a small town and a half court to a woman who played full tilt on the world stage. She was honored by presidents. She stood on Olympic podiums. She cut down championship nets. 

She fought for her family. She fought for her athletes. And in the end she fought against a debilitating disease. 

Today, news organizations around the world are remembering the focus she brought to women’s basketball, the opportunities she built for herself and others, the well-rounded role model she was, and the way that she fought to the bitter end.

While she was doing all of that, I zig-zagged through a very different life. I was in Tennessee in the 1970s, but had no idea how Pat was focusing her energies. I wore flats and kept my nose in books rather than recognizing that my six-foot frame could be used to any advantage. I moved from career to career and from state to state following people and opportunities and possibilities.

Almost exactly 17 years ago, I landed back in Tennessee. Rocky Top is now home sweet home to me. I’ve gained some focus. I’ve built an academic career on top of careers as English teacher, book editor, journalist, non-profit manager, and technology marketer. I served as mentor to one of Pat’s players. I served all undergraduate students on the University of Tennessee’s Journey to the Top 25.

Ate age 60, I do not regret having followed the flow. I’ve recently returned to the students and the research that led me to academe in mid-life. I’ve only got four years until I reach the age Pat was today. How can I best serve when I'm 64? Pat has inspired me to step up my game, to build on opportunity, to fight, and most of all to focus.

Today that focus is all on Pat Summitt and the amazing legacy she built.