In the Footsteps of Champions
The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, the First Three Decades
Debby Schriver
Foreword by Mia Hamm

It’s here! Experience the journey of women’s intercollegiate athletics from the beginning to the present day. While the record-setting basketball dynasty of Coach Pat Summitt and the successes of ten other outstanding sports teams create fascinating stories in themselves, the Lady Volunteers story actually begins as early as 1893, when the first women enrolled at the University of Tennessee.

There are lots of book signing events scheduled. Join us! Go to the UT Press Facebook page to see what events are coming up for In the Footsteps of Champions.

Getting into the Game: Confessions of a Non–Sports Fan
By Cheryl Cranick

I’m not a sports fan. Frankly, my only experience with the Vol teams was grumbling over parking during games. I always believed that large schools should put academics before athletics. However, as an intern at the University of Tennessee Press, I had the privilege of a sneak peek read of “In the Footsteps of Champions.” I hate to admit when I am wrong, but I’m willing to fess up.

The Lady Vols are champions far exceeding their NCAA ranking. They are part of a path to greatness that began more than a century ago. Playing with meager support, both financial and emotional, they took the field to prove girls can play sports. In the years after being Lady Vols, these women are Olympians, highly successful professionals, and leaders in their communities.

Reading the book as a woman and history buff, I was touched by the Lady Vol’s stories. Terry Hull Crawford battled body image and the ideal of womanhood as she hid her sports gear under a fashionable London Fog raincoat. But when she hit the field, she pulled her coat off to compete. Though she shed her “femininity” at the sideline, it did not make her any less of a woman. It was OK that she played to win. Susan Thornton used commonsense to solve the problem of heavy track equipment. A metal suitcase and a red wagon became extensions of her gear, but it did the job. The teams drove themselves to games and held bake sales to pay for the gas. But they were determined. And look where they are today.

Pat Summitt’s players are expected to attend class when not on the road. And they must be in the first few rows. When Bridgette Gordon skipped class due to snow, she was biking five miles alongside Pat the next day at 5 a.m. Bridgette learned a valuable lesson that morning.

To “get me into the game,” my internship supervisor gave me basketball box seats against LSU. Even though the ladies lost, I had an amazing time. The energy of the Vol fans and the spirit of the players were electrifying. Although it was obvious in the last few minutes that they were not going to win this time, they kept playing. That impressed me. It just wasn’t their night, but that didn’t stop them from being champions.