Although prominent in the title, University of Tennessee head women’s basketball coach, Pat Summitt, is only featured on fifteen pages in this book that goes on to feature 49 other Tennessee pioneers in women’s sports in the state. The introduction and conclusion shine light on the origins and impact of Title Nine upon women’s athletics. “Whether gold medalists, NCAA champions, legendary coaches, or pioneering athletes and administrators, Tennessee has been home to an incredible vanguard of women in sports. Mary Ellen Pethel brings us the stories of women whose accomplishments continue to pave the way for generations to come. This is a valuable collection, an important book, and a timely tribute on this fiftieth anniversary of Title IX.”—Andrew Maraniss. The author, Mary Ellen Pethel, is a professor at Belmont College in Nashville.
Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press, 2022. 376 pages. Trade paperback.