Sylvia Hatchell

As a young girl, Sylvia Hatchell longed to play little league baseball and, later, high-school basketball, but both were closed to her because she was a girl. In college, her world shifted when she discovered a passion for coaching that would lead her to become a Naismith Hall of Fame coach of women’s basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this book, Coach Hatchell’s life story unfolds against the backdrop of Title IX and women’s struggle for equal opportunities in athletics. She celebrates triumphs (such as winning the 1994 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament) and weathers sadness and failure (such as the loss of her parents, surviving cancer, and being forced to resign from her dream job in 2019).

Roberta Teague Herrin is professor emerita from East Tennessee State University, where she specialized in children’s literature. She ended her 44-year career in higher education as chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies and director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. She lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

Sheila Quinn Oliver is a retired school library media specialist and lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Roberta Teague Herrin and Sheila Quinn Oliver
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 257
Bibliographic Info: 25 photos, notes, bibliography, an index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6791-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4249-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
1. Becoming Sylvia 5
2. Honing Her Skills 19
3. Becoming a Coach 33
4. Living Her Dream 54
5. The Dream Deferred 80
6. Changing Her Game 93
7. Duke! Duke! Duke! 104
8. Over the Hump 116
9. ­Latta-Tude vs. The Summitt 132
10. Hurdles and Hitches 142
11. Black Clouds on the Horizon—Again 152
12. Holding the Rope 160
13. Riding the Highs and Weathering the Lows 176
14. The End of an Era 194
List of Accomplishments 209
Interviews 211
Chapter Notes 213
Bibliography 219
Index 235

“Superbly crafted and meticulously researched, this biography illuminates the life and legacy of Sylvia Hatchell in a way that honors and inspires. The reader emerges enriched not only by a detailed account of Hatchell’s legendary coaching and contribution to women’s sports, but also her deep dedication to timeless values: hard work, discipline, concentration, goal setting, pluck, and courage. The authors demonstrate the same passion and determination of their subject as they capture intriguing details of Hatchell’s personal and professional life. A prize for every high school, homeschool, and college library, this book compels the reader to embrace life in a more deliberate and meaningful way—with purpose and without excuse. Bravo!”—Dalene Parker, Ed.D., NBCT, adjunct professor and clinical supervisor, Bob Jones University