1995 MLK Day

[ritter]

Were you at Gampel for the TN/CT game? Awesome atmosphere. How many fans left early? Probably they could be counted on your ten fingers. Victory topped off with Aretha Franklin’s Respect. Our coaches and women’s players have been able sustain the program for all the following years. Thank you.

 

[MinneHusky]

That's the game that made me a UConn fan. I was "sick" that day, but really was excited that a women's game was actually on tv. Later was diagnosed I had women's hoopsitis. Since that game I've been a Husky fan.

 

[BRS24]

I remember having the day off, and sitting on the edge of the couch for most of the game, and then on the floor in front of the tv for the last 2-3 minutes, screaming and cheering. That's when I started to understand how big this game was and also the bigger world of D1 WBB.

 

[Blueballer]

By far the LOUDEST sporting event I have ever attended. My ears were ringing for 2 or 3 days after. Security was nothing like it now. Got to high five and talk to the players after. What a fantastic memory. Also will never forget thanking Pat for coming up here to play as she was walking away from a post game radio interview. She turned as cool as a cucumber smiled, and politely said "Thank you". All class that Lady.

 

[Blakeon18]

I had seats in the end zone...arguably best atmosphere ever. I had basically seen LadyVol on TV highlights...of course all the shots went in. Pregame...they looked wider/bigger/nastier. They got a couple of quick hoops and I wondered if they
were human at that point. Jen settled us down...41-33 at the half and we controlled the second half though never by enough to stop worrying. Lobo fouls out with about 4 to go.....and leaving the court gave Kara Wolters a stern
lecture about keeping that lead. 77-66 I think was the final.

Cool: they delayed with the voting for national rankings till after the game...guess who went to #1?

Game and rivalry was great for women's college basketball!

 

[MSGRET]

I was in the Netherlands and was happy that they had the game on AFN TV, it was the first time watching UConn, been a fan ever since. I couldn't believe the atmosphere for this game, I knew a lot about Pat and The Orange, but very little about UConn. It was the first time that AFN had carried a regular season women's game live. For those out there that don't know what AFN is, it stands for Armed Forces Network.

 

[uconnfan68]

Were you at Gampel for the TN/CT game? Awesome atmosphere. How many fans left early? Probably they could be counted on your ten fingers. Victory topped off with Aretha Franklin’s Respect. Our coaches and women’s players have been able sustain the program for all the following years. Thank you.

Took a vacation day to stay home and watch. Loudest I’ve ever heard a UConn game. Electric atmosphere.

 

[BBallF]

As much as the Houston-UCLA game made mens' college basketball, the Tennessee-Connecticut game on MLK Jr. Day in 1995 made womens' college basketball. The Houston mens' at the Astrodome was the first regular season game to be broadcast in primetime by a major network. The Tennessee game turned out to be a showcase on ESPN for womens' basketball which was thought to be inferior and unattractive to viewers.

But there it was, an outsized and poised personality with the skills to match in Rebecca Lobo, the classic match up of North versus South, the brash young coach against the GOAT, and an exciting, watchable team and game. All of a sudden, heroes and idols for little girls, a state 100% behind a womens' team in sport, and a great rivalry was born which culminated in a great NCAA title game that year, replete with a second half comeback, Jenn Rizzotti not to be denied and Lobo coming through.

More than anything else it was Pat Summit who agreed to play "away" in hostile territory for the good of the game that made it possible. She didn't have to do it. They were the top dogs. They were #1. But she did it because she clearly saw the effect it could have and she was right. The sport would never be the same again.

 

[Ozimoto]

There were advantages to working for the State of Maryland. I didn't have to take a day off to watch the game.

 

[ritter]

Doesn’t seem like many fans of the Boneyard were able to attend the game. My first year for seasons ticket. Attended games before because being from Bristol I knew Kathy Ferrier and Laura Lishness.

 

[and one]

I was at the game and it is still the only time I've been in Gambel and the first time I watched a UConn game.

The outfit I worked for in Knoxville closed the office there and opened a new one in East Hartford. A lot of the employees relocated and while I wasn't from Tennessee most of my co-workers were. Having spend 7 years in Knoxville I was fully aware of Pat and her teams and followed them at least by checking out the box scores. So while I wasn't strictly a fan, some of my co-workers were UT grads and were fans.

So, a small group of my co-workers were getting tickets to the game and asked if I wanted to go. Sure, why not. We were in end zone seats, pretty high up but good visibility. Mostly surrounded by students. I had no rooting interest for UConn and pulled for UT in the first quarter. And then as I watched I began to root more and more for UConn. By games end I was hooked. Some of the guys I was with were frankly pissed I was rooting against the Orange. Such is life. That was the first UConn game I watched - many hundreds have followed.

Oh, yeah Gampel was rocking during the game.

 

[Beemer]

I wasn't at the game but I watched it on tv. Very close, very exciting game. You could sense it wasn't just a basketball game, somehow it was larger than that. And so it turned out to be. This game put UConn women's basketball and women's college basketball on the national sports map. Everybody was talking about this game.

 

[Larry 7237]

Still have the ticket stub from the game. Sec. 110 Row D Seat 10.

 

[HuskyPhan]

Like many others, this was the game that made me a lifetime UCONN WBB fan and probably indirectly led to my two daughters attending UCONN (the same four years as Stewie, Morgan, Mariah-what luck/fun)!!! I suggest that Boneyarders follow our lead and rewatch that game tonight right before the 8pm start of tonights game-it will help get us fired up and keep us awake for the 8pm game For my daughters it will be the first time they have watched that classic '95 matchup that brought WCBB to the masses Go Huskies!!!!

 

[CL82]

More than anything else it was Pat Summit who agreed to play "away" in hostile territory for the good of the game that made it possible

This might be one of those thoughts which is better off not articulated, but ….

I think the whole “Pat came to Connecticut, for the good of women’s college basketball” is an incredibly silly, though off repeated, narrative. Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for Pat Summitt as a coach. She made the Tennessee program the 800 pound gorilla of women’s basketball. But the notion of her sitting in a room and envisioning how playing a game in Connecticut would miraculously elevate women’s college basketball is some big time revisionism.

If I’m not mistaken, even back in 1995, basketball teams play half their games on away courts. She was given an opportunity to give her program big time exposure, and she took it. That’s smart, but not altruistic. Yeah, I know, Hatcher turned it down, but that’s just her being gutless and shortsighted. Keep in mind, that, at the time, televised women’s games were not as ubiquitous as they are today and nationally televised, women’s games were virtually unheard of. This game was going to be a big deal and it was going to be played in against an up-and-coming and charismatic Connecticut team. The University of North Carolina was the original intended victim, uh I mean, opposing team, but when they turned it down Pat smartly picked it up.

There are a ton of things to celebrate regarding Pat Summitt. She elevated her team by demanding excellence (and rebounding, lots of rebounding) and much like Geno chose to play a demanding out of conference schedule as a way to evaluate and elevate her team. She is the third winningest coach in women’s college basketball, and under her Tennessee earned the second most national championships. Those are all good things. Canonizing her for taking a road game? Not so much.

Sigh, I feel better now.

 

[MSGRET]

This might be one of those thoughts which is better off not articulated, but ….

I think the whole “Pat came to Connecticut, for the good of women’s college basketball” is an incredibly silly, though off repeated, narrative. Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for Pat Summitt as a coach. She made the Tennessee program the 800 pound gorilla of women’s basketball. But the notion of her sitting in a room and envisioning how playing a game in Connecticut would miraculously elevate women’s college basketball is some big time revisionism.

If I’m not mistaken, even back in 1995, basketball teams play half their games on away courts. She was given an opportunity to give her program big time exposure, and she took it. That’s smart, but not altruistic. Yeah, I know, Hatcher turned it down, but that’s just her being gutless and shortsighted. Keep in mind, that, at the time, televised women’s games were not as ubiquitous as they are today and nationally televised, women’s games were virtually unheard of. This game was going to be a big deal and it was going to be played in against an up-and-coming and charismatic Connecticut team. The University of North Carolina was the original intended victim, uh I mean, opposing team, but when they turned it down Pat smartly picked it up.

There are a ton of things to celebrate regarding Pat Summitt. She elevated her team by demanding excellence (and rebounding, lots of rebounding) and much like Geno chose to play a demanding out of conference schedule as a way to evaluate and elevate her team. She is the third winningest coach in women’s college basketball, and under her Tennessee earned the second most national championships. Those are all good things. Canonizing her for taking a road game? Not so much.

Sigh, I feel better now.

If I remember correctly that it was ESPN that contacted Pat and asked her if she would be interested in playing UConn on the road after Hatcher had refused to play UConn. It was said that it was explained to her what had happen and they wondered if she would like to do it and that it would be televised on ESPN. It is my understanding that she stated to ESPN the remark "For the Good of the Game" when she agreed to play.

 

[CL82]

If I remember correctly that it was ESPN that contacted Pat and asked her if she would be interested in playing UConn on the road after Hatcher had refused to play UConn. It was said that it was explained to her what had happen and they wondered if she would like to do it and that it would be televised on ESPN. It is my understanding that she stated to ESPN the remark "For the Good of the Game" when she agreed to play.

I’ve heard the same story in recent years. That whole “for the good of the game” thing feels like a revisionist history to me. It was an unheard of nationally televised women’s basketball game that was a great opportunity to promote Tennessee basketball. It wasn’t curing polio.

(Have you noticed that we often hear that “quote” but to whom was it actually said? Who was on the phone call to hear it? Have you ever heard from anyone who heard that quote first hand? Me neither.)

Just my opinion.

 

[BBallF]

I’ve heard the same story in recent years. That whole “for the good of the game” thing feels like a revisionist history to me. It was an unheard of nationally televised women’s basketball game that was a great opportunity to promote Tennessee basketball. It wasn’t curing polio.

(Have you noticed that we often hear that “quote” but to whom was it actually said? Who was on the phone call to hear it? Have you ever heard from anyone who heard that quote first hand? Me neither.)

Just my opinion.

I take it you hate orange also. We all do but I think we can be objective about her. I also think you will probably hear that quote again tonight in the 1 hour preview show before the game. Whether she was being politic when she said it and really had ulterior motives, or didn't say it, it was still attributed to her. What matters is that she played the game on national television, began the famous rivalry, and also helped launch womens' basketball as a sport in the national consciousness. That doesn't make her a saint, it does make her someone that many, even Geno, has acknowledged for her greatness. The best legacy for her is her players who loved her and gave everything for her. Many of them have gone on to achieve much and some are following in her footsteps. I'm sure Pat Summit would have felt as strongly about Candace Parker dedicating the WNBA championship to her in tears as she did about her titles. Saint? No. Giant? Yes.

 

[CL82]

I take it you hate orange also. We all do but I think we can be objective about her. I also think you will probably hear that quote again tonight in the 1 hour preview show before the game. Whether she was being politic when she said it and really had ulterior motives, or didn't say it, it was still attributed to her. What matters is that she played the game on national television, began the famous rivalry, and also helped launch womens' basketball as a sport in the national consciousness. That doesn't make her a saint, it does make her someone that many, even Geno, has acknowledged for her greatness. The best legacy for her is her players who loved her and gave everything for her. Many of them have gone on to achieve much and some are following in her footsteps. I'm sure Pat Summit would have felt as strongly about Candace Parker dedicating the WNBA championship to her in tears as she did about her titles. Saint? No. Giant? Yes.

Reread my posts and realize I fully acknowledge that Pat Summitt was one of the greatest coaches in the history of women’s basketball, arguably, the second greatest coach ever. You can acknowledge that, and still say that it is incredibly unlikely when called up about the possibility of taking the game that she said “I shall take this game, but not for me, and not even for the Lady Vols but I shall take this game because I believe, deep in my heart of hearts, that playing this game in Connecticut on Martin Luther King Day, and shall forever propel the sport of women’s basketball to greater heights and perhaps, one day, lead to the establishment of two professional women’s basketball leagues, one of which will fail, but the other one which shall continue and become a bright light for the game, and verily, women everywhere.” or whatever is being attributed to her by people who weren’t on the call.

I could be wrong, of course, and she could have been born with incredible precognition abilities, but Occam’s Razor would let us to believe that she took the game because it was a high profile, nationally broadcasted game for the Lady Vols.

Here’s one more fly in the ointment, do networks call coaches to schedule games, or do they call athletic directors?

Again, none of that makes her a bad person or any less of a coach. I’m just not a huge fan of revisionism.

(lol at “it doesn’t matter if she actually said it or not.”)

 

[Adesmar123]

And right after she said "for the good of the game" she added "and it is our chance to stop those upstart lady huskies once and for all!"

 

[BBallF]

Reread my posts and realize I fully acknowledge that Pat Summitt was one of the greatest coaches in the history of women’s basketball, arguably, the second greatest coach ever. You can acknowledge that, and still say that it is incredibly unlikely when called up about the possibility of taking the game that she said “I shall take this game, but not for me, and not even for the Lady Vols but I shall take this game because I believe, deep in my heart of hearts, that playing this game in Connecticut on Martin Luther King Day, and shall forever propel the sport of women’s basketball to greater heights and perhaps, one day, lead to the establishment of two professional women’s basketball leagues, one of which will fail, but the other one which shall continue and become a bright light for the game, and verily, women everywhere.” or whatever is being attributed to her by people who weren’t on the call.

I could be wrong, of course, and she could have been born with incredible precognition abilities, but Occam’s Razor would let us to believe that she took the game because it was a high profile, nationally broadcasted game for the Lady Vols.

Here’s one more fly in the ointment, do networks call coaches to schedule games, or do they call athletic directors?

Again, none of that makes her a bad person or any less of a coach. I’m just not a huge fan of revisionism.

(lol at “it doesn’t matter if she actually said it or not.”)

Here we go. Occam's Razor? Wow. An erudite poster. I was a philosophy major, which led to many job opportunities (lol) so I do know it. When I looked it up again I found that the statement "Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity" is cited as the explanation of the theory. Funny you should use that as proof of your theory. Occam never said it. It didn't matter because it was attributed to him and has been the explanation for 700 years. Rick Blaine never said "Play it again, Sam" either. Does it matter? We are in agreement except for one point. I am giving Pat the benefit of a John Locke approach to womens' basketball. You are using Thomas Hobbes. Perhaps we are both right. Maybe she said it but for the reasons you expressed. Either way, I wish she were still coaching and I'm sure many Vols do too.

Many great athletes or coaches have had a foil. It only made them better. Magic- Bird, Russell-Wilt, Coach K- Dean Smith. Muffet just didn't cut it in my book for Geno. I thought it was great that Geno was right at the top of donors to Pat's memorial fund. They obviously had serious issues in later years but the respect he had for her and what she built in the sport was never lessened. Unlike many on this site, I actually want them to get very good again. Just one three point shot away from us. Looking forward to tonight and what Aaliyah does. I just hope the emotion does not get her overly jacked up.

 

[CL82]

Here we go. Occam's Razor? Wow. An erudite poster. I was a philosophy major, which led to many job opportunities (lol) so I do know it. When I looked it up again I found that the statement "Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity" is cited as the explanation of the theory. Funny you should use that as proof of your theory. Occam never said it. It didn't matter because it was attributed to him and has been the explanation for 700 years. Rick Blaine never said "Play it again, Sam" either. Does it matter? We are in agreement except for one point. I am giving Pat the benefit of a John Locke approach to womens' basketball. You are using Thomas Hobbes. Perhaps we are both right. Maybe she said it but for the reasons you expressed. Either way, I wish she were still coaching and I'm sure many Vols do too.

Many great athletes or coaches have had a foil. It only made them better. Magic- Bird, Russell-Wilt, Coach K- Dean Smith. Muffet just didn't cut it in my book for Geno. I thought it was great that Geno was right at the top of donors to Pat's memorial fund. They obviously had serious issues in later years but the respect he had for her and what she built in the sport was never lessened. Unlike many on this site, I actually want them to get very good again. Just one three point shot away from us. Looking forward to tonight and what Aaliyah does. I just hope the emotion does not get her overly jacked up.

LOL, you realize that you’re making strawman arguments, right? In essence, you’re having an argument with yourself, creating propositions and attributing them to me so you can debate them. I never understood the reasoning as to why that is self soothing to some people. To each their own, I guess.

In any event, I stand by my statement that it is highly unlikely that Pat received a call from ESPN, asking her if she would participate in a game on Martin Luther King Day and she replied “I will, for the good of the game.” For what it’s worth, I note for all your verbosity above you haven’t made a single cogent argument against that point.

Feel free to have the last word on this if you’d like.

 

[BBallF]

LOL, you realize that you’re making strawman arguments, right? In essence, you’re having an argument with yourself, creating propositions and attributing them to me so you can debate them. I never understood the reasoning as to why that is self soothing to some people. To each their own, I guess.

In any event, I stand by my statement that it is highly unlikely that Pat received a call from ESPN, asking her if she would participate in a game on Martin Luther King Day and she replied “I will, for the good of the game.” For what it’s worth, I note for all your verbosity above you haven’t made a single cogent argument against that point.

Feel free to have the last word on this if you’d like.

My last words are this. I am the one using reported and accepted facts as to her statement made 27 years ago, you are hypothesizing and disputing them by argument, not by evidence. But my real last word is this. Abraham Lincoln became President because of two things that happened in New York City. One was the "noble" photograph by Matthew Brady, the first time a photograph was used in a campaign piece. The second was his speech at Cooper Union where he continued the debate he started with Stephen Douglas without Douglas there. He won the debate and the Presidency. I usually win arguments by myself.