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By definition, sports pioneers are risk takers and without their vision there is no beginning. Visionaries move programs forward by strength of will and a focus on the the future and not the present. Where others have failed, sports pioneers are able to successfully implement new ideas and remove obstacles that others could not. Pioneers not only have to deal with the same problems that all coaches must face in n athletic department i.e. small budgets, recruiting, and/or “turf” wars within the organization , but they also have to overcome major obstacles inherent in changing or creating a new program.   

The super sports visionaries from the 50’s thru the 80’s were women. Before a woman could be acknowledged as an athlete, Athletic Director,  or coach they had to first secure equal rights- ask Donna Lopiano.

All University administrations are slow to accept change. It took UT 50 years to finally accept the scientific fact that women can tolerate physical punishment in competitive sports. Tessa Nichols states that in the early years of the 20th century  women's sports were "circumscribed by gender norms and restrictive ideologies which delineated the acceptable ways in which women could perform in sports".  During those years "excessive" competition for woman was considered too "masculine" and harmful to a women’s ability to reproduce. During the early years of the 20th century, physical educators main goal was “aimed to ensure that the health and educational “best” interest for a women student was sacrosanct”. To do so required the elimination of the masculine aspect of sports and the elimination of record setting and personal athletic glory.

It took many decades to correct “falsisms” that were considered truisms in sports , and it was sports pioneers who accomplished this goal. Consequently, they deserve to be judged by a different set of standards then those coaches who have successful coaching careers but did not challenge the “ inherent system of falsisms” during their tenure.  Of course sports pioneers want to win in the short term but they know that in order to create a winning “culture” long term visions are more important than short term success.

Pioneer coaches must also deal with the expectation of the fans that does not always align with reality.  Many pioneer coaches never overcome this problem. Coach Strong was a pioneer as the first black head football coach in a established program , but he was released because the expectation of the Longhorn Nation did not coincide with the realities surrounding the football program he inherited. 

It is difficult to decide when to terminate a coaching pioneer.   Dang Pibulvech started 4 women's soccer programs for 4 colleges. Texas was one of them.  Starting a sport from scratch takes courage, boundless energy, and patience. Dang Pibulvech had these qualities, but he was still not able to overcome all the obstacles he faced. After 5 years at Texas, his poor results resulted in his resignation.

Then there are Longhorn pioneers who are just unlucky.   Coach Rodney Page was the right hire at the wrong time in Longhorn sports history. Coach Page  is the first black coach in the history of UT sports, and a visionary who built the Longhorn women's basketball team from scratch. Instead of UT celebrating his success  a change at the top of the UT Athletic administration cost him his job.