Patty Gasso’s impact on the Oklahoma Sooners and the sport of softball goes well beyond the field.
What more can you say about Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners? Not only did they win their seventh national title and third straight, but they also take a 53-game winning streak, the longest ever, into next season.
What Gasso has done since starting her career at Oklahoma in 1995 is something you might see in Hollywood.
The Sooners used to play at Reaves Park, where they would have to pick up trash before practice and be off the field by 5 p.m. because of the evening activities at the park.
In 1998, they built Marita Hynes Field. In 2024, they’ll move into their new digs at the freshly built Love’s Field.
There’s an argument to be made she might be the greatest coach in the university’s history regardless of sport.
But she hasn’t just helped grow the sport at OU. She’s also helped grow the sport nationally. For example, the Oklahoma-Tennessee game brought in 1.37 million viewers. Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series brought in an average of 1.3 million viewers with a peak audience of 1.5 million. Combine that with several opposing teams having their largest crowds ever when Oklahoma was in town and the growth of the sport is evident.
Why? Because people wanted to watch Oklahoma. Some rootied desperately for a loss; others rooted for a win. Others wanted to see the greatest softball team of all time ply its craft.
That’s another example of how big Gasso’s impact has been on the sport. It’s why when people ask who is on the Mount Rushmore of softball, I think it should just be four busts of the Oklahoma softball living legend.
Now there’s no question she’s had an incredible staff over the years and amazing players as well. She even brought up the people that have helped this program in Thursday’s postgame press conference, even saying the success isn’t all because of her. But there’s been one constant since their first title in 2000, and that’s Gasso.
She continues to etch her name in the history books, winning her seventh national title, which puts her one away from tying the most ever by a head coach. She has one of the highest winning percentages in Division I history, and if she continues on this path, will soon be the winningest coach ever.
Even with all of those achievements, I’m sure if you asked her what she’s most proud of, it would be being a grandmother and seeing her kids, J.T. and D.J. succeed as coaches.
It’s been remarkable to see the growth of the sport at OU. Growing up an Oklahoma fan, I would have never thought softball would be the second most popular sport at Oklahoma. But it is, and it’s because of her.
It’s not even just what she does on the field.
You can tell the impact she’s made on players on and off the field by the number of alumni who come back and are in the stands at the WCWS.
What Gasso said during the postgame press conference is a perfect example of that.
“I want to be my best for (her) players because they trust me. They made a commitment to me. So I want to give it back to them. I need to give it back to their parents.”
She went on to say: “I push them like a coach but also like a mother who is looking out for her kids.”
In all, the legacy of Patty Gasso is simple. She’s the greatest to ever do it. The term “GOAT” gets thrown around way too often, but for her, it fits, and Oklahoma fans are lucky to have her.
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