Lisa Fernandez – 'Sports Is One Way to Teach So Much About Life'

Lisa Fernandez, 51, has often been called women's softball's greatest-of-all-time. An overpowering pitcher and a great hitter, in the 1990s she led the UCLA Bruins to two national titles and the U.S. Olympic team to three gold medals, helping to spark the sport's tremendous growth in popularity since then. She is now an assistant coach at UCLA. The following conversation has been edited for space and clarity. -Meredith Wolf Schizer

- By Meredith Wolf Schizer

Would your playing career have been possible before Title IX?

I definitely don't think my career would have been the same. I was born in 1971. It truly came at a time when I was able to reap the benefits of those who sacrificed before me.

How about your coaching career?