Knights Under Lights: Pat Willis
In Knights Under Lights, The Daily Targum looks at athletes who distinguished themselves during their time on the Banks.
Rutgers women’s athletics has a long and storied history filled with some of the most influential and successful women in NCAA history. There is perhaps no one more decorated than the legendary Rutgers softball and women's basketball coach, Pat Willis.
Willis’ time on the Banks began as an assistant coach with the softball team. The Scarlet Knights were still under the tutelage of Jody Vogt, the first head coach in program history.
Willis was promoted to head coach in 1980 and quickly established a winning culture within the program. The very next year, Rutgers went 28-3 overall, won the Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women title and advanced to the AIAW World Series.
The Knights joined the Atlantic 10 conference in 1983 and by their second season in the conference, secured their first conference title with a 22-14 record. Rutgers would then earn its first NCAA Tournament berth due to its impressive campaign. Willis then went on a 12-year run that saw at least one Knight become an all-conference player each season.
Willis earned her first individual accolade in 1990 when she was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. She continued to build Rutgers as a dominant softball program and in 1993, started a three-year run that saw the team win 90 games and the 1994 Atlantic 10 Tournament title, as well as advancing to the NCAA Tournament once again.
The Knights joined the Big East in 1996 and boasted a 10-10 conference record in their first season. In 1997, Rutgers went 7-9 in the conference and earned its first-ever Big East Tournament berth. The next year, the Knights returned to the postseason and secured their first win in the Big East Tournament.
With a resume that featured three 30-win and 20 more 20-win seasons, Willis retired from her position as head coach in 2006. Willis concluded her legendary career with more than 600 wins, making her one of the most successful coaches in school history.
Outside of softball, Willis briefly served as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team for five seasons. Her time there was equally as bountiful, as the program amassed three consecutive AIAW Tournament berths and the last-ever championship in AIAW history.
Willis was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022 for her immeasurable contributions to women’s athletics. Her competitive spirit and determination set her down a path that has made her one of the most celebrated women in Rutgers history.
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