Women’s Basketball Coach
Inducted 2007
When Susie Gardner was introduced as Austin Peay’s new basketball coach in Summer 1996, her message was simple: “We want to build a success program, not just a team.”
Gardner was true to her word. During the early part of this century, the Lady Govs were “the program” of the Ohio Valley Conference and the envy of her fellow league coaches. During a three-year period from 2000-01 and 2002-03, the Lady Govs compiled a 63-29 mark (68.5 percent), including a spectacular 27-4 2002-03 mark that saw APSU go an unprecedented 16-0 in the OVC. Each of those seasons saw the Lady Govs advance to the NCAA tournament, with the 2002-03 team narrowly missing an upset of No. 3 North Carolina, losing 72-70.
The Lady Govs’ success didn’t come without some painstaking moments. After a 17-11 initial season, the Lady Govs endured back-to-back losing seasons that even tested Gardner’s resolve. Recruiting talented young players, especially those with a Tennessee connection, became the hallmark of her Austin Peay program. In 1999-2000, Gardner found the cornerstones for her program, freshmen guards Brooke Armistead and Paige Smith, both from Tennessee prep programs. The duo helped lead the Lady Govs to the OVC tourney championship game in 2000, setting the stage for an impressive run in the next three seasons.
In both 2000-01 and 2001-02, the Lady Govs peaked at tournament time, parlaying a third-place 2001 finish and a fourth-place 2002 finish into OVC tournament champions.
One thing was missing, however. That Lady Govs group never had won a regular-season OVC title. However, no one could have anticipated the Lady Govs’ 2002-03 season. Not only did the Lady Govs post a 27-4 record?an OVC record for wins?it included a 22-game winning streak that stood as the nation’s longest that year until the Lady Govs lost to North Carolina.
That season opened the door for Gardner to the head-coaching position at Arkansas. She certainly left her mark at Austin Peay?three OVC tournament championships, three NCAA tournament appearances, one OVC regular-season title and an overall 112-92 record, 68-52 in the OVC. She was selected OVC Coach of the Year in 2002-03.
In addition, she coached two OVC Freshman of the Year in Brooke Armistead and Gerlonda Hardin. Armistead was the OVC Player of the Year in 2002-03 and later was named both the OVC Female Athlete of the Year and Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award recipients. Armistead was two-time OVC tourney MVP under Gardner while Hardin earned one of her two tourney MVPs. Armistead also became the first APSU female athlete to have her number retired.
Gardner, a Mount Juliet native, returned to her home state from San Diego State, where she spent four seasons as an assistant. Previously, she served four seasons at Anderson (S.C.) College.
She played college basketball at Georgia, where she was known for her long-distance sharpshooting skills. During that span, the Bulldogs recorded an average of 27 wins, captured three SEC championship titles (1983, 1984, 1986) and made two NCAA Final Four appearances.
Academically, Gardner shined as an Academic All-SEC in 1986. Gardner also excelled away from the Georgia campus, particularly in the 1983 National Sports Festival as a member of the gold medal-winning South team. In 1986, she was selected to the United States Select team.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1986, Gardner remained
with the Bulldogs two years as a graduate assistant coach.
