She showed up to play college tennis at Washington University in 1973. There was no women's team yet. So she played on the men's. 

She started in the public parks, rose to become one of the top-ranked juniors in the Missouri Valley, and by the 1980s was the No. 1 women's player in St. Louis. After graduating from Wash U, she built a career as a USPTA Elite Professional, owned Westchester Tennis Club, and ran one of the largest World Team Tennis programs in the country. In 2001, she was named World Team Tennis Coordinator of the Year. 

She stopped playing competitively in 1990. Twenty years later, she came back. 

"I felt people had forgotten that I could play," she said. "I wanted to remind everyone I work with, especially my students, that I can still play tennis." 

Since returning to competition at 55, Purcell has won 16 national Gold Balls and three World Cup gold medals representing the U.S. in the 55, 60, and 70 divisions. She has won doubles titles with ten different partners. In 2024, she was ranked No. 3 in the country in singles and No. 1 in doubles in the 65 division. In 2025, she won gold at the Althea Gibson Women's Cup at the World Championships in the 70s team competition. She's still striking gold in 2026. 

Whoever said those who can't do, teach, never met Pat Purcell. She taught her students how to play the game and showed them how to win. She has captained dozens of USTA League teams made up of players she taught going back to 1998. 

Purcell has also been inducted into the Washington University Sports Hall of Fame (2018), and the Missouri Valley Tennis Hall of Fame (2018). 

"I'm very, very grateful to the St. Louis tennis community," Purcell said. "If they don't allow me to have the courts for World TeamTennis, or to teach on, I can't do what I do." 

(2016)