( CNN ) -- When it comes to winning , Coach Beverly Kearney , University of Texas head women 's track and field coach , knows how to get the job done . With a coaching career spanning nearly three decades , she has won seven NCAA championships and coached 12 Olympians . In 2007 , she was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame . Needless to say , Kearney 's athletes are known to get results . `` They would say that I 'm tough . That I believe in being the best you can be at all times , '' she says . `` I am going to demand their best , and I am relentless at it . '' But for Kearney , success means more than coming in first place . Her goal is to make others successful beyond the finish line , so she founded the Pursuit of Dreams Foundation . Designed around Kearney 's coaching philosophy , the nonprofit strives to connect young men and women with needed resources to realize their fullest potential . `` If I could utilize the techniques that I used to produce results in sports , why ca n't I utilize those techniques to produce results in life , '' Kearney says . `` Pursuit of Dreams is about connecting people with the inner magic that lies within them ... that let 's them know , yes you can . No , better yet , yes we can . '' The organization hosts many programs including a minority mentorship symposium , which introduces students of color to the back stories of notable leaders as a way to motivate and empower . `` If I can expose you to the best ... it has a great chance of inspiring you to be the best , '' Kearney explains . Another one of the nonprofit 's programs is Pursuit of Excellence . Under this program , Kearney works with children and teens in foster care . Kearney and her team provide these children with new wardrobes , designed and custom tailored by a celebrity stylist . `` It 's that hands-on loving touch that makes them feel special , '' Kearney says . `` Why not use your resources to inspire them to be better citizens , to pursue their dreams ? We are letting them know we care . '' Kearney credits her life experiences as preparation for not only her nonprofit but her successful coaching career . While winning may seem to come easy for her , she is honest that her journey toward success was not without sacrifice and faith . During her senior year of high school , Kearney was homeless after her mother , a single parent , unexpectedly passed away . After short periods of staying with friends and family , Kearney graduated high school and went to college on a scholarship where she excelled in both academics and track and field . `` More than any other time I realized I was on my own , and that moment drove me to being successful , '' she says . After college she received a graduate assistantship where she turned her love of track and field into a successful coaching career . She is the first African-American to win an NCAA national team championship in Division I track and field , and she is the first African-American to serve as a head coach at the University of Texas . `` I just knew I could n't fail , '' Kearney says . `` If I failed I would be a shining example of why you do n't hire African-Americans and why you do n't hire women . '' Kearney says what separates her from her competition is her empowering style that motivates her athletes to succeed . `` I wo n't give up on you , '' she says . `` I do n't care how bad you do , I am not letting go . I will believe in you no matter what . As long as you keep trying ... I got your back . '' Kearney 's determination was tested again when over a decade ago while on her way to Disney World she was involved in a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of two of her friends . Thrown over 50 feet from the car , she suffered extensive spinal injuries that left her partially paralyzed . Kearney says she never doubted her ability to walk again and continued to lead her team from her hospital bed . `` When they told me I was paralyzed , it went in one ear and out the next ... because I had to get up and coach , '' she says . Track practices were recorded and then played for Kearney on a VCR in her hospital room . `` Because I was an intuitive coach ... whatever it is you need to do I can describe it in a way that you internalize it and you feel it without me having to demonstrate it . '' Guided by her personal motto -- Believe it . Speak it , Do it -- Kearney continued to beat the odds and eventually learned to walk again . `` All that I have been through in my life has been the foundation that has created an unshakeable , unwavering faith that all things are possible , '' Kearney says .
Beverly Kearney is the founder of the Pursuit of Dreams Foundation . Pursuit of Dreams mentors men and woman through programming and inspiration . Kearney was partially paralyzed in a car accident , but she learned to walk again .