Pat Head Summitt
When fans enter Thompson Bowling Arena and file down the stairs to watch a Tennessee Volunteers game the first thing they notice is the sea of orange and white. Then, when they reach their seats and start looking around, taking it all in, they notice the signature on the court. That signature is of the Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Summitt. Coach Summitt, in 2005, was honored with her name being placed on the court after her 880th career win (UT Lady Vols). The Summitt as the court is named, has now become a place where young athletes dreams come true.
Every athlete, fan, and coach knows who the coach of the Lady Volunteers is; they have watched or heard of her pacing the sidelines and throwing glares that could kill. Pat Summitt has become known as one of the greatest coaches to ever coach basketball. She is considered in the same category as the late men's basketball coaches John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, and Jimmy Valvano, who were known for their winning careers (UT Lady Vols). Over the course of thirty-seven seasons, she has won the most coveted award in college basketball, the NCAA Championship, eight times in the twenty-nine years of the tournaments existence.
Every athlete, fan, and coach knows who the coach of the Lady Volunteers is; they have watched or heard of her pacing the sidelines and throwing glares that could kill. Pat Summitt has become known as one of the greatest coaches to ever coach basketball. She is considered in the same category as the late men's basketball coaches John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, and Jimmy Valvano, who were known for their winning careers (UT Lady Vols). Over the course of thirty-seven seasons, she has won the most coveted award in college basketball, the NCAA Championship, eight times in the twenty-nine years of the tournaments existence.
"I tell kids.... 'If you're lazy stay as far away from me and our program as you can because you'll be miserable.' We work hard." - Coach Summitt (Pat Head Summitt Biography).
Not only has she coached eight national championship teams, but thirty-one of her players have gone on to play in the WNBA since its start in 1997. The University of Tennessee is one of the top recruiters in the country, and because that they have had many great teams. From these great teams came star players who are now leaders on one of the twelve teams in the WNBA. Coach Summitt is known for pushing her players to reach their potential, one of the reasons so many hall of famers have played for the Volunteers. After a season of Summitt and her nonstop strife to teach and mold her athletes to be the best of
the game, some have stopped playing, but of the ones who completed their eligibility all of them have graduated (University of Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt named recipient of 2009 WNBA Inspiring Coach Award).
Coach Summitt stands for much more than an honorary coach who every young girl wants to have at their house one day asking them to be a Lady Volunteer. She donates her time and money to many charities and organizations. Recently after her diagnosis of the early stages of Alzheimer’s she has added her new foundation to an already long list. She and her son on November 28, 2011 announced the formation of The Pat Summitt Foundation. This new foundation will donate money to non-profit organizations to help find a cure for the disease and help families who have had a member recently diagnosed. At half time of the
Baylor game that day the foundation gave two $75,000 checks to Alzheimer’s of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee Medical Center (Pat Summitt, son launch foundation).
Pat Summitt is a coach and leader who will never be forgotten in the world of sports. She impacts so many lives and the women's game. She has watched the it grow into the five on five game we know today. She played ball in the years when women were thought to be the inferior sex and showed many of the men up with her skill. She might seem like a rough coach but she is one of the best to ever live. She will push a player to her breaking point and then a little further to develop her into the hall of fame athlete Coach Summitt knows she can become. She asks everyone around her to give 110% all the time and bring everything to the table they are able to offer because that is what she will do, and it is how you win. Coach Summitt may have to step down from her position in the coming years, but her legacy will forever be in the hearts of basketball fans.
the game, some have stopped playing, but of the ones who completed their eligibility all of them have graduated (University of Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt named recipient of 2009 WNBA Inspiring Coach Award).
Coach Summitt stands for much more than an honorary coach who every young girl wants to have at their house one day asking them to be a Lady Volunteer. She donates her time and money to many charities and organizations. Recently after her diagnosis of the early stages of Alzheimer’s she has added her new foundation to an already long list. She and her son on November 28, 2011 announced the formation of The Pat Summitt Foundation. This new foundation will donate money to non-profit organizations to help find a cure for the disease and help families who have had a member recently diagnosed. At half time of the
Baylor game that day the foundation gave two $75,000 checks to Alzheimer’s of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee Medical Center (Pat Summitt, son launch foundation).
Pat Summitt is a coach and leader who will never be forgotten in the world of sports. She impacts so many lives and the women's game. She has watched the it grow into the five on five game we know today. She played ball in the years when women were thought to be the inferior sex and showed many of the men up with her skill. She might seem like a rough coach but she is one of the best to ever live. She will push a player to her breaking point and then a little further to develop her into the hall of fame athlete Coach Summitt knows she can become. She asks everyone around her to give 110% all the time and bring everything to the table they are able to offer because that is what she will do, and it is how you win. Coach Summitt may have to step down from her position in the coming years, but her legacy will forever be in the hearts of basketball fans.