Long-time Lady Vols basketball coach, pioneer to the game of basketball, representative of UT athletics and one of the greatest coaches of all-time Pat Summitt passed away early Tuesday morning at Sherrill Hill Senior Living in Knoxville. She was 64 years old.
Summitt was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in August 2011, and her fight through the disease inspired many. The “We Back Pat” campaign began shortly after Summitt was diagnosed with the disease. Summitt and her son Tyler announced during halftime of the Nov. 27, 2011 game against Baylor that they had started the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund, a foundation that made grants towards finding the cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
Tyler Summitt released a statement on Tuesday morning about the passing of his mother.
“Since 2011, my mother has battled her toughest opponent, early onset dementia, ‘Alzheimer’s Type,’ and she did so with bravely fierce determination just as she did with every opponent she ever faced,” Tyler said. “Even though it’s incredibly difficult to come to terms that she is no longer with us, we can all find peace in knowing she no longer carries the heavy burden of this disease.”
Summitt’s 38-year coaching career at UT is considered by many to be one of the greatest coaching tenures in sports history. Summitt went 1,098-208 (.840) as a head coach, the most wins ever by a men’s or women’s coach. Her Lady Vols made 31 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning eight titles and finishing second place five times. The Lady Vols also made 22 Final Four’s under Summitt.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that all 161 players that played under Summitt went on to graduate.
Former UT quarterback Peyton Manning said in a statement on Tuesday that he wishes he could have played under Summitt.
“She could have coached any team, any sport, men’s or women’s,” Manning said. “It wouldn’t have mattered because Pat could flat out coach. I will miss her dearly, and I am honored to call her my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with Tyler and their entire family.”
Summitt was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. President Obama honored Summitt with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 29, 2012.
“Nobody walked off a college basketball court victourious more times than Tennessee’s Pat Summitt,” President Obama said in a statement. “For four decades, she outworked her rivals, made winning an aattitude, loved her players like family, and became a role model to millions of Americans, including our two daughters.
“Her legacy, however, is measured much more by the generations of young women and men who admired Pat’s intense competitveness and character, as a result found in themselves the confidence to practice hard, play harder and live with courage on and off the court … Michelle (Obama) and I send our condolences to Pat Summitt’s family — which includs her former players and fans on Rocky Top and across America.”
Knoxville mayor Madeline Rogero announced on social media Tuesday morning that the Henley Bridge’s lights will be changed to orange, blue and white to honor Summitt’s legacy.
A private funeral service for friends and family of Pat Summitt will be held in Middle Tennessee. A public service to celebrate the life and career of Summitt will be held in Thompson Boling Arena at a later-announced date.
Current Lady Vols head coach and long-time Summitt assistant Holly Warlick announced in a statement on Tuesday about how Summitt helped give her the courage to face any challenge that may be thrown at her.
“She played a very significant role in molding me into the person I am, and I will forever be grateful for the genuine care, guidance and wisdom she unselfishly shared with me and so many others through the years,” Warlick said. “I’ll always treasure the laughter we shared, the stories we loved to tell and certainly those stories we embellished … She was driven to perfection and always remained true to her standards. That meant doing things the right way, no matter what.
“In my eyes, there’s never been anyone better than Pat Summitt.”
