PATRICIA SUE HEAD SUMMITT
Born: June 14, 1952, in Clarksville, Tenn.
Education: University of Tennessee-Martin, where she was an All-America basketball player at Tennessee-Martin and earned a B.S. in physical education; M.S. in physical education from Tennessee-Knoxville
Halls of Fame: Inducted in 2000 into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; 1999 into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame; 1996 into National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s Hall of Fame; 1990 into the Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame; also member Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame.
Coaching career: 38 seasons, all at Tennessee, 1,098-208 (.840), most wins for a basketball coach at any four-year college or university, men’s or women’s, with 47% of games against ranked opponents and a 440-168 record (.724); faced 164 different opponents over 35 conferences; 2000 Naismith coach of the century. Seven-time NCAA coach of the year, eight NCAA championships (1987, ’89, ’91, ’96, ’97, ’98, with a 39-0 record, 2007, ’08), second to Connecticut's Geno Auriemma among NCAA Division I women’s coaches. Eighteen Final Four appearances, most among all Division I coaches (men or women). Sixteen Southeastern Conference titles and 16 SEC tournament titles, eight-time SEC coach of the year; played on the USA’s silver medal team at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, coached the U.S. team to a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles — the first in U.S. Olympic basketball history to play on and coach medal-winning teams.
Among players coached: Candace Parker, Kara Lawson, Tamika Catchings, Chamique Holdsclaw, Nikki McCray
Honors: Courts at Tennessee-Martin (Pat Head Summitt Court) and Tennessee (The Summitt) named in her honor. There also are streets named after her on those campuses; the Summitt-Wooden Room at NCAA headquarters; 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom; 2012 Billie Jean King Legacy Award from the U.S. Tennis Association; 2011 Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias Courage Award from the United States Sports Academy; 2011 Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year; 2009 WNBA Inspiring Coach Award; one of “America’s Best Leaders for 2007” as released by U.S. News & World Report; one of Glamour’s “1998 Women of the Year”; only woman on The Sporting News’ 50 Greatest Coaches of All-Time.
Foundation: The Pat Summitt Foundation, begun in 2011 “to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s so that one day no family has to hear that a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Author: Sum It Up: A Thousand and Ninety-Eight Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective (with Sally Jenkins), 2013; Raise the Roof: The Inspiring Inside Story of the Tennessee Lady Vols’ Undefeated 1997-98 Season (with Jenkins), 1998; Reach for the Summitt (with Jenkins), 1998
Trivia: When she arrived at Knoxville she never corrected her mentors when they shortened her name from Patricia to Pat — she had always gone by Tricia or Trish.
Quote: “Pat’s gift has always been her ability to push those around her to new heights, and over the last 38 years, her unique approach has resulted in both unparalleled success on the court and unrivaled loyalty from those who know her and those whose lives she has touched.” — President Obama
