Legendary college basketball coach Pat Summitt dies at 64

[mvcg66b3r]

Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA Division I history who presided over a nearly four-decade dynasty at the University of Tennessee, died on Tuesday morning, The Associated Press reported. She was 64.

“It is with tremendous sadness that I announce the passing of my mother, Patricia Sue Head Summitt,” Tyler Summitt said in a statement. “She died peacefully this morning at Sherrill Hill Senior Living in Knoxville surrounded by those who loved her most.”

On June 26, a family spokeswoman said that “the past few days have been difficult for Pat as her early onset dementia, ‘Alzheimer’s Type,’ progresses.” Summitt, who lived in a retirement facility, was “surrounded by those who mean the most to her,” the spokeswoman said.

Summitt amassed a staggering 1,098 victories (and a mere 208 losses) as head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers from 1974 to 2012. That’s the most wins of any men’s or women’s NCAA Division I basketball coach.

Her program was especially dominant from the late ‘80s through the ‘90s. In all, she led the Lady Vols to eight NCAA championship titles; they were the runners-up five other times.

Known for casting a steely glare from the sidelines with a manner more tough than tender, Summitt also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate among players who completed their eligibility.

She announced in 2011 that she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and retired the following year. The university awarded her the permanent honorary title of women’s basketball head coach emeritus.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...ketball-lady-vols_us_57704801e4b017b379f64c31

 

[KML0224]

We here in Connecticut are saddened by this great loss, of course. As successful as the Lady Huskies basketball program has been since winning their first title in 1995 (against Pat and her Lady Vols in Minneapolis), it would not have been brought to national prominence without her.

Thank you for the memories, Pat! We here in U-Conn territory grieve with you and your family!

 

[KayJayJay]

Leaving Thompson-Boling Arena on the UT-Knoxville campus on a July afternoon in 1996 and I see a white BMW pull up in front with the towering presence of Pat Summitt getting out of the car. For a split second, I was tempted to stop and introduce myself...maybe get an autograph. Decided it was better to just let her have her privacy. Looking back today, I regret not being more selfish 20 years ago. Sorry to say that the only time I saw her coach in person was a pre-season loss to a Purdue team that went on to win the Women's NCAA title that season. There'll never be another like her.