Pat Summitt: A Legendary Lady

Because of her early-onset dementia Pat Summitt admitted in her book released last year there are times when she is unable to remember the many milestones and accomplishments of her career.

Her multitude of fans will never forget.

The Clarksville native who grew up in Henrietta and played basketball at Cheatham County High, won 1,098 games, 32 SEC championships and eight national championships in her 38 years as Tennessee's women's basketball coach.

Those are the highlights. The feats that roll off the tongues of diehard Lady Vols fans.

There are no categories or lists, however, which illustrate the positive impact Summitt, 61, had on the young women who played for her or the inspiration she provided for the countless little girls who attended her summer basketball camps or watched UT play.

Then there was the enormous competition she placed on her counterparts, unmeasurable pressure that forced them to elevate their game and in the process improve women's college basketball across the board.

Her legacy will not only be the seven times she was named NCAA Coach of the Year or the six halls of fame in which she has been inducted. But also her high personal standards like the bold and conscientious stand she took against girls high school players having to play the six-on-six style after most states had moved away from it.

Three players played offense and three on defense because it was deemed it was too strenuous for any to actually run the full length of the floor.

Summitt thought that was foolish and didn't hesitate to let the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association know it.

In just her second year as the coach at UT (1976), she testified in a lawsuit that challenged the six-on-six rule in court. Gil Gideon, executive director of the TSSAA at the time, testified that girls could better develop their skills if they didn't have to endure the "strain" it takes to run the full court.

While not issuing an injunction, the judge did direct the TSSAA to change to five-on-five for girls.

The TSSAA appealed and Summitt, not being one to back down from a challenge, became even more adamant with her stance. She let it be known that she would not sign another in-state high school player as long as the TSSAA continued playing six-on-six.

Two years later the TSSAA buckled and voted to approve the five-on-five style.

"Even then, Pat was a force," former Knoxville Journal sports writer Randy Moore wrote. "Single-handedly banishing six-girl basketball from Tennessee high schools is just one example of Pat's devotion to elevating her sport."

Summitt's career winning percentage was .844, but she always deflected the credit to her players.

"I remind people that I've never scored a basket for the University of Tennessee," she told the New York Times as she approached her 1,000th victory.

The recognition Summitt has received through the years spanned beyond basketball.

In 1997 she was honored by Working Mother magazine at the White House and named one of "25 Most Influential Working Mothers."

In 2007 U.S. News & World Report named her one of "Americas Best Leaders," and in 2012 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A mind-boggling 74 former Lady Vols players, assistants and graduate assistants followed in her footsteps and became coaches. Seventeen are currently college head coaches.