RIP Pat Summitt

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Sad news. Horrible disease. She was a great coach and great for Tennessee. True VFL.

 

Simply the greatest. It's not just her impact as a coach or her impact on on the game of women's basketball. The impact she made as a Tennessean will never be forgotten. This state is so proud that she is one of us. A true representation of everything that is great about this state.

 

A woman that would cut short a recruiting trip so she could be sure her son would be born in Tennessee is always gonna be alright by me! We won't see another like her pass our way again, that's for sure.

 

RIP Coach

 

She is a coaching legend, regardless of how you feel about women's basketball.

One of the first games I had to cover when I worked, as a student, for the Associated Press was a Lady Vols loss. Sitting in the press conference room trying to ask her a question after a loss was legitimately scary. She stared a hole through anyone asking her a question, so I decided I wasn't going to say a word.

We had her on the student radio a few times and she was great.

It's a sad day, but I'm glad she's no longer suffering

 

Tennessee bball is going to miss her. She took the program to levels only she could do at Tennessee. We were lucky to have her and will miss her.

 

My mom died of the same type of dementia/Alzheimer's that Pat had and I agree JG, it was sad but the relief I felt at her passing that she wasn't suffering any more in that broken down shell that carried the spirit that made her, HER was immense... Mom was always a big LV fan and I bet she was waiting for Pat at the pearly gates....

 

Just a legitimate legend. Did it the right way, no big scandals, hard-nosed, disciplined, didn't gripe or make cliché excuses. And, she was loyal. Back in the 80's, I showed up at UT without a care in the world about women's basketball. But, then I found myself going to the games and I absolutely loved her style. Intense and super competitive. And, she just flat out won.

This illness she had is cruel and, as big a loss as this is, it is a relief for her to be moving on.

 

Will say that the best part of today is reading everyone's story of when they met Pat Summitt. She seemed like a legitimately awesome human being.

 

Check out Candace Parker's tweet about Pat

 

Imagine having something like that in your possession... Having been written TO you by one of the greatest coaches (of ANY sport) in history...

 

nm, I saw it. Pretty cool stuff for a HS senior.

 

Amazing what she accomplished. RIP coach.

 

Rip to the best to ever do it.

 

Maybe not best, but most important. She meant more to that game than anyone else in it.

 

Coming in as a freshman in 1975, it was Coach Summitt's second year. Not many people attended games then. The girls had just been moved to Stokley and several of us would go watch them play. Little did I know at that time that I would be watching a future legend. Every time that I ever talked to her, she would always give me encouragement. I will always hold a special place for her in my heart. Yesterday hurt.

 

Legit respect for Coach Summitt. Not only did she display excellence on the court, she demanded it off the court. Her players knew that they were not only expected to win games, they were expected to be solid human beings and students. 100% graduation rate, that is as impressive as 1098 wins, imo.

I understand why she was successful. As a 12 year-old that held delusions of grandeur of actually being a good basketball player and while attending Don DeVoe's basketball camp, I was at the receiving end of her icy stare and experienced what happened when one's behavior didn't meet her expectations. Let's just say it had something to do with water ballons, female campers dressed up for dinner, many push-ups & sit-ups and enough sprints up and down a hallway of the 7th floor of Humes Hall to puke in a trash can. She earned both my fear and respect that day.

 

100% graduation rate was one of the things I found out about Tuesday, that is pretty impressive.

 

I remember watching this documentary when I was a child. If you all haven't watched it, it's worth your time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg3EaxA7_zk