Biography of Pat Summit
In the US history, there are many successful women but the example of Pat Summitt is an outstanding one. She is the most successful women’s basketball coach. Her team, the Lady Vols won eight NCAA national championships. She finished her coaching career with 1098 wins that was not easy. Pat Summitt worked hard and made her basketball players work the same. She was strict, demanding, and dedicated person that led the team to the wins. "She makes you feel there's nothing to be afraid of in life,"- Michelle Marciniak, Most Valuable Player of the 1996 Final Four for the champion Lady Vols, told Sports Illustrated. "If you want something, you go after it as hard as you can, and you make no excuses" (“Pat Summitt,” n. d.).
Pat Summitt was born on June 14, 1952 in the family of Richard and Hazel Heard. Patricia Sue Heard grew up on a tobacco and dairy farm in Clarksville, Tennessee that is the fifth largest city in the state. Pat was the fourth child and had three older brothers - Tommy, Charles, and Kenneth, and a younger sister - Linda. Her father, Richard Heard, built up the farm that occupied the territory of 1000 acres from nothing working hard. Her mother, Hazel Heard, and later their sons and daughters helped him. He was a stubborn and determined man; otherwise, he would have achieved nothing. Richard Heard brought up all his children strictly; everyone had to work hard. He was the one whose upbringing influenced all Pat’s life. In her book Reach for the Summitt, Pat said, "While I loved and respected my father, I also feared him" (“Women's College Basketball Standard Bearer: A biography of Pat Head Summitt,” n. d.). She often remembers the day, when at the age of 12, he left her in the middle of an endless field with the tractor and went away. In this way, her father made the young girl learn about her potential and limits. It is no wonder that later she will become a strict and demanding coach, who knows how to get the most out of people and how to work hard.
Pat has started playing basketball early with her brothers; her father built a basketball court on the top of the barn loft so that children could play even at night. Unfortunately, in Clarksville, there were no girls’ basketball team at that time. Later on, her family moved to Ashland where she finished Cheatham County High school in 1970. Because of the height that she inherited from her father, children used to tease her “Bone.”
In 1967, Pat started a girls’ basketball team and in 1970 became an All-District 20 Tournament choice. Then she graduated from school and entered the University of Tennessee at Martin where she played for the Lady Pacers, the women’s basketball team. All her brothers got athletic scholarships, but there were not any athletic scholarship program for women and her parents had to pay for her studying. In the team, Pat showed herself as an accurate shooter and a defensive ace. Her height of 5 foot 11 inches inherited from her father helped her much. In 1973, Pat won a silver medal as a member of the US basketball team on the World University Games held in the USSR. After her return, she continued training hard since she had serious plans for the Summer Olympics of 1976. However, an unexpected trauma had nearly ruined all her plans. Pat tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and doctors warned her to stop doing sport. At that time, ACL tears usually resulted in a sportsman’s retirement because sports rehabilitation was in its initial stage of development. “But the University of Tennessee provided her with the perfect place to recuperate and still stay in the game after her graduation - as head coach of the University's women's basketball team” (“Pat Summitt,” n. d.). Under such life circumstances, Pat did not give up her dream to become a successful basketball player and followed the doctor’s advice though she had to overcome painful period of rehabilitation. Nevertheless, doctors’ diagnose was not encouraging.
Pat Summitt received her bachelor’s degree in physical education from UT-Martin in 1974. She graduated as a leading scorer (1,045 points). In 1974, Pat Summitt was appointed head coach of the Lady Volunteers in the University of Tennessee. At that time, Pat was only 22 years old. In the first season, 4 other players of her team were 21 (Sec Sports Fan, n. d.). Though the beginning of her coaching was not successful, later on, Pat started building her career and basketball empire painstakingly and thoroughly. The Lady Volunteers lost their first game to Mercer College with the score 84-83 and finished the fourth.
Summitt continued training, coaching, teaching physical education courses, and studying to get her master’s degree. By that time, her knee became better, and she joined the US Pan American games team that won the gold medal in 1975. That year, she received her master’s degree in physical education from the UT-Knoxville.
Finally, Pat’s dream came true, and she joined the US Olympic basketball team. She brought the team a silver medal in Montreal in 1976. At that time, Pat was a co-captain while the following year she became the first coach of the U.S. Junior National basketball team and brought 2 golden medal wins. Pat continued coaching. The following two seasons, she guided Tennessee to back-to-back AIAW Region II championships and entry into the national tournament. The Lady Vols made their first AIAW Final Four in 1977 and returned to the national semifinals in 1979 (finishing the third both times) (ESPN Women, 2012). For restless Pat, it was not enough. In 1979, she became the head of the United States National team. Her team brought home 2 golden and a silver medal.
In 1980, Pat married R. B. Summit, a bank executive, and 10 years later they got a son, Ross Tyler Summitt. They divorced in 2008.
In the 1979-1980 season, Summitt’s team reached a 33-5 record but lost their perennial power to Louisiana Tech. In 1981, the team lost their game to Louisiana Tech with the score 79-59. All these misfortunes might have disappointed Pat, but they made her work harder and more than ever before. The next season, the Lady Vols took part in the first NCAA Woman’s basketball tournament. Once again, they lost their Final Four to Louisiana Tech. In 1982-1983, Summitt’s team won the regular SEC title but lost their game to Georgia with the score 67-63. On December 1983, Pat Summitt won her 200th game; it was a victory over St. Jone’s in Detroit.
Since 1984, Pat returned to the Olympics as a coach. Her team won the first golden medal for women’s basketball team. That day, the members of her team lifted her on their shoulders and walked around the Los Angeles Forum. Later on, Pat came back to Tennessee and continued coaching the Lady Vols to NCAA Championships in 1987 and 1989. In 1986-1987 led by forward Bridgette Gordon and guard Tonya Edwards, the Lady Vols defeated Louisiana Tech with the score 67-44 and won their first national title. A gifted guard was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four. Gordon and Edwards have captured a second national crown for three times. Thus, Pat Summitt led the team to its first national basketball championship and got her 300th victory. No wonder, the woman was given the title of Naismith College Coach of the Year for her obvious coaching talent and determination.
In 1989-90, Summitt’s team won the SEC title. However, it lost in overtime to Virginia in the regional finals and finished that season with the win over South Carolina. In 1990, Pat Summitt became the first woman in the history of the United States to win honorable Basketball Hall of Fame's John Bunn Award. Her team brought 3 consecutive NCAA titles in 1991, 1996, 1997 and an overall win in 1998 with the score 35-2. It was the productive period and the culmination of Summitt’s coaching career. That year, she guided the school team to its first national championship.
In the NCAA tournament of 1991, her Lady Vols won in the regional final; moreover, in the national semifinals, they managed to defeat Stanford. In their game against the team of Virginia, they won 70-67 and brought home the third national NCAA title in the recent 5 years. In the next 1991-1992 season, Tennessee won Stanford for two times and, for the first time, got into the SEC season. Nevertheless, the Lady Vols did not manage to win the title and fell in the NCAA basketball tournament during the regional finals.
In the season of 1993-1994, Summitt received her 500th win over the Ohio State. The Lady Vols won the title in the SEC championship; in the regional semifinals, however, the team was defeated by Louisiana Tech. The next season, the Lady Vols won and advanced the way to the 1995 final in NCAA tournament, which they failed to the team of the University of Connecticut. The next season, Holdsclaw C., a freshman joined the Lady Vols and helped them return to the Final Four. That season, they defeated UConn Huskies for the first time in their seven championships and won their fourth NCAA title in the game against Georgia, in 1996.
The next 1996-1997 season was not as successful for Summitt’s team as the previous one; they suffered 10 consecutive losses though they managed to earn the second national title. The 1997-1998 season was one of the team’s most successful one. Holdsclaw, Semeka Randall, and freshmen Tamika Catchings brought the Lady Vols a perfect 39-0 record while winning the SEC titles along with the third consecutive NCAA title. They became the first trio from one team who were named Kodak All-Americans in the first season. Moreover, Summitt’s team set a record, as they were the first to claim three consecutive NCAA titles in the history of the women's basketball. However, due to injuries of several players, the Lady Vols lost to Duke in the regional finals and finished first without a national title, although they came home with three runner-up finishes and two third-place spots.
In 1997, Working Mother Magazine recognized Summitt as one of the 25 Most Influential Working Mothers. This year, she wrote two books. Her Reach for the Summitt is a biography while Raise the Roof tells the story of the Lady Vols’ best winning season. The following year, Pat Summitt was named the Women of the Year and, in 1997, she became the first female basketball coach that appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 1993, 1995, and 1998, she was named the SEC Coach of the Year. Moreover, in 1998, Summitt was named the Coach of the Year and the Naismith Coach of the Year. In 1999, Pat was admitted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; in 2000, Summitt became the fourth woman to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, that year the woman was named the Naismith Coach of the Century and celebrated her 700th victory.
In 2000-2001, the Lady Vols won all 14 SEC games and finished with the fourth-straight 30-win season. In 2001-2002, Summitt’s team won their fifth SEC championship and Tennessee reached the Final Four due to its win over Vanderbilt. The Lady Vols’ win over Arkansas was Summitt’s 1000th game including international contests. In 2003, Pat Summitt became the first woman coach to pass the 800th win over DePaul at home with the score 76-57 and only 161 losses in 29 seasons. The 2003-04 season was also successful as Summitt’s team defeated their opponents. In 2004-05, the Lady Vols got their regular season victory and defeated Connecticut with the score 68-67. Candace Parker joined the Lady Vols but did not play that year because of injuries. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Summitt’s team defeated Purdue. This victory brought her the 880th win.
The following 2005-2006 season was not successful and ended with some losses. Moreover, Pat Summitt did not appear in the Final Four for the first time. The next season, the team of Tennessee defeated Stanford, UCLA, Middle Tennessee, and Arizona State. Nevertheless, they lost to North Carolina and Duke and won in the game against UConn. The Lady Vols won its seventh national title in the championship game against Rutgers. In 2008, the Lady Vols won the eighth NCAA title by defeating Stanford with the score 64-48. In 2009, Pat Summitt won her 1000th game; it was the win over the Georgia Lady Bulldogs in Knoxville. That night, she was given $200 000 as a bonus by the University of Tennessee. The same year, the Sporting News named Summitt one of the 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time.
In 2011, Summitt announced that she was diagnosed with an early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Despite that, she continued coaching the Lady Vols in 2011-2012 season. In 2012, Pat Summitt retired, and Holly Warlick filled the position of a head coach. Summitt finished her coaching career with 1,098 wins, the most among any men's or women's Division I head coaches (ESPN Women, 2012).
Pat Summitt is an example of a successful leader, gifted coach, caring mother, and simply a good person. She left an unforgettable trace in the US women’s basketball history. Her life example has taught to work hard to achieve goals and never stop fighting. Even now, she does not give up the fight and is struggling with her disease.
