Pat Summitt
June 28, 2016 8:04 AM Subscribe
"The story of women’s basketball is so incomplete without Pat Summitt, it’s almost not worth telling. Not just the winningest coach in D1 history, Summitt is the modern game, her success mirroring its rise, her ascendancy propelling the sport out of obscurity. And now she’s gone."
Summitt was head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from 1974 to 2012, achieving 1,098 wins. She also was co-captain of the American women's basketball team at the 1976 Olympics (helping the team win the silver medal) and coached the 1984 Olympic team (gold). She was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease in 2011 (previously on the blue), and stepped down as coach the following spring.
Summitt was head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from 1974 to 2012, achieving 1,098 wins. She also was co-captain of the American women's basketball team at the 1976 Olympics (helping the team win the silver medal) and coached the 1984 Olympic team (gold). She was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease in 2011 (previously on the blue), and stepped down as coach the following spring.
This makes me so sad, though I spent years hating her (in the abstract) because of the way she coached Tennessee into beating teams I love. When the news broke about her diagnosis, she (or maybe a family member?) said something about how afraid she was of forgetting all the things about basketball that she'd learned and taught and loved, and that made me cry. I hope she was at some sort of peace at the end, and not afraid, and had memories of her triumphs.
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posted by rtha at 8:19 AM on June 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
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posted by rtha at 8:19 AM on June 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
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posted by vibrotronica at 8:25 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by vibrotronica at 8:25 AM on June 28, 2016
This is a Big Deal here in Knoxville. Lots of people (even more than usual) are wearing orange today.
One thing about that Pat that a lot of people don't know... she was from Alcoa, TN. Alcoa is immediately south of Knoxville and definitely part of Greater Knoxvegas. She was a hometown girl who grew up to be a truly great leader of women. She will be missed.
posted by workerant at 8:28 AM on June 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
One thing about that Pat that a lot of people don't know... she was from Alcoa, TN. Alcoa is immediately south of Knoxville and definitely part of Greater Knoxvegas. She was a hometown girl who grew up to be a truly great leader of women. She will be missed.
posted by workerant at 8:28 AM on June 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
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posted by Room 641-A at 8:30 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by Room 641-A at 8:30 AM on June 28, 2016
. Rival team fan, but she was amazing.
One of the SEC "legends" videos is just a quick views of sporting figure statues at each campus. Male, male, mascot, BOOM Pat fucking Summit, and I always got goosebumps.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:31 AM on June 28, 2016
One of the SEC "legends" videos is just a quick views of sporting figure statues at each campus. Male, male, mascot, BOOM Pat fucking Summit, and I always got goosebumps.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:31 AM on June 28, 2016
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posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2016
Growing up near UCONN, I was contractually required to hate her, but damn did I respect the hell out of that woman for what she did to college basketball, and Title IX in college sports.
posted by Mayor West at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Mayor West at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
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posted by Become A Silhouette at 8:36 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by Become A Silhouette at 8:36 AM on June 28, 2016
I humbly ask if the mods could make all the moment of silence dots in here orange.
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posted by cashman at 8:39 AM on June 28, 2016 [7 favorites]
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posted by cashman at 8:39 AM on June 28, 2016 [7 favorites]
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From a UConn fan, much respect to a pioneer. A team could not call itself top-tier until it could compete with Tennessee. (And the Volunteers is one of the cooler team names in sports.)
Here's the Osborne Brothers (no Ozzy), performing Rocky Top.
posted by kurumi at 8:41 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
From a UConn fan, much respect to a pioneer. A team could not call itself top-tier until it could compete with Tennessee. (And the Volunteers is one of the cooler team names in sports.)
Here's the Osborne Brothers (no Ozzy), performing Rocky Top.
posted by kurumi at 8:41 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by anthropophagous at 8:43 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by anthropophagous at 8:43 AM on June 28, 2016
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She was such a pioneer in women's athletics, it almost defies description.
posted by Sphinx at 8:52 AM on June 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
She was such a pioneer in women's athletics, it almost defies description.
posted by Sphinx at 8:52 AM on June 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
🏀
posted by brennen at 9:02 AM on June 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by brennen at 9:02 AM on June 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
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posted by inconsequentialist at 9:08 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by inconsequentialist at 9:08 AM on June 28, 2016
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescat in pace.
posted by ob1quixote at 9:11 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 9:11 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I was never a basketball player, but the two non-home teams (of any gender) I knew growing up were the Lady Vols and UCONN women's team, because of Pat Summitt and Rebecca Lobo. I see little girls playing ball at my neighborhood courts alongside the boys - you did that, Coach Summitt.
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posted by sallybrown at 9:17 AM on June 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by sallybrown at 9:17 AM on June 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
RIP, Pat. My favorite quote of hers, upon being approached to coach the men's team:
"Why is that considered a step up?"
posted by yoga at 9:30 AM on June 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
"Why is that considered a step up?"
posted by yoga at 9:30 AM on June 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
Goddamn, goddamn.
When I was in my late teens I read this amazing article about Pat Summitt in Sports Illustrated. Some parts of the article were problematic but oh WOW. I didn't like basketball, had no idea who the Vols were, and didn't care. But the article about this woman just knocked my socks off. This sounds stupid saying it but. . . at the time I had no idea that women could be like that and be successful. She was. . . fucking tough as nails and won. She had grit. And she. . .set up trash cans around the court and ran her team until they puked when she found out they had an all night party! It blew me away. Though I knew plenty of women who were tough as nails it was all about survival and here was a woman who was tough as nails and was about winning. Holy shit! Women could be like that?! And (of the article's writing) she had a partner who supported her and wasn't afraid of her success, either - that was an important part I picked up on, too. She came from a background that sounded similar to mine, and there she was on top of the world. Pat Summitt!
I copied the article and carried it around for years, and I have to admit more than few times when I've needed a little extra push, when I need to motivate myself a little, or when I need to not back down, I think about her players running until they puked in trash cans or about her watching game tapes while running on a treadmill - something about those images just push me harder or hardens my resolve - those images conjure up her resolve and guts and determination to win.
Pat Summitt means a lot in sports and basketball in particular, I know, but she also means a lot to me as a woman trying to make my way in the world, and I suspect I'm not the only one.
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posted by barchan at 9:42 AM on June 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
When I was in my late teens I read this amazing article about Pat Summitt in Sports Illustrated. Some parts of the article were problematic but oh WOW. I didn't like basketball, had no idea who the Vols were, and didn't care. But the article about this woman just knocked my socks off. This sounds stupid saying it but. . . at the time I had no idea that women could be like that and be successful. She was. . . fucking tough as nails and won. She had grit. And she. . .set up trash cans around the court and ran her team until they puked when she found out they had an all night party! It blew me away. Though I knew plenty of women who were tough as nails it was all about survival and here was a woman who was tough as nails and was about winning. Holy shit! Women could be like that?! And (of the article's writing) she had a partner who supported her and wasn't afraid of her success, either - that was an important part I picked up on, too. She came from a background that sounded similar to mine, and there she was on top of the world. Pat Summitt!
I copied the article and carried it around for years, and I have to admit more than few times when I've needed a little extra push, when I need to motivate myself a little, or when I need to not back down, I think about her players running until they puked in trash cans or about her watching game tapes while running on a treadmill - something about those images just push me harder or hardens my resolve - those images conjure up her resolve and guts and determination to win.
Pat Summitt means a lot in sports and basketball in particular, I know, but she also means a lot to me as a woman trying to make my way in the world, and I suspect I'm not the only one.
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posted by barchan at 9:42 AM on June 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
I grew up in Knoxville and while I didn't completely worship at the altar of Johnny Majors and Pat Summitt, I did know a lot of people who did. I knew some girls who went on to play for her and so many of them said the exact same thing that I can't help but think it was true. According to her players that I knew, she was hard but fair and in many cases, she was the only person who showed them love, respect, and guidance.
She was always a woman that we could look up to as an example of someone who did her job beautifully and never backed down from a fight. She's one that laid the foundation, for me at least, that being a woman didn't have to limit you. And I always loved the idea that she considered coaching women the top of the line and never saw the men as a step up.
Her biography that came out a few years ago revealed some very interesting elements of her personality that I found to be both amazing and totally in sync with her public persona. Particularly her total surprise at her husband's infidelity resonated with me as someone who has been known to assume the best out of a personal situation and not question the possible red flags.
She will be missed.
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posted by teleri025 at 9:43 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
She was always a woman that we could look up to as an example of someone who did her job beautifully and never backed down from a fight. She's one that laid the foundation, for me at least, that being a woman didn't have to limit you. And I always loved the idea that she considered coaching women the top of the line and never saw the men as a step up.
Her biography that came out a few years ago revealed some very interesting elements of her personality that I found to be both amazing and totally in sync with her public persona. Particularly her total surprise at her husband's infidelity resonated with me as someone who has been known to assume the best out of a personal situation and not question the possible red flags.
She will be missed.
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posted by teleri025 at 9:43 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Dead from Alzheimer's only four years after retiring from one of the most physically and intellectually demanding jobs a person could have?
That's a hell of a steep slope.
🏀
posted by jamjam at 10:03 AM on June 28, 2016
That's a hell of a steep slope.
🏀
posted by jamjam at 10:03 AM on June 28, 2016
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posted by LobsterMitten at 10:29 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:29 AM on June 28, 2016
That's a hell of a steep slope.
Early-onset tends to go fast. But given the toll it takes on both the victim and their family, that is not a bad thing...
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posted by jim in austin at 10:46 AM on June 28, 2016
Early-onset tends to go fast. But given the toll it takes on both the victim and their family, that is not a bad thing...
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posted by jim in austin at 10:46 AM on June 28, 2016
My grandmother and great Aunt were basketball players, and I have many many fond memories of my Grandmother watching the women Vol's team.
Pat Summit is a legend in so many senses of the word. THe things she did for the sport and for women in general cannot be sung loud enough.
I do not have enough .
posted by Twain Device at 10:46 AM on June 28, 2016
Pat Summit is a legend in so many senses of the word. THe things she did for the sport and for women in general cannot be sung loud enough.
I do not have enough .
posted by Twain Device at 10:46 AM on June 28, 2016
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posted by cnanderson at 10:54 AM on June 28, 2016
posted by cnanderson at 10:54 AM on June 28, 2016
She's an absolute legend. And the stat I'm most impressed by is her 100% graduation rate.
posted by lost_cause at 11:54 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by lost_cause at 11:54 AM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm not a basketball fan, so when I first saw the news I didn't know who she was, and rolled my eyes that yet another coach dude was getting adulation.
Reading about her today has a) reminded me that even as a Feminist I make gendered assumptions too often, and b) she sounds like a badass who did a lot of good for a lot of women and sports for women.
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posted by ldthomps at 11:54 AM on June 28, 2016
Reading about her today has a) reminded me that even as a Feminist I make gendered assumptions too often, and b) she sounds like a badass who did a lot of good for a lot of women and sports for women.
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posted by ldthomps at 11:54 AM on June 28, 2016
One thing about that Pat that a lot of people don't know... she was from Alcoa, TN.
Pat was born in the Middle Tennessee town of Clarksville. She was not a hometown girl. She played ball in Cheatham County and went to college at UT-Martin. She didn't come to Knoxville until she became a graduate assistant at the age of 22.
posted by bwvol at 12:38 PM on June 28, 2016
Pat was born in the Middle Tennessee town of Clarksville. She was not a hometown girl. She played ball in Cheatham County and went to college at UT-Martin. She didn't come to Knoxville until she became a graduate assistant at the age of 22.
posted by bwvol at 12:38 PM on June 28, 2016
Pat was born in the Middle Tennessee town of Clarksville.
My poor town gets little recognition but it does seem to spit forth strong women with little regard for the status quo, being the birthplace of Summit, and the town that Wilma Rudolph grew up in. I've always loved the statue of her erected downtown.
posted by Twain Device at 12:46 PM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
My poor town gets little recognition but it does seem to spit forth strong women with little regard for the status quo, being the birthplace of Summit, and the town that Wilma Rudolph grew up in. I've always loved the statue of her erected downtown.
posted by Twain Device at 12:46 PM on June 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
The EDSBS write up on Pat Summit. Note that this is a rival school's blog giving mad respect.
Some legend building from the article:
You’ve probably heard, it’s circulated for years, the story of her suffering a half-dozen miscarriages before becoming pregnant with son Tyler, going into labor, getting on a plane to Pennsylvania to recruit Michelle Marciniak anyway, getting back on the plane to go home in excruciating pain, and on the way refusing an emergency landing in Virginia because UVA had knocked the Vols out of the tournament the year before. Pat wanted Tyler born in Tennessee, so Tyler would be born in Tennessee, and no further considerations would be entertained.
If you haven’t read her autobiography, you may not have heard this part of that story:
I explained to our pilots, Dave Curry and Steve Rogers, that I was in labor, and I asked if they had any wine on board; I had read in one of my pregnancy books that a glass of red wine could slow contractions.
"No," Dave said, "but there is a bottle of bourbon on board."
"Well, give me that," I said.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:39 PM on June 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Some legend building from the article:
You’ve probably heard, it’s circulated for years, the story of her suffering a half-dozen miscarriages before becoming pregnant with son Tyler, going into labor, getting on a plane to Pennsylvania to recruit Michelle Marciniak anyway, getting back on the plane to go home in excruciating pain, and on the way refusing an emergency landing in Virginia because UVA had knocked the Vols out of the tournament the year before. Pat wanted Tyler born in Tennessee, so Tyler would be born in Tennessee, and no further considerations would be entertained.
If you haven’t read her autobiography, you may not have heard this part of that story:
I explained to our pilots, Dave Curry and Steve Rogers, that I was in labor, and I asked if they had any wine on board; I had read in one of my pregnancy books that a glass of red wine could slow contractions.
"No," Dave said, "but there is a bottle of bourbon on board."
"Well, give me that," I said.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:39 PM on June 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
June 27: As word began to leak of former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt’s failing health a few days ago, they began coming to Knoxville. Many of her Lady Vols – 38 years worth of them – came from all corners of the country to see the woman who impacted their lives just as much as their parents, in some cases. Some arrived after playing a WNBA game; others interrupted their jobs and schedules in other arenas to see Summitt, who is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s Disease...
posted by Carol Anne at 3:09 PM on June 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Carol Anne at 3:09 PM on June 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by spinifex23 at 4:51 PM on June 28, 2016
posted by spinifex23 at 4:51 PM on June 28, 2016
This has just broken my heart today.
There are so many women who I owe for making sports accessible to me. Pat Summitt, Billie Jean King, Katherine Switzer (and Roberta Gibb!). My life is richer, my body is stronger and my opportunities are wider for these women.
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posted by 26.2 at 9:45 PM on June 28, 2016
There are so many women who I owe for making sports accessible to me. Pat Summitt, Billie Jean King, Katherine Switzer (and Roberta Gibb!). My life is richer, my body is stronger and my opportunities are wider for these women.
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posted by 26.2 at 9:45 PM on June 28, 2016
I loved the 60 Minutes piece on her many years ago.
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posted by luckynerd at 11:34 PM on June 28, 2016
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posted by luckynerd at 11:34 PM on June 28, 2016
No one but Pat Summitt could wear so much orange and still look so commanding. I miss you, Coach.
posted by Carol Anne at 6:31 AM on June 29, 2016
posted by Carol Anne at 6:31 AM on June 29, 2016
Bill Plaschke: I regret marginalizing Pat Summitt's greatness
posted by colt45 at 5:45 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by colt45 at 5:45 PM on June 29, 2016
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