“Born in 1952 in Clarksville, Tenn., Summitt grew up on a dairy farm in Henrietta, an upbringing she would later credit for her legendary tenacity.”(Her legacy is) getting women’s basketball to where it is today”, Haave said. “My daughter will have opportunities in basketball that you don’t know if they would have existed if not for her and the things she did for women’s basketball”. “She just opened the door for so many young women, and showed that it was okay to be competitive and tough and go after big goals”. And what she did for basketball was truly incredible.
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Summitt and Texas battled off the court as much as they did on it, often going after the same recruits.
It’s no secret playing for Summitt was intense.
Harrison played her entire college career for the Lady Vols, averaging 12.2 points per game, but recognizes how fortunate she was to play for Pat, even just for a season. “Raised five children and never compromised her person and to see her memory elapse on a daily basis, it’s a challenge, one that I hope we bring attention to”, Jack said.
Her players remained devoted to her to the end. And in turn, her players felt a duty to not let her down. She is survived by her son Tyler Summitt. “It’s her personality, the presence, what she demanded of herself”.
While no one wants to hear a doctor confirm their suspicions, experts say early diagnosis is essential for building supports and making important decisions while you can.
“It was at one of her first team camps”, Arthur said.
And it wasn’t just her players.
Former players of Summitt and people from all over the sports world took to social media to paid tribute to Summitt. My grandmother and I were in awe of how powerful and sharp she was in person when she came to my projects in Astoria, New York, to recruit me to UT.
Summitt’s impact transcended genders and crossed borders, impacting athletes, coaches and fans, not only in Tennessee, but across the entire United States. -Sherri Coale, OU women’s basketball coach. She lost all three.
Pat assisted with the growth of women’s college basketball, leading the lady Vols in dominating seasons from the late 1980s and 1990s.
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” Just to have my office two doors down from Pat’s office was really helpful because we’d often talk”, Houston told WAVE 3 Sports.
