Pat Summitt Biography Essay

The basketball world mourns the passing of a legend this week.

I could reprint the same quotes most other news sources have, but instead, I'd like to share who Pat Summitt was to me.

As a girl that grew up as a tomboy, most of my heroes were male, including Superman, the Hulk, Luke Skywalker, Don Mattingly of the Yankees, and I modelled my basketball moves after Charles Barkley, but there was one amazing lady that topped them all- Pat Summitt, the greatest college basketball coach in history.

My daddy was born and raised in Tennessee, so growing up, we watched the Volunteers- like it or not. When Pat Summitt led the lady Vols onto the court, it was more than a treat- it was an honor to be in the same space, and a true gift to watch her intensity on the sidelines as she outworked and out-coached her rivals. Coach Summit was a forceto always be admired and respected.

At the young age of 22, she became the head coach for the University of Tennessee Women's Basketball team. This is where she would spend the next 38 years, forging the way for women's college basketball, while building the Lady Vols powerhouse- amassing 1,098 wins, 31 NCAA tournament appearances, and 8 National Title Championships. In addition, Summit helped bring home the Silver medal for the 1976 US Women's

She also wrote the last of her three books “Sum It Up,” and still went to practices and offered words of advice to the coaches and players. She was a fighter, and one of the most courageous women to have lived in my lifetime. She was the essence and embodiment of true feminism- never once did she use her gender for advancement, or as an excuse; she simply worked hard, made the commitment, and sacrifices to not only be the best women’s basketball coach, but the BEST D1 basketball coach in the history of the NCAA