She won more games than any other basketball coach in NCAA Division I history.
Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA Division I history who presided over a nearly four-decade dynasty at the University of Tennessee, died on Tuesday morning, The Associated Press reported. She was 64.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I announce the passing of my mother, Patricia Sue Head Summitt,” Tyler Summit said in a statement. “She died peacefully this morning at Sherrill Hill Senior Living in Knoxville surrounded by those who loved her most.”
On June 26, a family spokeswoman said that “the past few days have been difficult for Pat as her early onset dementia, ‘Alzheimer’s Type,’ progresses.” Summitt, who lived in a retirement facility, was “surrounded by those who mean the most to her,” the spokeswoman said.
Tennessee Martin University Skyhawks women’s basketball player Pat Summitt #55 at the Elam Center in Martin, Tennessee. (Photo by Collegiate Images, LLC/WireImage) *** Local Caption ***
Summitt amassed a staggering 1,098 victories (and a mere 208 losses) as head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers from 1974 to 2012. That’s the most wins of any men’s or women’s NCAA Division I basketball coach.
Her program was especially dominant from the late ‘80s through the ‘90s. In all, she led the Lady Vols to eight NCAA championship titles; they were the runners-up five other times.
Known for casting a steely glare from the sidelines with a manner more tough than tender, Summitt also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate among players who completed their eligibility.
She announced in 2011 that she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and retired the following year. The university awarded her the permanent honorary title of women’s basketball head coach emeritus.
