Patricia Sue Summitt (born June 14, 1952) is an American former women's college basketball head coach. She now serves as the head coach emeritus of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She coached from 1974 to 2012, all with the Lady Vols, winning eight NCAA championships (an NCAA women's record when she retired), and surpassed only by the 10 titles won by UCLA coach John Wooden and the 11 titles won by UConn coach Geno Auriemma. She was the first NCAA coach, and one of four college coaches overall, to achieve at least 1,000 wins (she achieved 1,098). She has the most wins of any female basketball coach in NCAA or NAIA history.
Summitt was named the Naismith Basketball Coach of the Century in April 2000. In 2009, the Sporting News placed her at number 11 on its list of the 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time in all sports; she was the only woman on the list. In 38 years as a coach, she never had a losing season. In 2012, Pat Summitt was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. She received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2012 ESPY Awards. Summitt has written three books, all with co-author Sally Jenkins: Reach for the Summitt, which is part a motivational book and part biography, Raise the Roof about the Lady Vols' 1997–1998 undefeated and NCAA-championship winning season, and Sum It Up, covering her life including her experience being diagnosed and living with Alzheimer's disease.
