Basketball legend Pat Summitt dies after battle with Alzheimer’s

Family, friends, co-workers remember Pat

“We have lost one of the greatest Tennesseans of all time.” – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam “Pat Summitt was many things to many people. Pat was a great person, loving mother, passionate coach, and loyal friend. We shared a lot of years working together and spreading the word about Tennessee Athletics. Her legacy as a basketball coach is iconic, but her greatest legacy may well be through The Pat Summitt Foundation and her role in leading the battle against Alzheimer’s.” – Former UT football coach Phil Fulmer, whose mother suffers from Alzheimer’s “Coach Summitt saved her best work for her final opponent, staring down early onset dementia as only she could, courageously sharing her battle with the public so that millions of people could join her huddle and work as a team towards finding a cure for such a terrible disease. We honor her legacy by carrying the fight forward and finishing her greatest work.” – University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn, who worked with Summitt for more than two decades in his various roles within the UT athletic department “It would have been a great experience to play for her. She could have coached any team, any sport, men’s or women’s. It wouldn’t have mattered because Pat could flat out coach. I will miss her dearly, and I am honored to call her my friend.” – UT football legend Peyton Manning “She’ll be remembered as the all-time winningest D-1 basketball coach in NCAA history, but she was more than a coach to so many – she was a hero and a mentor, especially to me, her family, her friends, her Tennessee Lady Volunteer staff and the Lady Vol student-athletes she coached during her 38-year tenure.” – Tyler Summitt, Pat’s son “I worked with Pat for over 30 years. People would refer to me as her boss and I always remarked, ‘Pat Summitt has no boss.’ She was the ultimate leader who led by example with strength, character and integrity but also with care. The legacy she leaves is immense. Her players, who all have college degrees, have been enriched by her teaching. They are coaches, professors, television personalities, businesswomen, all now making a difference in their world because of Pat Summitt. “There will never be another Pat Summitt. She belongs to the ages now and we are sad but so fortunate to have called her a colleague and friend.” – Former UT women’s Athletic Director Joan Cronan “Pat did far more than win eight national championships: she changed the lives of the young women she coached, she showed us the measure of a real champion and her fight against Alzheimer’s set an example for us all. It’s hard for people outside Tennessee to understand just how much Pat Summitt became a part of the lives of so many citizens in our state.” – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) “It is a very sad day on Rocky Top, Volunteers across the world are mourning the loss of the legendary Pat Summitt.” – UT Chancellor Dr. Jimmy Cheek “Basketball has lost a legend, and Tennessee has lost one of its most beloved daughters. I join all Tennesseans today in celebrating her life and extend my thoughts and prayers to her son, Tyler, the Lady Vol family, and all those who were touched by her remarkable life.” – U.S. Senator (R-Tenn.) and former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker “My heart is broken. Pat and I shared a very special, special bond that will never be broken.” – Holly Warlick “It was about more than basketball for her, it was about life. She wanted every player that left the program to be prepared for the next stage of their life. Every player received a degree, and that was as important to her as any win on the court. She wouldn’t settle for anything but the best effort on the court and in the classroom.” – UT football coach Butch Jones “To the world, she was an icon. To women’s basketball, she was a pioneering legend. To the University of Tennessee, she will always be our beloved hero. Pat Summitt has left us far too soon.” – UT president Joe DiPietro