KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pat Summitt will be honored posthumously Thursday in the basketball arena where she orchestrated some of her greatest victories.
Some of Summitt’s closest friends, family members and former players already gathered in Clarksville, Tennessee, for a private funeral June 30, two days after she died at the age of 64. Thursday’s ceremony at Thompson-Boling Arena gives the public a chance to pay tribute to the former Tennessee women’s basketball coach, who won eight national titles and 1,098 games in her 38-year tenure.
“This is for the fans as well as for her family and her friends,” said Erin Freeman, who has been serving as a Summitt family spokeswoman.
The “Celebration of Life” service is open to the public and will start at 7 p.m. The event is expected to last about 90 minutes and will be streamed live on www.utsports.com andwww.patsummitt.org . It also is scheduled to be televised by ESPN2 and SEC Network.
This ceremony will take place at Thompson-Boling Arena, which served as Tennessee’s home court for the vast majority of Summitt’s coaching career and where a banner in her honor hangs from the rafters.