RIP Pat Summitt; former NCAA HC of Tennessee Volunteers

[The Deadman]

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-ba...ummitt-dies-64

Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, a pioneer of women's college basketball who guided the Tennessee Volunteers to eight national titles in her 38 seasons at the university, died Tuesday morning. She was 64.

Summitt led the Lady Vols to 1,098 victories -- the most in Division I college basketball history (men or women) **-- before stepping down in 2012, one year after announcing she had early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.

Her son, Tyler Summitt, issued a statement Tuesday morning saying his mother died peacefully at the Sherrill Hills retirement facility in Knoxville surrounded by those who loved her most.

"Since 2011, my mother has battled her toughest opponent, early onset dementia, 'Alzheimer's Type,' and she did so with bravely fierce determination just as she did with every opponent she ever faced," Tyler Summitt said. "Even though it's incredibly difficult to come to terms that she is no longer with us, we can all find peace in knowing she no longer carries the heavy burden of this disease."

Tyler Summitt said a private funeral and burial will be held in Middle Tennessee and asked that the family's privacy be respected. A Celebration of Life Service honoring Summitt will be open to the public at 7 p.m. July 14 at Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus.

Named the NCAA coach of the year seven times, Summitt led the Lady Vols to 22 Final Fours (18 NCAA, four AIAW) in her nearly four decades as coach.

"Pat Summitt is synonymous with Tennessee, but she truly is a global icon who transcended sports and spent her entire life making a difference in other peoples' lives," Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart said in a statement. "She was a genuine, humble leader who focused on helping people achieve more than they thought they were capable of accomplishing. Pat was so much more than a Hall of Fame coach; she was a mother, mentor, leader, friend, humanitarian and inspiration to so many. Her legacy will live on through the countless people she touched throughout her career."

Of her eight national championships, she won three straight from 1996 to 1998. Her teams won 16 Southeastern Conference tournament titles and made an unprecedented 31 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.

"I miss her, and it's a very sad day," former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, who played at the school from 1994 to 1997, said on SportsCenter. "When you hear her former players talk about her and the impact she had on them as players and people, it speaks volumes.

"She loved everything about Tennessee. Everyone in the state was proud to have her as an ambassador. She had a huge impact on everyone she met. I always felt better every time I was around her."