2025
LEGACY OF PAT SUMMITT CONTINUES TODAY THROUGH SPORT OF BASKETBALL
nfhs news
In the world of high school and college sports, March is one of best times of the year. Basketball is center stage – from the 136 men’s and women’s college teams trying to reach their respective Final Fours, to the more than 500 girls and boys high school teams vying for state championships.
While there is almost equal attention given to the NCAA Women’s Final Four these days – as well as many of the girls state high school championships – that has not always been the case. As hundreds of thousands of female athletes and coaches experience these once‑in‑a‑lifetime moments, it is a great opportunity to celebrate the legacy of individuals who set the stage for the game’s popularity today.
The passage of Title IX of the Educational Amendments in 1972 opened the door for girls, and the scene began to change dramatically in the years that followed. As the sport of basketball moved to the five‑on‑five game across the country and grew in popularity through the 1980s and 1990s and into the 20th century, there were key leaders who drove the sport to new heights – at the high school and college levels.
Arguably at the top of that list is the late Pat Summitt, the iconic women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee for 38 years. She took the job as a 22‑year‑old in 1974 and coached until 2012, when she retired due to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which eventually took her life in 2016. In 38 years, Summitt won 1,098 games, 32 Southeastern Conference titles and eight NCAA championships.
In the first 30 years of the post‑Title IX era, it is hard to imagine that anyone had more influence on the sport of women’s basketball at all levels than Pat Summitt – both from a participatory and coaching standpoint. Many girls dreamed of playing for Summitt, and a number of those who were so fortunate played beyond college or were inspired to become coaches themselves – at the high school and college levels.
