In the closing episode of its seven-part SEC basketball documentary throughout early 2023, the SEC Network gave tribute to the life and legacy of college basketball icon Pat Summitt.
The documentary, titled SEC Storied: Southern Hoops: A History of SEC Basketball, premiered its first episode on Jan. 30 and covered the conference’s basketball stories throughout the 1930s through the 1950s.
The closing episode this past Monday night was titled, “Part Seven: From Old South to New South.” The episode took a look at the biggest moments from 2012 to 2022, which included the retirement and passing of the legendary Tennessee basketball coach.
Summitt was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2011 and completed the 2011-2012 basketball season in a reduced role as the Lady Vols’ head coach. Following a loss to unbeaten Baylor, the eventual champion of the tournament, in the Elite Eight, Summitt stepped down as the head coach at Tennessee, ending a spectacular 38-year coaching career at 59 years old.
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Summitt’s coaching career at Tennessee began just before the 1974-1975 season when she was thrust into the role after previously being a graduate assistant. Over the course of the next 38 years, Summitt would change the sport of women’s basketball and establish Tennessee as a historic program on the court. Pat Summitt achieved 16 SEC regular season titles, 16 SEC Tournament titles, 18 NCAA Final Four appearances, and eight NCAA Division I National Championships.
Summitt was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, was named Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year in 2011, and was selected as the AP Coach of the Year in 1998.
During the episode’s airing on Monday night, SEC Network released the three-minute clip highlighting Summitt’s legacy to Twitter. It can be seen below.
The Tennessee Lady Vols will begin their path in the 2023 NCAA Tournament this weekend in Knoxville. The four-seed Lady Vols will host 13-seed St. Louis on Saturday in the first round. If Tennessee were to win that game, they would then face the winner of (5) Iowa State and (12) Toledo in the second round. Tennessee will compete at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
A legend in every sense of the word.
Forever and always, We Back Pat 🧡 pic.twitter.com/poKZX6xAcf
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 14, 2023
