Pat Summitt a Glimpse of a Champion

Pat Summitt

A Glimpse of a Champion

Patricia A. Kimmel

Sport & Gender Identities

Professor Foster

April 18, 2010

The state of Tennessee has produced many great things. Rock and Roll Legend Elvis Presley, Country Music, Grand Ole Opry, Jack Daniels, the great Smokey Mountains, Dolly Parton, The University of Tennessee, Rocky Top, and perhaps gave birth, raised, and bred the champion of women’s collegiate basketball coaches in one Patricia Head Summitt. She is perhaps the best basketball coach of not just our time, but of all time. Being a female coach when she began coaching some 35 years ago was a victory in itself, let alone going on to become one of the most celebrate coaches of all time. She started as a player herself in high school, played in college, and has played on Olympic basketball teams. She is a no-nonsense, hard working, demanding, you’re my family type coach. She runs her team as one would run a business, a successful one at that.

This is just a small glimpse into the life of a small country girl, that has gone on to become an adored and protected part of not only the state where she was born and raised, but to the Big Orange, the fans and community called the Tennessee Vols. Here we will address the following topics of her biography:

1. Her upbringing and family.

2. How she became a coach.

3. Her coaching awards.

4. Her volunteer and community involvement.

Her Upbringing and Family

Coach Summitt was born Patricia Sue Head on June 14, 1952 in Clarksville, Tennessee (SEC Sportsfan.com Biography). She is the forth of five children and was the first girl. She grew up on the family farm where it was not unusual to find her and her siblings doing a variety of assigned chores daily. Her father, Richard, was a no-nonsense type when it came to discipline. Her time was spent in school work, farm chores, and playing basketball with her brothers in their hayloft. Though we know her as Coach, she could chop...