The incomparable Pat Head Summitt, head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball team, starts her 34th season at the helm of the nation's most successful program in 2007-08. A "hoopdom" built tirelessly, diligently and successfully by Summitt, her staff and the 143 student-athletes who have been fortunate enough to don the Orange & White jerseys of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers for over three decades.
Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history (men or women) with 947 victories, enters her latest campaign as the reigning 2007 NCAA Champions. On April 3, 2007, Summitt's Lady Vols brought home a seventh NCAA basketball title to Knoxville after defeating #2-ranked North Carolina in the semis, 56-50, and #15-ranked Rutgers in the championship game, 59-46.
A brief synopsis of Summitt's resume goes like this: A consummate taskmaster, she has kept her elite program in the winner's circle for over three decades, producing a mind-boggling record of 947-180 (.840). During her tenure, the Lady Vols have won seven NCAA titles, as well as 26 Southeastern Conference tournament and regular season championships. Tennessee has made an unprecedented 26 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16 and produced 12 Olympians, 19 Kodak All-Americans named to 32 teams, and 69 All-SEC performers. Along with the success on the court, Summitt's student-athletes have tremendous productivity in the classroom. Coach Summitt has a 100 percent graduation rate for all Lady Vols who have completed their eligibility at Tennessee.
Through the years, Summitt has reached numerous goals and worn many hats at the University of Tennessee as a student, an educator and a coach. She'll be the first to tell you that her success is due to the players who have represented Lady Vol basketball since she came on board as the head coach as a 22-year old in 1974. And today, it is still safe to say that she is an educator and role model to her players, a student of the ever-changing game, and one of the most successful women's basketball coaches in the nation.