Today, on Good Morning America, Robin Roberts shared the story of her friend Pat Summitt. The former women’s basketball head coach of University of Tennessee passed away on Tuesday at the age of 64.
Summitt is known for being one of the greatest pioneers in women’s athletics. Since becoming the head coach, she went on to win eight NCAA championships and 1,098 games in her career. Summitt’s achievements commanded national attention and helped usher women’s basketball into the spotlight.
In 2011, she announced she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. Despite her diagnosis, she went on to continue coaching for another two years until she retired.
Her son Tyler Summitt told CNN, “She’ll be remembered as the all-time winningest D-1 basketball coach in NCAA history, but she was more than a coach to so many — she was a hero and a mentor, especially to me, her family, her friends, her Tennessee Lady Volunteer staff and the 161 Lady Vol student-athletes she coached during her 38-year tenure.”
Robin Roberts celebrates the life and legacy of Pat Summitt in the video below.
