Iron-willed Pat Summitt faces the scariest diagnosis there is
Pat Summitt after winning the 2005 SEC tournament. (AP photo)
Cancer would be one thing. People of all ages get cancer, and famous coaches are people, too. Jim Calhoun has had it. George Karl has had it. Jim Valvano and Vince Lombardi died from it.
Cancer is bad, but with most cancers you figure you stand a fighting chance. Pat Summitt doesn’t have cancer. She has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and in her two-minute videotaped statement to Vol Nation she was brave enough to mention the scariest word there is.
That word: Alzheimer’s.
Pat Summitt is 59. She’s among the half-dozen greatest coaches in the history of college basketball. Auriemma, Knight, Krzyzewski, Smith, Summitt and Wooden — there, in alphabetical order, is your list.
She has been the best thing about Tennessee sports for nearly four decades. I met her in 1977, back when she was Pat Head. Already in her third season as the Lady Vols’ coach, she was coming off a silver medal as a player for the U.S. women’s Olympic team, and even a raging dunce like yours truly could tell she was driven in a way only the best and brightest are.
Women’s college basketball was an afterthought then. The NCAA didn’t crown its first women’s champ until 1982 — anyone recall the old AIAW tournaments? — but from the first, Summitt and her Lady Vols comported themselves as if they were the UCLA of Wooden and Alcindor and Walton. Her teams played the hardest, were possessed of the best fundamentals and took the games the most seriously, and so what if she had to wash the uniforms herself afterward?
She has won eight NCAA titles and 16 SEC championships. Her teams have reached the Final Four 18 times. Over the years people have often wondered if the great women’s coach would have succeeded coaching men, and the answer has always been easy: She’d have won coaching fire ants. She’s that good at what she does.
But now she has early onset dementia. She plans to keep coaching, to try medication and “mental exercises” — doing puzzles before going to bed, that sort of thing. But the reason Alzheimer’s is the most terrifying of all diagnoses is because there’s no cure. You get worse and worse until you forget who those people around you are. You forget who you are.
Dean Smith, whose name appeared before Summitt’s in our above alphabetical Valhalla, is suffering from “a progressive neurocognitive disorder that affects his memory,” according to his family. But Smith is 80, and he last coached in 1997. Pat Summitt told Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post she’d like to keep coaching for three more seasons; at the same time, Summitt conceded there was a time last season when she couldn’t remember what play to call.
In her taped statement, Summitt said she’ll ask her three assistants to do more, but what she faces isn’t just a question of delegating. So long as she coaches now, she’ll be viewed in a way no coach has ever been. For decades we’ve watched her patrol the sideline and clap her hands and loose the Summitt Stare, but now, as cruel as it sounds, we won’t be thinking, “There’s the coach who has won more college games than anyone of any gender.” We’ll be wondering if she’s OK.
Then again … this is Pat Summitt. In September 1990 she’d flown, while nine months’ pregnant, to Pennsylvania to visit a prospect named Michelle Marciniak. Summitt went into labor, and en route home the pilot offered to land the private plane in Richmond.
The Lady Cavaliers of Dawn Staley were then Tennessee’s bitter rival. “I am not,” Summitt famously said, “having this baby in Virginia.”
Tyler Summitt, now a walk-on for Tennessee’s men’s team, was born in Knoxville. Six months later, the Lady Vols beat Virginia in overtime for the NCAA title.
Pat Summitt’s will can bend steel, but this is Alzheimer’s she’s facing. Proud as she is, I don’t believe she’d protest if we say a prayer.
By Mark Bradley
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186 comments Add your comment
RememberDuaneAllman
August 23rd, 2011
8:15 pm
God bless Coach Summitt…..from a Georgia Bulldog to all of you the Vol nation…..she has made all of us in the SEC proud…..I feel her best is yet to come!!
Summitt legacy extends far past court – ESPN | Latest News Wall
August 23rd, 2011
8:18 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
local coach
August 23rd, 2011
8:20 pm
I coach local high school ball and had the honor of meeting Coach Summitt for the first time this past winter when she and Coach Warlick came to watch one of our kids…she was charming, funny, and sharp as a tack. We sat in our office for a good half hour and the conversation, one not about basketball or X’s and O’s, but about life was insightful and quite humorous. Here I was, nervous to meet her, and she and Coach Warlick made me feel like an old friend.
Alzheimers is a nasty disease. Mr. Bradley described it well. My grandmother has it, and simply put, she’s not my grandmother as I’ve known her anymore. I hope Coach Summitt fights this thing like she’s fought everything else…how amazing would a championship run be this year…
Great lady…may God bless.
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 23rd, 2011
8:24 pm
Mark , it’s sad that you’re writing theses types of pieces lately, but I, for one are glad that you are.
Roll Tide
August 23rd, 2011
8:27 pm
Best article I’ve read in a LONG time. This article reminds me of the many reasons I love the state of georgia. Good luck to all the Dawgs and Jackets this year !
collegeballfan
August 23rd, 2011
8:29 pm
Wonderful piece of writing Bradley. Probably your best since the 7/09 piece on Greg Maddox.
I also am familiar with dementia/Alzheimer’s. We lost both my mother-in-law and father-in-law to this destructive disease. My heart goes out to the Summit family.
Pat Head Summitt is one of the few great coaches in basketball history.
Two statements on her records need to be noted:
1. Since Summitt became Tennessee’s coach in 1974, every Lady Vol basketball player who has completed her eligibility at Tennessee has received a college degree or is in the process of completing degree requirements.
2. 50% of her wins have come against Top 25 competition.
Jordan
August 23rd, 2011
8:33 pm
Dimentia is a heartbreaker for the sufferer’s family-my grandpa has it, and it is very hard to deal with. My hopes and prayers are with Pat and her family
Fred
August 23rd, 2011
9:05 pm
Haha mark writes an article about heyward and why he stinks and he just hit a grand slam. great timing bradley
catlady
August 23rd, 2011
9:16 pm
God bless this woman and her family. Her accomplishments are incredible, and she has had an unimaginable effect on women’s sports and basketball. She has done much good, may even more come back to her! Thanks to other bloggers for their classy comments.
rabundog
August 23rd, 2011
9:22 pm
Have a sister in law that’s had it for several years – she’s only 58 – hard to watch her go down slowly – wish Pat the best – One of a few really class acts – Great person – God bless her
Bo in North Carolina
August 23rd, 2011
9:22 pm
Your are in our prayers coach. Thanks for showing us all what real class is.
What a lady!
August 23rd, 2011
9:23 pm
May she be the first to win against this horrible disease. I will pray for her and all whose light slowly dims. As she faces this formidable foe, my money is on her. She is one incredible woman and an inspiration. My God be with her.
flagboy?
August 23rd, 2011
9:24 pm
. . .As a Dawg fan of any UGA sports team, I always disliked Summitt, for the same basic reasons that I hate/hated Spurrier. . . they were both damn good and consistently beat UGA.
This stuff cuts through all of the sports and fandom though.
Best wishes to Coach Summitt and her family. I’m sure she will manage this in the same way she’s handled her program for over 30 years. . with class.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 23rd, 2011
9:26 pm
I hate all things UT, but when I heard this news I felt sick. So much respect for all her accomplishments and now to be stricken with this is such a devestating blow to not only her but her family. Best wishes and I now know what my first UGA female basketball game will be, next yeat UT vs. UGA. I gotta go watch a great coach in person before she retires.
Monroe's first Redcoat
August 23rd, 2011
9:31 pm
For what seems like forever, Pat Summit has been the coach that SEC women’s hops fans love to hate. We are dealing with dementia in our family right now. Nobody deserves to go through this. Best wishes and prayers for Summit in the times to come.
d.j. mase
August 23rd, 2011
9:39 pm
Nothing but best wishes for u pat and safe to say that u can call on millions for help if needed….. u helped all of us and if there is a favor to return, then don’t hesistate….
Billy Wasden
August 23rd, 2011
9:45 pm
an awful disease , harder on the family than the person with it , my prayers are with her God bless
Kevin
August 23rd, 2011
9:50 pm
As a Knoxville native and a Tennessee grad, I want to thank the posters on the board for showing such grace and compassion. We may compete, but we’re a common Southern family, and it’s heart-warming to see families lifting up our own in trying times. May God bless Coach Summit and her family.
Illini78
August 23rd, 2011
9:50 pm
Pat Summit is an icon. All we can hope is this disease progresses very slowly for her. It is so devastating to any family when a member has dementia. One of the worst days of my life was when my grandmother no longer recognized me. My heart breaks for Pat Summit. Great article and tribute to her, Mark Bradley.
Fred
August 23rd, 2011
9:51 pm
Over the years people have often wondered if the great women’s coach would have succeeded coaching men, and the answer has always been easy: She’d have won coaching fire ants. She’s that good at what she does.
Amen Mark, what a nice line. I don’t care a hoot about women’s basketball, but I know who Pat is. I know what Uconn did. This is the worst news I have heard all week. How sad.
wnc vol
August 23rd, 2011
9:52 pm
Thanks Mark for a great story. And thanks to all the great UGA and SEC fans for your support of Pat.
IBleedOrange
August 23rd, 2011
9:57 pm
Pat Summitt is THE best. Will be praying for her and her family. She is picture of courage.
Vol in Cumming
August 23rd, 2011
9:57 pm
When I saw this headline today and saw the name Summitt, it never occurred to me that I would be reading about Pat. Such a young age for this horrible illness but, she is as tough as they come.
Great article Mark and thank you to all the SEC fans for your support and prayers for Pat.
God Bless.
BIOMASS
August 23rd, 2011
10:02 pm
Horrible situation. I watched my father finally succumb to Alzheimer’s.
Every time I see the metaphor “battled” when applied to a fatal illness, it bothers me. It’s a sports/war term wrongly applied to the situation. One seeks treatment, and hopes for the best. There aren’t any drawn swords against the microscopic entities that are involved here. It just a hackneyed quip that is tiresome and a overused by lazy writers.
I hope the new drugs available now can help this poor woman, and all of the many in her situation.
Gen Neyland
August 23rd, 2011
10:04 pm
Thanks to all the Dawg fans and others for showing their support.
That Guy
August 23rd, 2011
10:16 pm
I am a high school boys basketball coach. I have found that I pull for coaches more than I pull for teams. I had the opportunity one of my first years coaching to hear Dean Smith speak at a clinic. I was shocked at the lack of memory then and that was not quite ten years ago. i believe I may have to go listen to Coach Summitt speak. Legends only come around so often, and she is without a doubt, legendary. I am not typically one to watch or follow women’s basketball, but I will be pulling for UT this year and as long as she is at the helm.
Dawglasville
August 23rd, 2011
10:17 pm
I’ve always been amazed by the huge support Vol fans have for womens basketball. Coach Summitt has held the hearts of Tennessee fans for many, many years. I pray for healing, peace and comfort for the Summitt’s and the entire Vol family.
Jacket44
August 23rd, 2011
10:17 pm
Pat Summitt IS the best. I have always wanted to catch a Lady Vols game…I will need to now before Coach Summitt steps aside. To one of the greatest coaches to ever walk the hardwood…may God keep His hand upon you as you take this disease head on. Praying for you daily.
Treat this roadblock as you have treated your competition. Look it straight in the eye and say “bring it on”. God bless Coach and the entire Vol Nation.
Steve - B.
August 23rd, 2011
10:24 pm
My grandfather had Alzheimer’s, it was pretty hard on him and his wife. I know it’s a cliche but you have to live life to the fullest. You never know what the future brings.
Good luck to her.
Brad
August 23rd, 2011
10:48 pm
While a student at UT, I got to staff several of Pat’s alumni events. I’ll never forget…we were working an event in Johnson City, my hometown. I casually mentioned that I was from the area, and my parents were coming to the event. Pat immediately made sure they could come back to the green room and visit with all of the coaching staff. She really went out of her way to make sure everyone felt more than welcome, but that they felt special. She’s a remarkable woman, and, if anyone can whip this, it’s her.
RW-(the original)
August 23rd, 2011
10:53 pm
Best wishes and all of my prayers to Mrs. Summit and her family. Nice article Mark
Wendy
August 23rd, 2011
10:53 pm
great lady. One of the best coaches of all time. Tears in my eyes, damn this disease. My prayers are with her, her family, the basketball/athletic nation. Such a trooper.
RW-(the original)
August 23rd, 2011
10:55 pm
Well except the part about the alphabetical list. In the alphabet I learned Knight comes before Krzyzewski.
RW-(the original)
August 23rd, 2011
10:57 pm
hmmmm…blog gods…was it something I said?
Anyway the list isn’t quite alphabetical
Denise
August 23rd, 2011
10:58 pm
Excellent article. Makes me sad to hear of Coach Summit’s coming struggles. She is truly excellence personified. God bless her and her family.
Give over Coach K being called great.
August 23rd, 2011
10:58 pm
Coach K is not a great coach. Look at how many times he took a top 5 team into the ncaa tournament only to bomb out before the final four. Like Bobby Bowden 14 11 win seasons, 5 NC games and only 2 NC. What!
There are few great coaches in my book.
No disrespect.
August 23rd, 2011
11:03 pm
What’s his name with the Huskies has a better winning %. A man can simply out perform a woman even when coaching women.
Get over Coach K being called great.
August 23rd, 2011
11:05 pm
Oh and one of the NC games Bowden has to his credit was over Stoops, another highly over ranked coach that has a dismal record in BCS games. Yeah Bowden beat him but so has practically every one else of BCS caliber.
Erika
August 23rd, 2011
11:06 pm
May God bless her!!! May her journey be long and pleasant. Hopefully, the research will bear positive fruits for her and this fight.
Erika
August 23rd, 2011
11:07 pm
No disrespect, you are VERY disrespectful!!!
Get over Coach K being called great.
August 23rd, 2011
11:10 pm
What the hell? I am on drugs. All this time I though FSU won 13-2. Who else did Bowden beat? Vick and …..google time.
athdog
August 23rd, 2011
11:21 pm
How many times has Coach Pat broken our hearts here in Athens when Landers had what looked to be a championship team? She is a great basketball coach. Not a great womens’ coach, a great COACH, period. May the prayers of Vol nation and the rest of us be answered.
By the way, Mark, nice column. I was shocked, though, that the ‘Baron of the Bluegrass’ was not on your list of all time greats.
Larry
August 23rd, 2011
11:40 pm
What a fine person she is, and this Dawg couldn’t have more respect and admiration for a coach!
This is just another reminder that the death rate for all mankind–even the famous, the great and the unparalleled is still 100%. Enjoy every single moment of every single day, ans as Tim McGraw wrote of his late father, “live like you are dying,” for we all surely are from the first moment of conception.
Physically speaking, that is, and that’s the great promise from He whom gave us his life to save ours!
JacketNation
August 23rd, 2011
11:41 pm
I was a senior in high school back in 1979 when Pat came to a basketball camp at Oglethrope Universtiy (Georgia). She was amazing and the love she showed each of us high school students then was even more amazing. She was always teaching and encouraging us during this camp and I’ve followed her career ever since. Such sad day for a great lady. She and her family will be in my thoughts and prayers daily. God bless you Pat!
AuburnGuy
August 23rd, 2011
11:43 pm
War Eagles and Vols don’t usually get along all that well but I think that I can say for most if not all War Eagles that we are pulling for you Coach Summitt and wish only the very best of outcomes for you. You have our greatest respect.
Troy Baker
August 23rd, 2011
11:48 pm
Mark, there’s many ‘columns’ you’ve written. Many I’ve loved, many I’ve hated (the “mark” no pun intended, of a blessed writer) This one is by far one that reached down deeper because of my profession. An incredible job! Thank you for offering your thoughts in a market that is not a part of ‘VOL NATION’ but truly recognizes the resume’ of a TRUE PROFESSIONAL in our line of work.
vol gal
August 24th, 2011
12:20 am
Thanks for a great article. I have cried alot today. Coach Summitt has been an inspiration for Vol fans….and really college fans for many years. I am so proud of her and pray for her and her family at this time.
GO DAWGS!
August 24th, 2011
12:21 am
God bless you Coach Summitt, This Bulldog is saying a prayer tonight for you tonight
The most moronic post on the blog goes to....
August 24th, 2011
12:22 am
Give over Coach K being called great.
August 23rd, 2011
10:58 pm
Coach K is not a great coach
———-
Krzyzewski is tied for #2 all time in Final Four appearances (with 11) behind John Wooden. As a point of comparison, this is the same as Tom Izzo (6) and Bob Knight (5) combined.
Dr. John Trotter
August 24th, 2011
12:51 am
Good article, Mark.