Tennessee's Pat Summitt first woman inducted as coach to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame
Legendary Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt will be the first woman inducted to the coaching category of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
Summitt was announced in the class of 2022 on Monday. Her name is already enshrined in multiple halls, including the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Summitt, who passed away in 2016, was involved with Team USA basketball for more than a decade as a player and coach.
"Pat Summitt is extremely deserving of this honor as a pioneer in women's basketball," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a release. "Her commitment to USA Basketball was extraordinary, both as a coach and an athlete. Pat left an indelible mark on not only our game but all of sport."
Summitt was the first U.S. basketball Olympic medalist to lead the team to a gold medal as its head coach. She was a co-captain at 24, helping lead the team to a silver medal in the inaugural women's tournament in 1976. In 1984, she coached the team to a gold medal.
USA Basketball was 46-5 while Summitt was an assistant and head coach, and won six gold medals, including two World Championships in 1979 and 1983. She was 24-8 as a player with two gold and two silver medals.
Summitt's career with USA Basketball overlapped with her hall of fame career as the coach at Tennessee. From 1974-2012, Summitt never missed an NCAA Tournament in 38 seasons and led the Lady Vols to eight NCAA titles. She recorded more wins (1,098) than any other Division I women's college basketball coach in NCAA history, a record that stood until 2020.
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The rest of the hall's 17th class includes Natalie Coughlin, Muffy Davis, Mia Hamm, David Kiley, Michelle Kwan, Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Trischa Zorn-Hudson, the 1976 Women's 4x100 Freestyle Relay Swimming Team, the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, Gretchen Fraser, Roger Kingdom and Billie Jean King.
Cora Hall: Covering UT women's athletics
Twitter | cora.hall@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Pat Summitt inducted to US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame
