Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball history, died this morning. She was 64. If you don't know about her, take a minute to learn a little. She opened doors for women by giving them the opportunity to get an education and play basketball at the collegiate level and eventually, in the WNBA. In so doing, she combated bigotry in a major way. She is a significant figure in the on-going civil rights battle that we fight in this country and someone whose legacy deserves to be remembered.
A moment of silence on a blog is an obviously difficult thing to do. But if you are able, after you finish reading, to take just a moment or two and allow yourself to feel a little bit of the emotion created by the knowledge that such an important person has died in a tragic manner, it will enrich your life, and by extension, everyone else's.
Thank you, Pat Summitt, for enriching the lives of people everywhere. Your impact is greatly appreciated.
I was lucky enough to play basketball for a woman coach in 9th grade. We jokingly called her Pat Summitt Jr., and not just because she was a woman but because she really did remind us of Pat Summitt. Pat Summitt was the quintessential basketball coach. The significance of her being a woman obviously cannot be overstated, and she had a final resume that stacks up with any of the best basketball resumes. I tweeted some of my favorite facts about her on the day she died and I ran out of characters. https://twitter.com/Detroit4lyfe/status/747950966075334656
ReplyDeleteTo be a great coach is a wonderful thing. To open doors for other people is even better. "Groomed >40 head coaches." How awesome is that?
DeleteThanks for reading, Packey. I really appreciate it.