Last year, Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early onset dementia, but decided to continue to roam the sidelines for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Today, she has made the decision to step down after a long and illustrious career. We wish her well.
Less than a year after she received a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease, Pat Summitt has stepped down as Tennessee’s women’s basketball coach, ending her remarkable 38-year career building one of the signature programs in the sport.
Tennessee released a statement Wednesday announcing Summitt’s decision and the elevation of Summitt’s longtime assistant, Holly Warlick, to the head coaching job.
Summitt, 59, said that the decision was hers and that she fully supported Warlick, who coached at Summitt’s side for 27 years after also playing for her at Tennessee. Summitt was given the title of head coach emeritus.
“I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” Summitt said in the statement.
“I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward. I would like to emphasize that I fully intend to continue working as head coach emeritus, mentoring and teaching life skills to our players, and I will continue my active role as a spokesperson in the fight against Alzheimer’s through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.”
Source: New York Times
