Career Timeline of Pat Summitt: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Pat Summitt made an impact.

Pat Summitt was a highly successful American women's college basketball coach, most notably for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from 1974-2012. She retired with 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at that time. Summitt is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

December 7, 1974: First game as Tennessee coach

On December 7, 1974, Pat Summitt coached her first game as the head coach for Tennessee against Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. The Lady Vols lost with a score of 84-83.

1974: Started coaching at University of Tennessee

In 1974, Pat Summitt began her career as the head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, a position she held until 2012.

1974: Named Head Coach of the Lady Vols

In 1974, Pat Summitt, at age 22, became a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee and was then named head coach of the Lady Vols after the previous coach's sudden departure.

January 10, 1975: First win as Tennessee coach

On January 10, 1975, Pat Summitt secured her first win as the head coach for Tennessee when the Lady Vols defeated Middle Tennessee State with a score of 69-32.

1975: Pan American Games Gold Medal

In 1975, Summitt was named to the U.S. women's basketball team invited to compete at the 1975 Pan American Games. The USA won its opening game against host-country Mexico 99–65. The USA would go on to win its next five games and secured the gold medal with a convincing 74–55 victory against Brazil.

1976: Silver Medal at the Montreal Olympics

In 1976, Pat Summitt co-captained the United States women's national basketball team at the inaugural women's tournament in the Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal.

1976: Earned Master's and won Olympic Silver Medal

In 1976, Pat Summitt earned her master's degree in physical education and training and also served as the co-captain of the U.S. Women's Olympic basketball team that won a silver medal in Montreal.

1978: First Number One Ranking

In 1978, Pat Summitt coached the Lady Vols to defeat 3-time AIAW champion Delta State by 20 points, which earned Tennessee its first number one ranking and participation in their first AIAW Final Four, where they finished third.

1980: AIAW Final Four Appearance

During the 1980-81 season, the Lady Vols, coached by Pat Summitt, made it to the AIAW Final Four for the third straight year, finishing runner-up for the second consecutive year after avenging their championship game loss to Old Dominion by defeating them three times.

1980: SEC Tournament

In 1980, Pat Summitt coached the Tennessee Lady Vols to the SEC Tournament.

1981: First NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

During the 1981-82 season, the Lady Vols participated in the first-ever NCAA women's basketball tournament. As a 2 seed, they upset top-seeded USC to advance to the Final Four, but lost to Louisiana Tech.

1981: Lady Vols Fail to Reach Sweet Sixteen

The 2008–09 season ended with a dubious first, as the Lady Vols lost 71–55 in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Ball State in Bowling Green, Kentucky, marking the first time since 1981 that Tennessee would not appear in the Sweet 16.

1982: NCAA Regional—Final Four

In 1982, Pat Summitt coached the Tennessee Lady Vols to the NCAA Regional Final Four.

1982: First NCAA Tournament Appearance

In 1982, Pat Summitt's Lady Vols made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, marking the beginning of a long streak.

1983: Started Season With 6-4

During the 1983-84 season, Tennessee, coached by Pat Summitt, started out 6-4. However, the team rallied and finished 22-10, marking Summitt's eighth straight 20-win season. The Lady Vols made it to the NCAA Final Four and title game, where they lost to USC.

1984: Gold Medal as Head Coach at the Olympics

In 1984, Pat Summitt coached the U.S. women's basketball team at the Olympics, leading them to win a gold medal.

1984: William Jones Cup Gold Medal

In 1984, Summitt was chosen as the head coach of the team representing the USA in the William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan. The USA won all eight games and the gold medal.

1985: Warlick Joins Summitt as Assistant

In 2011, Summitt was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Despite the diagnosis, she completed the 2011–2012 season in a reduced role, with Holly Warlick (an assistant under Summitt since 1985) assuming most of the coaching responsibilities.

1986: 300th Career Win

During the 1986-87 regular season, Pat Summitt achieved her 300th win with an 87-66 victory over North Carolina.

1987: First National Title

In 1986-87, Tennessee, coached by Pat Summitt, defeated Louisiana Tech to win the Lady Vols' first national title, with Tonya Edwards named the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four.

1988: Reached Final Four for fourth straight year

In 1988-89, Pat Summitt coached the Lady Vols to the Final Four for the fourth straight year. However, Louisiana Tech avenged the previous year's championship game loss.

1989: Lost Championship Game

In 1989-90, Pat Summitt's Lady Vols lost by 1 point to Auburn in the SEC Championship Game and lost in overtime to Virginia in the regional finals.

1990: Failed to win SEC regular season or tournament

In 1990-91, Tennessee failed to win the SEC regular season or the tournament championship.

1991: Won third national title

In 1990-91, Pat Summitt coached the Lady Vols to win their third national title after defeating Stanford and Virginia in the NCAA tournament.

1992: Lost in regional championship

In 1991-92, Pat Summitt's Lady Vols lost in the regional championship to Western Kentucky.

1993: Swept the SEC Season

In 1992-93, Tennessee, coached by Pat Summitt, swept the SEC season for the first time after defeating the defending champions Stanford twice.

1993: Worst Finish Since 1993-94

In the 2000-01 season, the Lady Vols were upset by Vanderbilt in the semifinals and then lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Xavier, their worst finish since 1993-94.

1995: Return to Final Four

In 1995-96, with freshman Holdsclaw and senior Michelle M. Marciniak, the Lady Vols won the SEC tournament and made a second straight Final Four trip, avenging the previous year's tournament loss to UConn and winning their fourth title with an 83–65 win over Georgia.

November 23, 1996: 600th Win

On November 23, 1996, Pat Summitt earned her 600th win with a 15-point victory over Marquette.

1996: Worst SEC Season Since 1996-97

By 2005–06, the Lady Vols dropped three games to SEC foes, LSU, Florida, and Kentucky, to record their worst SEC season since the 1996–97 season.

1996: National Title

In 1996, Pat Summitt won the first of three consecutive national titles.

1997: Worst Records ever for Summitt-coached Team

In 1996-97, Summitt and the Lady Vols had one of their worst records ever as the team lost against Florida, Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Old Dominion and Connecticut. They had a record of 23-10 heading into the NCAA tournament.

1997: Tennessee Asked Summitt to Consider Coaching the Men's Team

On at least two occasions, Tennessee asked Summitt to consider coaching the men's team: once before 1997 and again in 2001.

1997: Raise the Roof Book About Lady Vols' Season

Pat Summitt co-authored 'Raise the Roof' with Sally Jenkins, a book about the Lady Vols' 1997–1998 undefeated and NCAA-championship winning season.

1998: Holdsclaw Predicts Greatest Team Ever

In 1998, Holdsclaw predicted the team would be the greatest ever. Despite Holdsclaw's prediction, Tennessee didn't claim another national title or make it to the Final Four due to injuries. However, Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings, and Semeka Randall became the first trio from one team to be named Kodak All-Americans.

1998: Third Consecutive National Title

In 1998, Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols won their third consecutive national title.

1998: Raise the Roof Book About Lady Vols' Season

Pat Summitt co-authored 'Raise the Roof' with Sally Jenkins, a book about the Lady Vols' 1997–1998 undefeated and NCAA-championship winning season.

2000: SEC Title and Summitt's 750th Win

In 2000, the Lady Vols claimed another SEC title, winning all 14 SEC games. During the regular season, Summitt earned her 750th win in the second game against UConn, a 92–88 victory.

2001: Fifth Straight SEC Championship

In the 2001–02 season, the Lady Vols won their fifth straight SEC championship, but fell again in the conference tournament, this time to LSU. This trip to the Final Four marked Summitt's 13th appearance, which broke Coach John Wooden's record of 12, and earned her 788th win, which tied Summitt with Jody Conradt for the winningest coach in women's basketball history.

2001: Tennessee Asked Summitt to Consider Coaching the Men's Team

On at least two occasions, Tennessee asked Summitt to consider coaching the men's team: once before 1997 and again in 2001.

2002: Lady Vols Lose to Huskies in Title Game

During the 2002–03 season, in the NCAA tournament, the Lady Vols made it to the title game only to lose to the Huskies again 73–68. During the season, Summitt earned her 800th win, 76–57 over DePaul and was the fastest coach to reach this milestone.

2002: Most Final Four Trips

In 2002, Pat Summitt made her 13th trip to the Final Four as a coach, surpassing John Wooden for the most trips to the Final Four by an NCAA coach.

2003: Loss to Connecticut in Championship Game

In 2003, the Lady Vols defeated most of their regular season opponents, but dropped games to UConn and Texas. Tennessee won five games in the NCAA tournament only to lose 70–61 to Connecticut in the championship game for the second year in a row.

2004: Summitt Becomes All-Time Winningest Coach

In 2004, Tennessee broke its losing streak against Connecticut with a narrow 68–67 regular season victory. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Lady Vols defeated Purdue. This victory gave Pat Summitt her 880th win, breaking North Carolina coach Dean Smith's record of 879 wins, and making her the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.

2005: Parker Joins Lady Vols

In 2005, Candace Parker, a highly regarded and nationally known high school player joined the Lady Vols. Tennessee suffered losses during the regular season to Duke, Rutgers, and LSU, while beating Stanford and Louisiana Tech. Tennessee won its first tournament title in four years by avenging its earlier loss to LSU loss with a 67–65 win in the SEC Championship game.

2007: Lady Vols Clinch SEC Title

In 2007, in Baton Rouge, the Lady Vols clinched the SEC title against LSU in a game where Candace Parker scored 27. In the championship game against Rutgers, Tennessee won its seventh title.

April 8, 2008: Tennessee Wins National Championship

On April 8, 2008, Tennessee won its second consecutive national championship (and eighth overall) by beating Stanford 64–48.

2008: Season Start

In 2008, the Lady Vols season started off with the top-ranked Lady Vols going 3–0, including wins over 9th-ranked Oklahoma and 22nd-ranked Texas. The win over Texas was Summitt's 950th.

February 5, 2009: Summitt's 1,000th Win

On February 5, 2009, Summitt's first milestone of the 2008–09 season was a 73–43 win over the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville. The win was the 1,000th for Coach Summitt. The Thompson–Boling Arena's court was named "The Summitt" in her honor.

2009: Sweet 16 Streak Interrupted

In 2009, the Lady Vols advanced to every Sweet 16 except this year, breaking a long-standing streak of appearances.

2011: Speculation About Summitt's Future

As the 2011–12 season progressed, there was recognition that it was likely to be Summitt's last year coaching. There was public sentiment that it would be "too much to ask" of Summitt and her staff to go through another season, and that it was time for Summitt to retire.

April 18, 2012: Summitt Steps Down as Head Coach

On April 18, 2012, after the Lady Vols lost to the unbeaten eventual champion Baylor Lady Bears in the Elite Eight in Des Moines, Summitt stepped down as head coach, ending her 38-year coaching career at age 59. Warlick was named Summitt's successor, and Summitt was given the title Head Coach Emeritus upon her resignation.

2012: Summitt Completes Season

Despite being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in 2011, Summitt completed the 2011–2012 season in a reduced role, with Holly Warlick assuming most of the coaching responsibilities.