Pat Summitt was the first women's basketball coach that made me care about what was really going on in the women's game. In the middle of the 90's, it was a tough market. Duke and North Carolina were atop men's college hoops and I was just formulating an opinion on what was going on. Every once in awhile, I'd catch the Tennessee Lady Vols on television, and I'd see this coach who acted just like Pat Riley...except it was a different Pat, not the one of Laker, Knick and Heat lore.
Pat Summitt was cussing up a storm, talking crazy to refs, having heart-to-heart conversations with her players and beating the brakes of all foes that stood before her Lady Vols squad. From Chamique to Tamika to Kara to Candace, the iconic players are as iconic as their head coach; yet, every time I see them playing ball, I'm always drawn back to the one Patricia Head Summitt and the legacy she'll leave behind in our memories.
It's our job to keep her in our memories as sports fans, as the disease she's suffering from will cause her to be unable to do the same in a few short years. We pay respect to the legend that is Pat Summitt, and we hope you enjoy your Starting Lineups morning reading material.
Beyond The Arc: Holly Warlick faces impossible task in replacing Pat Summitt
Gregg Doyel: Matt Kemp's 50-50 prediction not so ridiculous as it first seemed
Bull City: How Did The Value Of The Running Back Diminish
NBC Chicago: Why Michael Jordan is no Derrick Rose
Kevin Iole: Jon Jones, Rashad Evans feud creates UFC 145 boon for fans
Boxing Scene: Pacquiao Says Religion Will Not Affect Focus on Training
Cheap.Seats.Please: Black Diamonds 2K12: The State of Blacks in Baseball
Grantland: Gerald Green's improbable return to the NBA
HBCUstory: Godmother of SNCC: Remembering Shaw Alumna Ella Baker
The Classical: Down Goes the (Wrestling) Good Guy
How To Make It: Sneakercube by Pawel Nolbert
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”
