By W.G, Ramirez
The Sporting Tribune
The John R. Wooden Award will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary this season. Leading up to the award ceremony on April 10, 2026, The Sporting Tribune in partnership with the Wooden Award and the Los Angeles Athletic Club will highlight past winners of the Wooden Award and the Legends of Coaching Award.
Pat Summitt’s approach toward life made her just as special as he approach toward coaching. It’s why some of the greatest players in the history of women’s basketball chose to play for her.
There have been very few who have been able to combine elite competitiveness, unmatched consistency and have deep player impact like Summitt.
The 2008 recipient of the Wooden Legends of Coaching Award, Summitt didn’t just want to win, she was someone who demanded precision, discipline, and accountability.
It’s why her practices were famously intense, detail-oriented and honest. Players knew exactly where they stood, and excuses weren’t tolerated.
“Accountability is essential to personal growth, as well as team growth,” Summitt once said. “How can you improve if you’re never wrong? If you don’t admit a mistake and take responsibility for it, you’re bound to make the same one again.
“The absolute heart of loyalty is to value those people who tell you the truth, not just those people who tell you what you want to hear. In fact, you should value them most. Because they have paid you the compliment of leveling with you and assuming you can handle it.”
Summitt coached at Tennessee-Martin from 1970 to 1974 before moving to Tennessee and coaching there through 2012.
She built the type of culture that helped produce 1,098 career wins (most in NCAA history at the time), eight national championships and 38 straight non-losing seasons.
While leading her teams to 18 Final Fours, she was a five-time Naismith Coach of the Year and was named the Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year in 2011.
She was also named Coach of the Year numerous other times by several entities, and eight times was named SEC Coach of the Year.
Her coaching presence draped through the 1970s and into the 2010s, and she never missed a beat in constantly adapting, from early fundamentals-focused basketball to modern, fast-paced, athletic play. During the same timeframe of her career, many great coaches faded as the game changed because they couldn’t adjust.
Summitt remained dominant across every era.
Her reputation preceded her, as her mere presence commanded respect upon walking into a gym. From her piercing glare, her unique posture and the overall intensity that elevated her teams mentally and intimidated opponents before a game started.
But again, Summitt’s influence stretched beyond the court, as she cared deeply about who her players became away from basketball, not only how they competed. She placed a major emphasis on graduation, she stressed leadership qualities and more than anything, the accountability factor played a major role in what she taught.
Many of her former players continue to say she changed their lives more than basketball ever did.
Summitt, who died on June 28, 2016, didn’t just win games, and wasn’t only special because of her win-loss record and championship pedigree, she built people, helped shape the sport as a whole, and set a standard that still defines women’s basketball today.
Summitt’s greatness came from substance – not flash – which is why her legacy will forever reign.