Editorial: Coach Summitt deserves all her accolades

Pat Summitt has stepped aside as coach of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team after 38 glorious years, but she remains at the pinnacle of her profession.

When the news broke that Summitt would leave the Lady Vols' bench, accolades began pouring in — from former players, coaching colleagues, fans and even the president of the United States.

Summitt deserves every word of praise.

This farm girl from Middle Tennessee, who was thrust into the head coaching job at Tennessee before she'd ever coached a game anywhere, has become identified with excellence. In basketball, her name will forever be mentioned in the same breath as UCLA legend John Wooden as the best basketball coach ever.

Her players give better testimony to her greatness than even her won-lost record. Of the 161 women who have played for Summitt at UT, every one who has completed her eligibility has graduated. In an era that scoffs at the notion of the student-athlete, Summitt has been a happy anachronism.

One way to measure her influence is to count the number of people who seek to emulate her. Seventy-four former players or people otherwise associated with her at UT have followed in her footsteps into coaching.

Longtime assistant Holly Warlick will take Summitt's seat on the bench, but Summitt will remain a part of the program. She will be "coach emeritus," sharing her expertise with coaches, helping with recruiting and inspiring a new generation of Lady Vols. UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and athletic director Dave Hart should be commended for ensuring Summitt would be able to add to her legacy.

Summitt is in the Hall of Fame. Her name graces the court in Thompson-Boling Arena. She dwells in the heart of every Lady Vol fan. And later this year, at a ceremony in the White House, President Barack Obama will present her with the nation's highest civilian honor — the Presidential Medal of Freedom. ...

She deserves all the plaudits she receives for her contributions to her sport, to her university, to her state and to the legion of lives she has touched and will continue to influence.

With her typical humility, the coach said that she was the one who has been blessed by her association with UT. "It has been a privilege," she said.

For one of the few times in her career, Summitt was wrong. The privilege has been ours.