Pat Summit Reaches Historic 1,000 Win Mark on Second Try

Women's college basketball has made a lot of strides in the past 35 years, earning enough attention and thrills to stand side-by-side with the men's circuit. Perhaps the biggest reason that women's college basketball became an institution in its own right is Pat Summit. The most iconic coach in women's college basketball, if one of the biggest in all of basketball, Pat Summit has made Tennessee the charter program in the women's game.

Now Pat Summit stands alone in win totals for men and women alike. For the first time, a college basketball coach has earned 1,000 victories, a milestone Pat Summit reached in her second attempt as Tennessee handled Georgia at Knoxville.

Summit got history with the Lady Volunteers' 73-43 win over the Georgia Lady Bulldogs. The win was relatively easy, but at least Summit got it done in front of her home crowd. Summit had a chance for a more glamorous 1,000'th win on Monday, but the Lady Volunteers could not upset No. 2 Oklahoma.

Summit now has a record of 1,000-187, unmatched in college basketball. 16,058 watched Summit's history at Thompson Boiling-Arena.

Pat Summit did not become a history making coach right away. Summit took the job as Tennessee coach in early 1975, winning just 300 games by 1987. The bulk of Summit's wins came after she first made the Lady Vols into a national power, starting with their first national championship in 1987.

Tennessee's, and Summit's, eight national championships have come within 21 years, with the Lady Volunteers the two-time defending champions this year.

However, Summit is reaching this milestone at a point where the Lady Volunteers are in the middle of the top 25 for once. With their win last night and loss to Oklahoma, Tennessee is an uncharacteristic 17-5. The Lady Volunteers have just one starter back from Summit's eighth championship team, and lost their best player, Vicki Baugh, to a season-ending injury Monday night.

Still, none of that was a concern after Summit's 1,000'th victory was finally finished, and streamers fell in her honor. Once the cleanup begins and Summit's place in history is reflected on, the Lady Volunteers will go back to work in trying to get Summit another ring.

Summit is ranked sixth among all time basketball coaches in any level, behind five NBA coaches with 1,000 wins, led by Lenny Wilkens' 1,332. But none of those NBA coaches have eight championships, or anything close to only 187 losses. Nor have they done it with only one team in 35 years.

Sources

New York Times- "In Her 35'th Season at Tennessee, Summit Reaches 1,000 Victories" www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/sports/ncaabasketball/06tennessee.html

Hartford Courant- 'Pat Summit's Milestone Wins" www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-ny-bc-bkw--summitt-mileston0205feb05,0,1040694.story

NBA.com- "All-Time Regular Season Victories- Coaches" www.nba.com/history/records/victories_coaches.html