Friday is the anniversary of when Pat Summitt made history one of several times through her career — when she became the first men's or women's coach to reach 1,000 wins in college basketball history.
She was a pioneer for basketball, an advocate for women's athletics and a legend who left a mark in Knoxville and beyond. In total, she had 1,098 career wins and eight national championships. Summitt was the NCAA Coach of the Year seven times.
"It's a hard number to even comprehend," she said during an interview in 2009, before being covered with confetti. "I appreciate all the former assistants, my whole staff, sports information and all the people who make my job a whole lot easier. To all the players who wore the Lady Vol uniform, this night should be a special night for you."
The Southeastern Conference posted a recording of the interview on their Twitter account on Friday.
Summitt coached 21 All-American players, 39 All-SEC players and 12 Olympians (as part of the 1976 Summer Olympics. A total of 14 players Summitt coached while at UT played in the Olympic games at some point).
In 2012, former President Barack Obama awarded Summitt the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honor in the nation. She also received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2012 ESPY Awards.
Pat's legacy and her mission to fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease and dementia remain through the Pat Summitt Foundation. She died at 64 years old.