Tennessee Lady Vols: Pat Summitt’s legacy is her records could be broken
Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer passed the Tennessee Lady Vols legend in wins.
Nothing stings Tennessee Lady Vols fans more than seeing Pat Summitt’s records broken. It stung when Geno Auriemma surpassed her women’s basketball record of eight national championships when the UConn Huskies won it in 2014 and when Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils surpassed her overall college basketball record of 1098 wins in 2018.
On Tuesday, Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer surpassed Summitt’s 1098 wins as well, meaning she doesn’t even have that record in women’s basketball anymore. And yes, it hurt once again.
But seeing Summitt’s records be broken speaks to her legacy in a positive way, particularly in women’s basketball. Records are made to be broken. The greatest in every sport has seen their records broken. What speaks to Summitt’s legacy is women’s basketball records being able to be broken in the first place.
When Summitt took over, the NCAA was eight years away from recognizing women’s basketball as a sport. By the time she was done, she set the standard for coaches in men’s and women’s basketball in terms of wins, women’s professional basketball was up and running, and the sport was a national brand.
Nobody doubted in 2012, when Summitt’s illness tragically forced her into early retirement, that her records would eventually be broken. That’s because what she and the Tennessee Lady Vols did made sure this sport would last generations.
One thing to be bitter about is the fact that she never got to surpass John Wooden’s record among all college basketball coaches of 10 national titles. Auriemma did with UConn’s title in 2016. However, she set the standard everywhere else in the sport.
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What makes this record being broken sting less is that this time, it came from a familiar foe, one who had been in the fight for women’s basketball with Summitt for years. Both Summitt and VanDerveer began coaching in the 1970s, before the NCAA recognized the sport. They were both highly instrumental in helping to propel the sport to national prominence.
In the process, a mini rivalry and deep connections between these two coaches began. VanDerveer, a two-time national champion, won her first title at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on a court now named after Summitt. The Tennessee Lady Vols beat Stanford, though, in the 2008 national championship game to win Summitt her final title.
More than anybody else, Summitt and VanDerveer were peers, and as VanDerveer surpassed Summitt on Tuesday, it made one thing clear. Both of these coaches have laid a foundation for people to even be able to celebrate breaking records.
VanDerveer won’t be the only coach to surpass Summitt this year. Auriemma is also six wins away, meaning the Tennessee Lady Vols legend will fall to third all-time. But as a towering figure in women’s basketball, she remains at the top.
So congratulate VanDerveer, who has been classy in every interview about surpassing Summitt, making sure to tout her accomplishments and what the UT legend meant to her. It’s fair to even congratulate Auriemma later this year.
Next. Pat Summitt's 10 greatest wins as Lady Vols head coach. dark
All fans of the Tennessee Lady Vols can celebrate what Summitt built each time a celebration like that takes place. Without Summitt, there would be none of it, and that is her long-term legacy to women’s basketball and sports in general. Her uplifting of the sport like that is the legacy that will last, and no coach has the same legacy for any sport.