In addition to the loss of the legendary Buddy Ryan, the sports world also mourns the loss today of former Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, who succumbed to a battle with Alzheimer's at age 64.
She retired in 2012 with some of the most incredible, obscene statistics in coaching anywhere: a college basketball record 1,098 wins against 208 losses -- good for a preposterous .841 lifetime winning percentage -- 16 SEC regular season championships, 16 SEC tournament championships, eight SEC coach of the year awards, eight national championships, a record 38 consecutive postseason appearances, a record 18 Final Fours, a record 121 NCAA tournament wins, 45 future coaches, 45 former players who went on to become coaches, seven national coach of the year awards, a Naismith Coach of the 20th Century honor, one Olympic gold medal, a FIBA world championship, a Presidential Medal of Freedom and not one negative anecdote about her.
(Seriously, there are thousands of stories like these hidden in the hearts of thousands more people in this country.)
Beyond all that, Summitt produced two of the most impossible statistics they may not ever be matched, at least not at her level:
- Every player, every single player, who completed her eligibility between 1976 and 2011 appeared in at least one Final Four.
- Every player, every last player, who entered the program and completed her eligiblity across Summitt's 38-year career earned a degree.
Each one of those teams was founded on the follow principles that, clearly, lead to success and can work for any team at any level.