According to a Press Release by the University of Tennessee Athletics, On National Girls & Women in Sports Day, WeCOACH announced five recipients of the 2024-25 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Jostens, and the late, legendary Pat Summitt is one of those chosen for the honor.
The prestigious WeCOACH Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to women in sports who succeed at the highest levels in their respective careers, while also displaying an unwavering commitment, pioneering spirit, and trailblazing leadership to empower and pave the way for girls and women in all sports and levels to breakthrough for many generations to come.
Summitt was selected along with Jan Hutchinson, Bloomsburg University head field hockey & softball coach (retired); Carmen Jackson, Miami Northwestern Senior High School head track & field coach; Dr. Ann Lebedeff, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges emerita professor of physical education & head tennis coach (retired); and Tara VanDerveer, Stanford University head women’s basketball coach (retired).
Summitt became the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball history with 1,098 career wins, a record she held at the time of her retirement in 2012. During her 38-year tenure leading the Lady Vol Basketball dynasty, she won eight NCAA Championships, posted five runner-up finishes and led her teams to a combined 32 Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament championships.