Pat Summitt, one of the pioneers of women’s basketball, is retiring as head coach of the University of Tennessee women’s program.

Summitt, who has amassed 1,098 wins in 38 seasons at Tennessee en route to eight national championships, will be named head coach emeritus.

Holly Warlick, who has been an assistant for the Lady Volunteers for the last 27 years, will replace Summitt.

Summitt’s decision to step aside comes less than one year after she announced she has early onset dementia.

Of her decision, Summitt said:

I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role. I support Holly Warlick being named the next head coach, and I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward. I would like to emphasize that I fully intend to continue working as head coach emeritus, mentoring and teaching life skills to our players, and I will continue my active role as a spokesperson in the fight against Alzheimer’s through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.”

Summitt leaves behind a legacy of winning that is almost unparallelled. A seven-time NCAA Coach of the Year, she led the Lady Vols to 18 Final Four appearances, tying UCLA and North Carolina for tops among college teams. Those 18 trips to the Final Four are the most among all coaches and her eight national championships are the most, with the exception of the 10 won by John Wooden of UCLA.

 

More From WGBFAM