KNOXVILLE, TN — A Celebration of Life service honoring Pat Summitt, longtime coach of the University of Tennessee’s Lady Volunteers basketball team will take place at UT Knoxville’s Thompson Boling Arena on July 14 at 7 p.m. Bandit Lites will provide lighting for the event for Summitt, who died June 28 at age 64.
“We have lit the Lady Vols basketball intros for over 20 years,” noted Bandit chairman Michael T. Strickland. He described Summitt, who coached her team to more wins than any other coach in college basketball history, as “the best motivator and leader I have ever met.”
As impressive as Summitt’s coaching achievements are, Strickland also cites an off-the-court statistic as a reflection of her influence on her players. “In her 38 years as the Lady Vols coach, she had a 100 percent graduation rate from her players. Imagine that! Every single player graduated. Every one ! Over 38 years!”
Strickland, “a close friend” of Summitt, noted how “Pat came to me after seeing a Bulls game, and we created the Lady Vols intro, which set the standard for college basketball intros. From there we did many others.” Strickland, a longtime supporter of UT, his alma mater, provided those intros at no charge.
“Pat was the ultimate leader, and I gained so much from her,” Strickland continued. For the Thompson Boling Arena tribute on July 14, “we expect 20,000 plus people,” including top performers from the world of sports, TV and government VIPs “coming to say goodbye. It will be a very moving evening. She will long be remembered for what a great person she was.”
