There was nobody any better in the coaching world in college basketball, men or women, than Pat Summitt. Summitt stepped down as the head coach of the University of Tennessee women's basketball program in 2012 after announcing she was battling dementia, Alzheimer's type. What she did in the sport of basketball was outstanding, and this is some amazing numbers. She won 2 Medals at the Olympics (1976 Silver as a player and 1984 Gold as a coach). She took over the head coach position at Tennessee in 1974 and held that job until 2012, spanning 38 years. All the while setting the bar ever so high that I don't think its ever going to be touched.
Pat was named NCAA Coach of the Year seven times, she won eight National championships, appeared in the NCAA tournament 31 times, twelve of which resulted in final four appearances. She won 112 games in the NCAA tournament. She held an .841 winning percentage in the tournament, and during the regular season, Summitt won 1,098 games, the most victories for a head coach in division one history, that's including men's and women's basketball. Twelve of her players went on to become Olympians, 21 of her players became All-Americans. That right there speaks to how great a coach she was.
Summitt was widely reckoned as one of the toughest coaches in college basketball. She was best known for giving her players an icy stare in response to poor play. You knew, as a player, that you messed up bigtime if you got the stare. That stare that Pat had could burn a hole right through you. She was very intimidating when she needed to be. Sure she mellowed a little as her career went on, but she still carried that presence about her that drew so much respect that she could just look at you and you knew what it meant and that you had messed up. What she did over her career, she helped put not only Tennessee basketball, but women's basketball as a whole, on the map and really made it make major headlines. She really changed the landscape of basketball at the college level forever and there will never be another like her.
What Pat Summitt did at the college level, Buddy Ryan did for the defensive game in the NFL, he was that impactful. Ryan coached in the NFL for 26 seasons. He is best-remembered for building the famed 46 defense that led the Chicago Bears to a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Ryan also served as a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. He compiled a 55-55-1 record as a head coach.
Ryan started his career in 1961 as a defensive line coach with the University of Buffalo, and 33 years later he finally decided to hang them up. During that 33 year span, he changed the way people played defense Ryan built his reputation as a defensive specialist and was largely credited with implementing and perfecting the 46 defense. His career as a head coach was good, but he was more notable for what he did for the defensive side of the game and how he helped change the view of how to run a defense. He did for defense in the NFL what Summitt did for the overall game in college basketball.
Both are gone, but their impacts will be felt forever in the sports world!
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