Why Pat Summitt Is the King of Tennessee

Women's college basketball: somebody says that phrase and your mind goes to two place—Tennessee and UConn. These are schools fans know, programs that are so prolific and so talented, they've breached the walls of male-centric sports coverage. 

Thank the coaches—thank Geno Auriemma at UConn and Pat Summitt for leading the Lady Vols. They're arguably two of the most famous college basketball people in the country, each respected and revered as the best. When their teams travel, they attract crowds—sell-outs even. It's big news. 

But let's separate here and focus on Summit, the indefatigable leader of the Volunteers. The arena her team—and the men's team—plays on is nicknamed after her. Fans by the thousands turn out for games at "The Summit." That's why when Bleacher Report asked fans to crown their local king, they anointed Summitt. 

It's because she wins. The football team is nowhere near where it used to be. The men's basketball team, after riding the Bruce Peral train and derailing, is no longer a topic of national conversation. Summit and her team haven't faded. As such, she's the queen, king, prime minister or any other title you wan't to apply to her position in the state's athletic pantheon.  

Check out Sport Illustrated recently? Summitt was on the cover, standing under a headline that read "Sportswoman of the Year." Rightfully so. The honor came in part because of her coaching ability, but also because of her 2011 announcement that she was battling early onset dementia.

The outpouring of support was immediate, though she's never been one who wanted sympathy. Her thoughts: "There's not going to be any pity party, and I'll make sure of that" (via govolsxtra.com).

SI took notice and penned this in the announcement about naming the eight-time champion as Sportswoman of the Year: 

"

...Realizing the role she had been thrust into, as the public face of a condition that bewilders and stigmatizes sufferers and families alike, she chose to embrace it. Last month she launched the Pat Summitt Foundation to raise funds and awareness about Alzheimer's. If she takes up this cause with even half the energy and commitment with which she has championed Lady Vols basketball and women's sports at large, she'll be a worthy companion to other sports figures who have personified high-profile crusades against disease, from Lance Armstrong to Magic Johnson.

"

Indeed—it's why Summit rules Tennessee.