55+ Pat Summitt Quotes From The American Basketball Coach
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Pat is a proud woman who has achieved over 1000 wins in basketball, including eight National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, thus setting a high bar for anyone aspiring to be a basketball coach.
Born on 14 June 1952, in Tennessee, U.S., Pat Summitt was greatly influenced by her childhood life on her family's dairy farm. Her strict father, who believed that a life of discipline is essential to achieve greatness, molded her to become the person she grew up to be.
Pat Summitt's regular games of basketball with her three brothers grew her passion for the sport early, and she first began playing at a high level at the University of Tennessee, Martin.
Recognition of her skill and talent brought her opportunities to be a part of a national team. She went on to win a gold medal at the Pan-American Games and a silver medal in Montreal, where she competed undeterred despite suffering a serious knee injury.
After this, she took the role of the Head Coach of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team, otherwise called the Lady Vols, at the University of Tennesee in Knoxville. Summitt was formidable in her ways of coaching her team. In the first season, she led her team to a 16-8 season record, marking the beginning of her legendary journey.
Under Summit's leadership, wins came easy, and in 1987 her team went on to win their first NCAA Championship. Her team won seven NCAA titles, including achieving an unbeaten 39-0 season record on their third NCAA winning season. She held the record for the most wins by a head coach until 2020 when Tara VanDerveer beat this record.
Unfortunately, her career as a head coach came to an end after her final season in 2012. Soon after, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pat Summitt sadly passed away on 27 June 2016.
We bring you the best Pat Summitt quotes to get you working hard for your goals in life. If you love sports-related quotes, check out these basketball quotes and Larry Bird quotes once you have read these Pat Summitt quotes.
Powerful Pat Summitt Quotes On Leadership
Here are some basketball inspirational quotes and a few famous coach quotes from Pat Summitt about coaching the eight-time winning team.
1. "A sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have."
-Pat Summitt.
2. "Discipline is the only sure way I know to convince people to believe in themselves."
-Pat Summitt.
3. "Don't worry about coaching women, just go home and coach basketball."
-Pat Summitt.
4. "Teamwork doesn't come naturally. It must be taught."
-Pat Summitt.
5. "I don't give out compliments easily."
-Pat Summitt.
6. "If you don't want responsibility, don't sit in the big chair."
-Pat Summitt.
7. "When a player makes a mistake, you always want to put them back in quickly – you don’t just berate them and sit them down with no chance of redemption."
-Pat Summitt.
8. "If I'm not leading by example, then I'm not doing the right thing. And I want to always do the right thing."
-Pat Summitt.
9. "I think that a lot of people would perceive my style as being intimidating."
-Pat Summitt.
10. "If I was renowned as a tough coach, I also wanted to be a caring one."
-Pat Summitt.
Pat Summitt Quotes From Her Book 'Sum It Up'
Looking for more Pat Summitt quotes? Check out these Pat Summitt motivational quotes from her inspiring book 'Sum It Up'.
11. "They don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care."
-Pat Summitt, 'Sum It Up'.
12. "I'm interested to see where a combination of faith and science will take me."
-Pat Summitt, 'Sum It Up'.
13. "There is an old saying: a champion is someone who is willing to be uncomfortable."
-Pat Summitt, 'Sum It Up'.
14."God doesn’t take things away to be cruel. He takes things away to make room for other things."
-Pat Summitt, 'Sum It Up'.
15. "In the absence of feedback, people will fill in the blanks with a negative."
-Pat Summitt, 'Sum It Up'.
The Best Pat Summitt Quotes About Basketball
Discover the best Pat Summit quotes here, including Pat Summitt quotes about life and a few inspirational quotes about winning throughout her basketball career. Which of these Pat Summitt quotes is your favorite?
16. "I want to continue to do is to help these young women be successful."
-Pat Summitt.
17. "It depends on where you start from, and where you want to end up."
-Pat Summitt.
18. "Most people get excited about games, but I've got to be excited about practice because that's my classroom."
-Pat Summitt.
19. "I won 1,098 games, and eight national championships, and coached in four different decades. But what I see are not the numbers. I see their faces."
-Pat Summitt.
20. "Success is a project that is always under construction."
-Pat Summitt.
21. "Winning is fun… Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point."
-Pat Summitt.
22. "I remember every player who wore Tennessee orange, a shade that our rivals hate."
-Pat Summitt.
23. "Here's how I'm going to beat you. I'm going to outwork you."
-Pat Summitt.
24. "Players don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
-Pat Summitt.
25. "In facing weakness, you learn how much there is in you, and you find real strength."
-Pat Summitt.
Pat Summitt Competitive Quotes
Find an inspiring quote on competition by Pat, showing us how important it is in our lives.
26. "It's my experience that people rise to the level of their own expectations and of the competition they seek out."
-Pat Summitt.
27. "There is nothing wrong with having competitive instincts. They are survival instincts."
-Pat Summitt.
28. "We do not win championships with girls. We win with competitors."
-Pat Summitt.
29. "You will run into a situation in which you are not as talented as the person next to you. That's when being a competitor can make a difference in your fortunes."
-Pat Summitt.
30. "You can't always be the most talented person in the room. But you can be the most competitive."
-Pat Summitt.
Pat Summitt Quotes On Alzheimer's
Pat sadly suffered from Alzheimer's. These inspirational Alzheimer's quotes by Pat Summitt show her undaunting spirit.
31. "I'd wake up in the morning and I would think, 'Where am I?' I'd have to gather myself."
-Pat Summitt.
32. "Have you ever walked along a shoreline, only to have your footprints washed away? That's what Alzheimer's is like."
-Pat Summitt.
33. "Competition got me off the farm and trained me to seek out challenges and to endure setbacks; and in combination with my faith, it sustains me now in my fight with Alzheimer's disease."
-Pat Summitt.
34. "The doctors believe early-onset Alzheimer's has a strong genetic predictor, and that it may have been progressing for some years before I was diagnosed."
-Pat Summitt.
35. "I think I can help others just by my example."
-Pat Summitt.
Famous Quotes By Pat Summitt
Find Pat Summitt inspirational quotes that will show you how she won a national championship, it's all about the mindset!
36. "Too many people opt out and never discover their own abilities, because they fear failure. They don’t understand commitment."
-Pat Summitt.
37. "When a team takes ownership, good things happen."
-Pat Summitt.
38. "No matter what the scoreboard reads or what the referee says, it doesn't end when you come off the court."
-Pat Summitt.
39. "It is what it is. But, it will be what you make it."
-Pat Summitt.
40. "Quit? We keep score in life because it matters. It counts."
-Pat Summitt.
41. "Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership."
-Pat Summitt.
42. "Nine-tenths of discipline is having the patience to do things right."
-Pat Summitt.
43. "The absolute heart of loyalty is to value those people who tell you the truth, not just those people who tell you what you want to hear. In fact, you should value them most. Because they have paid you the compliment of leveling with you and assuming you can handle it."
-Pat Summitt.
44. "Our emphasis is on execution, not winning."
-Pat Summitt.
45. "Change equals self-improvement."
-Pat Summitt.
46. "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, rebounding wins championships."
-Pat Summitt.
47. "We are born with certain inclinations, but sharing isn't one of them."
-Pat Summitt.
48. "Losing forces you to reexamine."
-Pat Summitt.
49. "Sit up straight, listen and participate."
-Pat Summitt.
50. "Attitude is a choice. Think positive thoughts daily. Believe in yourself."
-Pat Summitt.
51. "Teamwork is really a form of trust."
-Pat Summitt.
52. "Hard work breeds self-respect."
-Pat Summitt.
53. "Push yourself to places you haven’t been before."
-Pat Summitt.
54. "Winners are not born, they are self-made."
-Pat Summitt.
55. "When you learn to keep fighting in the face of potential failure, it gives you a larger skill set to do what you want to do."
-Pat Summitt.
56. "It’s harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb. Continue to seek new goals."
-Pat Summitt.
At Kidadl, we have created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 55+ Pat Summitt quotes, why not look at these NBA quotes or Coach Carter quotes too?
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Divya RaghavBachelor of Commerce specializing in Accounting and Finance, Master of Business Administration
With a diverse range of experience in finance, administration, and operations, Divya is a diligent worker known for her attention to detail. Born and raised in Bangalore, she completed her Bachelor's in Commerce from Christ University and is now pursuing an MBA at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore. Along with her professional pursuits, Divya has a passion for baking, dancing, and writing content. She is also an avid animal lover who dedicates her time to volunteering for animal welfare causes.
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