It’s coming up on exactly 10 years since the legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt passed away. Next week, the Tennessee Volunteers legend will be honored with a fitting tribute to her greatness.
This Sunday, ESPN will put on a special honoring the basketball legend called Celebrating Pat Summitt: Live Reunion Special. It will be produced by Tennessee football legend Peyton Manning through his Omaha Productions company in partnership with Eli Lilly & Co.
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The one-hour special was filmed in December and features such Tennessee basketball legends as Candace Parker, Nikki Fargas and Andraya Carter. Manning considered Summitt both a friend and a mentor and called it an honor to help produce the reunion special.
“It was an honor for Omaha Productions to host this reunion special honoring Coach Summitt, someone I was lucky enough to call a mentor and a friend, and we’re excited that we’ll be able to bring the special to a whole new audience through ESPN,” Manning said in a statement, via Awful Announcing. “We’re grateful to Lilly for their commitment to bringing it to life and to Candace, Nikki, Andraya, Dawn, and Holly — some of the people who knew Pat best — for joining us to share stories of her legendary career and incredible character. It’s a special conversation that you won’t want to miss.”
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 30: Former Quarterback Peyton Manning looks on prior to the Capital One Orange Bowl between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Clemson Tigers at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Megan Briggs/Getty Images
(Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Legend of Pat Summitt
Summitt is widely regarded as the greatest coach in the history of women’s college basketball, having spent her entire head coaching career at the University of Tennessee from 1974 to 2012. She took over the Lady Vols program at just 22 years old and transformed it into a national powerhouse over nearly four decades.
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During her tenure, she compiled an astonishing record of 1,098 wins against only 208 losses, making her the all-time wins leader in NCAA Division I basketball history at the time of her retirement — a record that stood across both men’s and women’s programs. Summitt led Tennessee to eight national championships, in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, and 2008, and her teams reached the Final Four an incredible 18 times.
Beyond her on-court success, Summitt was a transformative figure for women’s athletics more broadly. She was a fierce advocate for the growth of women’s sports and helped elevate the profile of women’s basketball to national prominence. She coached the U.S. women’s national team to a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, cementing her legacy on the international stage as well.
Summitt passed away in June 2016, but her legacy endures through the countless players and coaches she mentored, the records she set, and the doors she opened for women in sports. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, one of many honors recognizing her extraordinary impact on the game.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
