Summitt to continue role as Lady Vols' head coach emeritus
Pat Summitt, who stepped down as head coach last April, led Tennessee to 18 Final Four appearances.
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Pat Summitt will continue in her role as the Tennessee head coach emeritus on Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick's staff next season.
The university announced Wednesday that Summitt had agreed to a one-year contract that will pay her $85,000, less than a quarter of the $354,375 she received for the same role last year.
In her role as head coach emeritus last season, Summitt attended most practices and watched virtually every home game from the stands. She also mentored players and coaches and assisted in on-campus recruiting.
"I'm excited about staying involved with the Lady Vol basketball program and also continuing my work with the Pat Summitt Foundation,'' Summitt said in a statement. "I look forward to spending time with Holly, our staff and players and contributing whenever I can.''
Summitt stepped down as the Tennessee head coach in April 2012, one year after announcing she had early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. She posted a 1,098-208 record and led Tennessee to eight national titles and 18 Final Four appearances in 38 seasons. Summitt has since devoted much of her attention to her work with the Pat Summitt Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting Alzheimer's disease.
"We are excited to have Pat Summitt continue to be affiliated with our athletics department, and specifically our women's basketball program, which she built into the finest program in the nation,'' athletic director Dave Hart said in a statement released by the university. "Her continued example of leadership and courage sends an everlasting message to our student-athletes, coaches and staff.''
Summitt was replaced by Warlick, who played for Summitt at Tennessee and worked as an assistant on her staff for 27 seasons. In her first season as Tennessee's head coach, Warlick led Tennessee to a 27-8 record and third straight regional final appearance and was named the Maggie Dixon Division I rookie coach of the year.
