Lady Vols release special uniforms for 10th annual “We Back Pat” week ahead of UConn showdown next Thursday
The “stare” is what many remember most about legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt.
As Summitt roamed the court for 1,098 victories at Tennessee, those piercing blue eyes found many a target, practically glaring into souls as the coach let her feelings be known.
And those eyes saw plenty — coaches and players molded, graduations achieved, championship banners raised.
But it was Summitt’s final stare, as she went toe-to-toe with Alzheimer’s, that earned more respect than any net she ever cut.
Summitt lost her battle with the disease in June of 2016.
Prior to that, she handed her coaching duties to then-assistant Holly Warlick in 2012 and dove into battle with Alzheimer’s.
In typical Summitt fashion, Pat aided others in their fights, too.
The Pat Summitt Foundation was established on November 27, 2011, just a few months after Summitt’s diagnosis.
Since then, the SEC has established an annual “We Back Pat” week for the conference, as each team honors Summitt with “We Back Pat” warmup shirts.
This week marks the 10th consecutive year for the league-wide recognition.
In honor of that milestone, the Lady Vols — now led by former championship player and Summitt pupil Kellie Harper — have taken that recognition a step further.
Beginning with Thursday night’s matchup against Georgia, Tennessee will wear special ‘We Back Pat’ uniforms from January 14-21, this year’s honorary week.
The look features purple accents for Alzheimer’s recognition, with ‘Pat’ scrawled across the shorts in Summitt’s handwriting, ‘SUMMITT’ on the back of each jersey, and ‘WE BACK PAT’ below an inner seam of each uniform.
The purple, of course, goes where the Lady Vols’ trademark blue would typically be.
The uniform’s final showing will be on January 21, 2021, as the Lady Vols host the UConn Huskies, coached by longtime Summitt rival Geno Auriemma, in the Revival Series.
Ironically, Auriemma could surpass Summitt’s win record on Tuesday, as No. 4 UConn will face Butler.
That means that, when the Huskies travel to Knoxville, Auriemma may already top Summitt in wins.
No one could ever touch her impact, though, and Auriemma said as much in 2012:
“Pat's vision for the game of women's basketball and her relentless drive pushed the game to a new level and made it possible for the rest of us to accomplish what we did.”