KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Pat Summitt is set to enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend for the second time alongside two Lady Vols.
Summitt, Patricia “Trish” Roberts and Cindy Brogdon, and the entire 1976 United States Women’s Olympic Basketball Team will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
After her first induction in 2000 as the eight-time national champion coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols, Summitt will now be honored as a player who helped the United States to a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
Summitt, still known then by her maiden name of Pat Head, had just finished her second season as Tennessee’s head coach when she competed in the first-ever Summer Games to feature women’s basketball. She was one of 12 members of the U.S. squad selected from a tryout group reportedly numbering at least 1,000.
The 1976 team is credited with boosting the visibility of women’s basketball in America and inspiring young girls to purse opportunities to play the game collegiately and professionally.
Roberts and Brogdon transferred to Tennessee in 1976 and 1977, respectively, after beginning their careers at Emporia State and Mercer.
After boycotting the 1980 Moscow Games due to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, Summitt coached Team USA to gold at the 1984 games in Los Angeles. She was inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2022, becoming the first woman to be inducted into the hall’s coaching category.
The 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 12 in Springfield, Mass. It will be shown exclusively on NBA TV.
