KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee football will kick off Alzheimer’s Awareness Month by honoring Pat Summitt and raising money for life-saving research.
No. 19 Tennessee will host UConn on Saturday, Nov. 4. In addition to being Homecoming weekend, the Vols will also use the opportunity to pay tribute to Summitt against the school that the legendary basketball coach faced off against so often.
Like they did against last season against Summitt’s alma mater of UT-Martin, Tennessee is expected to incorporate ‘Summitt Blue’ accessories into their gameday uniforms.
Head Coach Josh Heupel said during his Monday press conference that fans will be able to purchase a commemorative cup that will be benefit Alzheimer’s research at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
“We are looking forward to Homecoming week here. I know it’s a noon kickoff, but I expect our fans to show up and show out in a great way and create a great environment. It’s a great opportunity to welcome back so many of our alumni here, so looking forward to that. November is also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and we have a unique opportunity to honor the legacy of Pat Summitt. We’ll be doing that at the game with our uniform (accessories), but we’ll also be doing that with a commemorative cup that everyone can purchase. All of that will go to UT Medical’s research on Alzheimer’s.”
Josh Heupel
After eight National Championships and over 1,000 career victories, Summitt retired from coaching in 2012 following a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. She died in 2016 at the age of 64.
Summitt and her son, Tyler, founded the Pat Summitt Foundation in 2011 to advance Alzheimer’s research as well as educate the public on about the disease.
