summitt to speak at c-n’s coaches’ appreciation dinner

Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt will be the keynote speaker at Carson-Newman’s 2^nd Annual Coaches Appreciation Dinner, C-N Athletic Director David Barger announced last week.

Summitt will address Carson-Newman’s coaches and staff on Sept. 9 in Stokely Cafeteria on the C-N campus. The dinner is invitation only.

“We are delighted that Coach Summitt will be on campus to celebrate this occasion with our coaches, staff, and their loyal supporters,” said Barger. “ No one understands motivation, work ethic and team chemistry better than Pat. She will be the perfect (keynote) speaker for the banquet”

As a college basketball coach, Summitt has won more games than any other coach (men’s or women’s) in NCAA basketball history, finishing the 2007-08 season with 983 victories. Her University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers just completed a successful defense of their 2007 NCAA national championship, picking up No. 8 in 2008. During her tenure, the Lady Vols have won eight NCAA titles and 27 Southeastern Conference tournament and regular season championships. Her teams have made an unprecedented 27 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16 and produced 12 Olympians, 19 Kodak All Americans and more than 70 All-conference performers.

Through the years, Summitt has reached numerous goals and worn many hats at the University of Tennessee as a student, an educator and a coach. She’ll be the first to tell you that her success is due to the players who have represented the university since she came on board as the head coach as a 22-year old in 1974.

Incredibly, every Lady Vol player since 1976 has played in at least one Final Four during her career at Tennessee. There have been three classes of players in school history to go to the Final Four all four years of their UT tenure.

Carson-Newman competes in 17 NCAA Division II sports, and is a member of the South Atlantic Conference.