Why is pat summitt wearing 35

A Facebook page asked people to wear the Volunteer color to show their support for the coach who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia. Posted: Aug. Latest Photo Galleries. Photos: 37th Tennessee Homecoming brings history to life.

Photos: Hurricane Matthew evacuees find shelter in Knoxville. Photos: Knoxville celebrates years. Photos: The third annual Pickle Fest. Photos: Church Street United Methodist celebrates bicentennial. Photos: school coupon book kick off celebration. Summitt thanked her fans in a video posted on the Lady Vols website, and promised them: "I'm going to beat this. There were many splashes of orange downtown and on Market Square.

The menu sign outside the Latitude 35 restaurant was decked out in orange balloons. Manager Jebbie Smith wore an orange shirt. Employees normally wear black. The couple's divorce was final today. He predicted that Summitt will find a new way to be a leader "in this new phase of her life.

Did I feel guilty? Looking back, I think we, as a family, believe that this was an oncoming train, one we couldn't have avoided in any circumstance. As the years progressed, guilt shifted into remorse: knowing that this woman I adored began losing the most valuable part of herself on my watch, and, in some ways, while doing best by me. Maybe that's why the news about Coach Summitt is lodged in my throat.

Not because she is battling something millions already have, not because my family has seen the rockiness of the valley into which she is descending, but because I'm shaken by the absolute injustice of the diagnosis.

The thought of Summitt's eyes dimming, of her pinpoint instructions becoming more vague, of her push for excellence losing steam far too soon makes me want to put my head down, cry, and hope every day that she fends off this disease long enough for doctors to develop a cure.

For long stretches, Summitt carried the sport of women's basketball. She won eight NCAA championships in 38 years as Tennessee's coach, with an overall record of 1, a winning percentage of.

She also demanded greatness from her players long before most sports fans believed female athletes were capable of such a thing. Far more than with most of us, the spirit of Summitt supersedes her physical presence. And, as with my grandma, I wish her spirit would be the final thing taken from her, not the first.

Skip to content Share Icon. Facebook Logo. Link Icon. A personal connection to Pat Summitt and dealing with dementia. I pressed my finger to the screen, freezing the chosen message.