By Ralphine Major

ralphine3@yahoo.com

It is always heartening to see.  An entire week in women’s basketball is designated for teams to wear tee shirts with their team colors.  Every shirt bears the same message: “We Back Pat.”  The carefully chosen words reference the overwhelming support of legendary Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt who lost her battle with Alzheimer’s in 2016.

Pat Head Summitt spent 38 years coaching the Lady Vols.  The native Tennessean never had to coach during a pandemic.  But we can be certain that she would have handled it with the same courage and intensity that we saw her display on the basketball court.  I miss seeing her walk the sidelines during games.  Whether at The Summitt or at a basketball arena in another state, Pat always showed such poise, grace, and boldness.  All of her well-deserved honors are reminders of the impact she had on sports in general:  eight national championships; over 1,000 wins; the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and her statue on The University of Tennessee campus.  Nearly five years after her death, she is still a role model for today.  What a privilege it was to watch a young coach become a legend right before our eyes here in the Volunteer State.

Words of Faith from 2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV): “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”