CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) In a dedication ceremony Friday, a bronze statue of hometown hero and legendary University of Tennessee Women’s Head Basketball Coach Pat Head Summitt was unveiled at Liberty Park.
The statue is the center point of the Pat Head Summitt Legacy Plaza in Liberty Park at Freedom Point. There is also an interpretative display of her life story from her childhood on the farm, to a high school basketball player and playing at UT-Martin, followed by being chosen at the UT Lady Vols coach.
Along with members of her family, fans and admirers, Shelly Sexton Collier, a player from Coach Summitt’s first NCAA Championship team in 1987 was the guest speaker. Many of the members of the Pat Head Summit Project Committee, which began their work in 2013 were also at the dedication.
Collier talked about the plaza and how it honors the memory of Summitt. “In this city of Clarksville where she was born and raised, little girls and little boys will now continue to have the opportunity to come and see who she was and the impact she has made on so many people across the country and beyond.” Said Collier.
The plaza honors the stellar career of Summitt in which her teams won a record 1,098 games and eight NCAA Championships and the unparalleled contributions she has made to women’s athletics and the state of Tennessee.
Summitt, who died in June 2016, was born in Clarksville and grew up on a farm in southern Montgomery County. One of the main objectives of the Summitt Legacy Plaza is to honor her locally and acquaint local citizens and the world with her connections to the Clarksville-Montgomery community.
The statue itself was the work of sculptor Brett Grill of Grand Rapids, Michigan who has commissioned sculptures in public and private collections across the nation. A reception for many of the major donors to the project, who received smaller replicas of the statue was held following the dedication ceremony.