The Final SeasonEdizione 2

With 1,098 wins and eight national championships, the University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt established a remarkable tradition of perseverance, leadership, and passion for the game—but victories on the court aren’t the only legacy she left. An exemplary role model for young women, expecting nothing but the best from her players and those around her, her stature never faltered—not even during her final season as head coach, when she faced her fiercest adversary yet: the diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

This tenth-anniversary edition of The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt brings readers up to date on the story of Summitt’s final coaching season through the eyes of those who knew her best. Maria M. Cornelius presents readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the conclusion of Summitt’s coaching career, detailing from the perspective of a sportswriter how her diagnosis impacted her players, staff, and fans. Two new chapters depict the coach’s final days with her players and the celebration of her life that followed. From the championship moments that will be cherished forever to the final goodbyes hours before she died, these new stories—at once sad, humorous, and poignant—capture the essence of a coach whose true legacy is measured not in wins, but in the enduring Lady Vols family she brought together.