Statue of NCAA’s Winningest Coach To Be Unveiled November 22
The University of Tennessee announced Wednesday that the dedication of the Pat Summitt Plaza and Statue will take place at 11:00 a.m. on November 22.
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The dedication and unveiling of the bronze statue, created by internationally known artist and sculptor David Adickes of Houston, Texas, will be held at the soon-to-be-completed plaza on the corner of Lake Loudoun Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Way. The public is invited to attend, and nearby Thompson-Boling Arena will offer access to restrooms.
Approximately 550 donors have stepped forward to provide financial support for the project thus far, with leadership gifts coming from the LaPorte family of Elizabethton, Tennessee, and Houston, Texas, and the Hilleary family of Spring City, Tennessee. The LaPortes donated the statue, while the Hillearys provided the lead gift for the plaza in honor of Bill Hilleary, a community and business leader from Rhea County.
View of photo gallery of the work being done on Pat Summitt Plaza on utsports.com.
Parking will be available in the G-10 garage, located between Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium. Access to G-10 will be via Neyland Drive only. Spaces for vehicles with handicap placards will be available in staff lot 23, located at the corner of Neyland and Lake Loudoun Blvd.
UT visitors and employees should be aware of temporary street closings for the dedication. Phillip Fulmer Way will close at 9:00 a.m. on November 22 from the Andy Holt Tower administrative parking garage entrance to the intersection with Lake Loudoun Boulevard. At 10:30 a.m., Lake Loudoun Boulevard will close from Neyland Drive to Volunteer Boulevard. UTPD will manage traffic and crowd control for the event and will reopen streets when the crowd has dissipated following the event.
Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA men’s or women’s basketball history, led the Tennessee women’s basketball program from 1974 to 2012. During her thirty-eight-year tenure, the Lady Vols posted a 1,098-208 record (.840), won eight NCAA National Championships, and claimed a combined thirty-three SEC regular season and tournament titles while graduating all 122 players who completed their eligibility at UT.
For more information on how to contribute to the project, go to www.patsummittplaza.com.