Posted: Apr 18, 2012 12:49 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 18, 2012 1:37 PM CDT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee's women's basketball coach and taking the title of "head coach emeritus" with long-time assistant Holly Warlick being promoted to replace the sport's winningest coach.
Tennessee released a statement Wednesday announcing the move.
Summitt will report to the athletic director and help the women's program she guided to eight national titles. The 59-year-old Summitt said in a statement she loved being head coach but recognizes the time has come to step into a new role. She said she supports Warlick as her replacement and wants to ensure the stability of the program.
"If anyone asks, you can find me observing practice or in my office," Summitt said in a release from the university. "Coaching is the great passion of my life, and the job to me has always been an opportunity to work with our student-athletes and help them discover what they want. I will continue to make them my passion. I love our players and my fellow coaches, and that's not going to change."
The move comes less than a year after her diagnosis with early onset dementia-Alzheimer's type.
Warlick has been Summitt's assistant for 27 seasons and was a three-time All-American with the Lady Vols.
Summitt coached the program for 38 seasons and amassed 1,098 victories.
During Summit's tenure, the Lady Vols won the SEC Championship and SEC Tournament title 16 times each, and Summitt was named SEC Coach of the Year eight times and NCAA Coach of the Year in seven seasons.
Summitt's 18 trips to the Final Four is the most all-time among coaches, and her eight national titles trails only the 10 won by former UCLA coach John Wooden in Division I college basketball.
A press conference to discuss the changes with Summitt, Warlick, and other UT officials will be held Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at "The Summitt" at Thompson-Boling Arena.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.)
