Why Pat Summitt Divorced Her Husband and Kept the Details Private

When Pat Summitt filed for divorce from her husband, R.B. Summitt, in August 2007, after nearly 27 years of marriage, fans were shocked.

The University of Tennessee hired her in 1974 when she was just 22. Over 38 seasons, she built the Lady Vols into a powerhouse. She finished with a 1,098-208 record, eight NCAA championships, 18 Final Four trips, and 32 combined SEC regular-season and tournament titles.

Her teams never posted a losing season and never missed the NCAA Tournament. Her program also maintained a 100 percent graduation rate for players who completed their eligibility. She made an impact on the international stage as well. She won Olympic silver as a player in 1976 and coached Team USA to Olympic gold in 1984. Years later, she stunned supporters when news of her divorce surfaced.

Pat kept the details of her divorce private. According to ESPN, she considered it a personal matter and chose not to make a public statement. Reports noted that the couple had been separated for several months before the filing.

And while Pat rarely spoke about her personal life, she often spoke about values.

"My parents taught me a long time ago that you win in life with people," Pat said. "And that's important, because if you hang with winners, you stand a great chance of being a winner."

Her toughest battle came in 2011, when she announced that doctors at the Mayo Clinic had diagnosed her with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, at age 59. However, she promised to continue her coaching duties. “I plan to continue to be your coach,” she said. “Obviously, I realize I may have some limitations with this condition since there will be some good days and some bad days.”

Pat ultimately coached through the 2011-12 season, stepped down in 2012, and died in 2016 at age 64, per AP. By then, she had already turned her diagnosis into advocacy through the Pat Summitt Foundation and helped push more public attention toward Alzheimer’s awareness.

In a People interview tied to the new documentary Breaking Glass: The Pat Summitt Story, Robin Roberts revealed that Pat was a very dear friend. Robin explained that their bond started nearly 40 years before, after she drove to Knoxville as a young Nashville reporter to interview Pat following Tennessee’s first NCAA title in 1987. Robin recalled that Pat immediately poured into her at a time when women in sports television were less common.

"I drove to Knoxville to interview her, and she was pouring into me because it was rare to see a woman doing sports on television,” Robin said. “She wanted to be my champion, but I was like, 'I'm here to talk to you, Coach Pat,' and so a friendship started there. But that's everything that she was. She was always about uplifting others.”

Their connection grew even deeper when illness entered both of their lives. Robin said that when she went through breast cancer in 2007, Patt often checked on her. Later, Robin supported Patt during her Alzheimer’s journey, saying, “We were able to help each other.”