This week it was announced that SHEEX’s Michelle Marciniak and her collegiate coach Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA Basketball history, were inducted into the 2012 Lady Vols Hall of Fame at the University of Tennessee where they will join an incredible legacy of sports women and coaches. Below is the official Press Release.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 12th group of inductees for inclusion in the Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame has been announced by University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Dave Hart.
“We are pleased and excited to announce the 2012 class of the Lady Vol Hall of Fame,” Hart said. “This distinguished group includes a legendary coach and three former student-athletes whose participation in athletics runs the gamut from the early days of varsity women’s athletics competition at Tennessee to an inductee who is being enshrined in her first year of eligibility. It is our pleasure to welcome them into an elite circle of people who have represented the University of Tennessee at the highest level.”
The four inductees in the Class of 2012 represent three different teams. The honorees include: Jane Haist (track & field), Michelle Marciniak (basketball), Pat Summitt (basketball-coach) and Young-A Yang (golf). Athletes are eligible for inclusion 10 years after they have graduated from the University, while administrators may be admitted to the Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame five years following their last service to UT.
The Lady Vol Hall of Fame selection committee made a recommendation to waive the five-year “last service requirement” for coach Summitt, making her eligible immediately for consideration. That recommendation was approved.
Enshrinement activities are scheduled for Friday evening, Nov. 2, at the Downtown Hilton, where a private induction ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 3, the inductees will be introduced during an on-field presentation at the Tennessee versus Troy football game at Neyland Stadium.
Throughout the 36-year history of Lady Vol student-athletes, 1,881 women have donned the Orange and White Tennessee uniform. With the addition of the four individuals in the 2012 class of the Lady Vol Hall of Fame, membership now has reached 71 in this very elite Hall.
A native of Macungie, Pa., Michelle Marciniak began her career at Notre Dame before transferring to Tennessee and establishing herself as one of the program’s most beloved players during her 1993-96 tenure. The 1995 graduate and psychology major, known as “Spinderella” for her patented spin moves to the hoop, Marciniak capped her collegiate career by leading the Lady Vols to the 1996 NCAA title and earning NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player accolades. Also a 1996 Naismith All-American and a two-time All-SEC selection (1st team in 1995, 2nd team in 1996) on the court, Marciniak was recognized on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1994 and 1996 for her work in the classroom. The two-time NCAA Regional All-Tournament selection continues to rank first in single season three throw percentage (79%) and single game steals (11 vs. Kentucky, 1996), stands third in single season assists (204, 1994-95) and is one of 36 players to score 1,000 or more points in her UT career (1,004). Marciniak, whose in-home recruiting visit by a pregnant-Pat Summitt is the stuff of Lady Vol lore, continues to rank in the top 10 in eight other statistical categories.
After a standout playing career at UT Martin, Pat Summitt came to Knoxville in 1974 to be an assistant coach and attend graduate school at UT Knoxville. When Margaret Hutson went on a sabbatical, Summitt accepted the head coaching position, and the rest is women’s basketball history. During a legendary 38-year career as head coach that transitioned to head coach emeritus on April 18, 2012, Summitt became the winningest coach in NCAA women’s or men’s basketball history with a record of 1,098 and 208 and a winning percentage of 84 percent. She accomplished that while running her program with integrity and assuring that all 122 players who completed their eligibility at UT graduated. Along the way, Summitt led her teams to eight NCAA Championships, 18 NCAA Final Fours, 31-straight NCAA Tournament appearances,16 SEC Championships and 16 SEC Tournament Championships. She coached 21 WBCA/State Farm/Kodak All-Americans to 36 honors, 39 All-SEC players to 82 accolades, 12 Olympians and 34 WNBA players, including 15 drafted in the first round and three picked number one overall. Named the Naismith Coach of the Century in 2000, Summitt was a five-time Naismith Coach of the Year and eight-time SEC Coach of the Year among an endless list of career distinctions that also included head coach of the gold-medal-winning 1984 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team.
