The Lady Vols are hosting their annual 'We Back Pat' game on Thursday night to remember legendary coach Pat Summitt and raise money for Alzheimer's research.
Tennessee's meeting against Mississippi State will mark the 13th anniversary of the initiative. The effort is a collaboration between the Pat Summitt Foundation and the Southeastern Conference.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network.
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What is 'We Back Pat'?
The Pat Summitt Foundation was launched on Nov. 27, 2011 by Summitt after she was diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. Her diagnosis came at age 59.
Summitt coached the Lady Vols from 1974-2012. She held an overall recover of 1,098-208 (.841) while winning eight national titles and making 18 Final Fours. She also won 16 SEC regular season and tournament titles.
She is a Basketball and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. She also had a 100% graduation rate for every player that completed their eligibility at the University of Tennessee.
Summitt passed away at the age of 64 on June 28, 2016.
In remembrance of Summitt and to help raise awareness and funds for the disease, 'We Back Pat' games have been held around the nation every year. The goal is to ultimately find more effective treatment and a cure for the disease.
How can you help?
Tennessee Athletics points fans to Orange Mountain Designs, a partner of the Lady Vols, to purchase 'We Back Pat' shirts prior to or after the game. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Pat Summitt Foundation.
You can also donate directly to the Pat Summitt Foundation or find more information on the cause here.
What will be different about the game?
There will be no difference in the actual basketball game being played during 'We Back Pat' night. However, each player on the team will have a replacement of the name 'Summitt' on the back of their jersey where their last name would usually be. Numbers will remain the same.
There are also small purple details along the jersey. The color purple may be seen around the arena on fans, players and other features to signify the official color of Alzheimer's awareness.
At some timeouts during the game, checks will be presented to the Pat Summitt Foundation from different individuals, organizations and groups.
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