By Representatives Williams, Davidson, McMillan, Armstrong, Arriola, Beavers, Bittle, Bone, Bowers, Boyer, Brooks, Brown, Buck, Burchett, Caldwell, Chumney, Ralph Cole, Ronnie Cole, Cooper, Cross, Curtiss, Davis, John DeBerry, Lois DeBerry, Dunn, Eckles, Ferguson, Fitzhugh, Ford, Fowlkes, Fraley, Givens, Godsey, Goins, Gunnels, Haley, Halteman Harwell, Hargett, Hargrove, Hassell, Head, Hicks, Hood, Huskey, Jackson, Sherry Jones, Ulysses Jones, Kent, Kernell, Kerr, Kisber, Langster, Lewis, Maddox, McAfee, McDaniel, McDonald, McKee, Miller, Mumpower, Newton, Odom, Patton, Phelan, Phillips, Pinion, Pleasant, Pruitt, Rhinehart, Ridgeway, Rinks, Ritchie, Roach, Robinson, Sands, Sargent, Scroggs, Sharp, Stamps, Stulce, Tidwell, Tindell, Towns, Brenda Turner, Larry Turner, Mike Walker, Raymond Walker, Walley, West, Westmoreland, White, Whitson, Windle, Winningham, Wood and Mr. Speaker Naifeh

By Senator Kurita, Atchley, Burks, Carter, Clabough, Cohen, Cooper, Crowe, Crutchfield, Davis, Dixon, Elsea, Ford, Fowler, Gilbert, Graves, Harper, Haun, Haynes, Henry, Herron, Jordan, Kyle, Leatherwood, McNally, Miller, Person, Ramsey, Rochelle, Springer, Williams, Womack and Mr. Speaker Wilder

AN ACT to designate a certain segment of State Route 12 in Cheatham County as the "Pat Head Summitt Parkway".

WHEREAS, from time to time, this General Assembly has seen fit to name public highways in honor of those inimitable persons who through there remarkable accomplishments are a source of pride for all Tennesseans; and

WHEREAS, perhaps no one in this State's storied athletic history best exemplifies the precepts of athleticism and achievement better than Pat Head Summitt, Coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers Basketball Team; and

WHEREAS, Coach Summitt's indoctrination into the game began as a child growing up in Henrietta. The daughter of Richard and Hazel Head, she developed a competitive spirit and zest for the game at a young age at Cheatham County High School; and

WHEREAS, as a stalwart member of the UT-Martin Women's Team, she led the Lady Pacers to a 64-29 record over four years and was a Co-Captain of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team that won a Silver Medal in Montreal; and

WHEREAS, Coach Summitt's fifth Final Four win at the helm of the Lady Vols in 1997 puts her in elite company; she has surpassed Adolph Rupp of Kentucky and is second only to the legendary John Wooden of UCLA in national championship victories; and

WHEREAS, Pat's success in the college coaching fraternity is reflected in the fact that her Lady Vol teams have appeared in all 16 NCAA Tournaments; and

WHEREAS, no other women's coach in the country has enjoyed the success of Pat Summitt; and in recognition of her unparalleled coaching abilities, she has received numerous honors and accolades, including the 1990 John Bunn Award, the most prestigious award given by the Basketball Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, a celebrated figure in women's athletics, Pat Summitt has contributed her time and considerable talents as Vice-President of USA Basketball, as an Olympic Representative on the Advisory Committee to USA Basketball, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Basketball Hall of Fame, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, perhaps the most fitting tribute to this coaching giant is the number of former assistant coaches and players who are now head coaches themselves, both at the college and high school levels; and

WHEREAS, her many honors and accolades aside, Pat Summitt balances her professional life with the love she shares with her husband, R.B. Summitt, their son, Tyler, and the rest of her family, including our very own Representative Tommy Head; and

WHEREAS, Pat's coaching record and the concern she exhibits for her players stand as a testament to her superior abilities. The program and its players, past and present, are the embodiment of success in intercollegiate athletics and in life; and

WHEREAS, as a means of appropriately expressing and conveying to this outstanding coach, on behalf of a proud citizenry, the sincere and emphatic gratitude of her fellow Tennesseans, the members of this General Assembly wish to honor Coach Summitt's noteworthy coaching achievements and, by doing so, comply with the will of the good people of Tennessee; now, therefore,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the segment of State Route 12 between Ashland City and Clarksville is hereby designated as the "Pat Head Summitt Parkway" in honor of this coaching legend. The City of Clarksville is authorized, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its Legislative Body, to extend the designation of the "Pat Head Summit Parkway" to that segment of State Route 12 from the corporate boundaries of the city of Clarksville to the terminus of State Route 12.

SECTION 2. The Department of Transportation is directed to erect suitable signs or to affix suitable markers designating that segment of State Route 12 between Ashland City and Clarksville as the "Pat Head Summitt Parkway", and on that segment of State Route 12 from the corporate boundaries of the City of Clarksville to the terminus of State Route 12, if the City of Clarksville by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its Legislative Body authorizes the extension of such designation on such segment of State Route 12.

SECTION 3. The erection of such signs shall be within the guidelines prescribed by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming law, the public welfare requiring it.