Miami Dade College’s renowned coach and professor, Susan Summons, has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, TN. This event marks the sixth time Summons has been inducted into a Hall of Fame. Summons considers this recognition “a tremendous honor,” because it reflects the historical relevance of what she’s done in women’s sports.
Summons was selected as one of the “Trailblazers & Pioneers of the Game” of the Women’s Basketball League (WBL) in Women’s Professional Basketball. Summons is MDC’s head women’s basketball coach, teacher, recruiter, administrator, and community relations advocate on both the national and international levels. According to Summons, during her 32-year tenure at MDC over 500 student athletes have gone through the program, graduated and received her help in transferring to other universities.
She is a former Women’s Pro with the WBL New Jersey Gems and New England Gulls. She is also an acclaimed motivational speaker and the founder of the Best of the Rest Stars, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides a basketball training academy for girls and boys. A humble educator who tends to focus on her students’ futures and the game she loves, Summons laughs when she tells of students Googling her and confronting her with biographical information she’s typically quiet about, like working with the USA / Olympic basketball team on three different occasions. “I only talk about how I’m going to impact you and focus on your student success as a professor,” says Summons. “That’s my focus — to help you be successful in the classroom. Not only in this classroom but in all classrooms.”
More than 95 percent of Summons’ Miami-Dade players have gone on to continue their education at four-year institutions. Her enthusiasm, dedication, energy, national profile and experience have made her one of the most recognized and respected women’s basketball coaches and educators in the United States.
She has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America by the Institute for International Sport. In addition to this honor, the Institute for International Sport has named Miami Dade College as an All-American Sportsmanship School.
“This has been like a ministry for me,” said Summons. “I’m all about the passion and art of positive thinking and of being obedient to that passion. I’m blessed to be doing the thing I love. My way of giving back is to motivate people to try harder at doing what they love.”