ESPN’s Holly Rowe is passionate about sports – so passionate that she broke up with her boyfriend of four years over his questioning her love of women’s basketball.
In a speech she gave at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, Rowe recalled dating a bodybuilder who won the Mr. Switzerland title. They were together for four years, but the relationship was ultimately undone after he admonished her for crying after the legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs following her Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
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“I had a really hot boyfriend, and he was Mr. Switzerland, a bodybuilder,” the ESPN sideline reporter said during an appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club. “We dated for four years. And when I say smoking hot, and the reason we broke up was we were at the ESPYs and Pat Summitt had just gotten this award, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, because she had just been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. And we’re at the ESPYS, and I’m just bawling in the audience, and he asked me, ‘What’s wrong with you? She’s just a coach.’ And so we broke up.
“So I just need you to understand I gave up Mr. Switzerland because of Pat Summitt. This is a true story.”
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Pat Summitt
For decades Pat Summitt was not only the best coach in women’s basketball, she was one of the most accomplished coaches in all sports at all levels.
A shortlist of Summitt’s accomplishments includes eight national titles, 18 trips to the Final Four, 16 SEC Tournament titles, an Olympic gold medal, five Coach of the Year awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
ALBANY, NEW YORK – MARCH 30: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is interviewed by Holly Rowe from ESPN during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at MVP Arena on March 30, 2024 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Summitt is not only an icon in basketball, she’s an icon to sports people everywhere.
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Suffice it to say, Rowe is pretty justified in believing that it simply wouldn’t work with someone who didn’t appreciate her passion for one of her favorite sports people.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
