Tara VanDerveer, winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, announces retirement

STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, the winningest coach in college basketball history, is retiring after 45 seasons, the university announced on Tuesday.

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VanDerveer, 70, who coached the Stanford women’s team for 38 seasons and led the Cardinal to three NCAA national championships, has 1,216 career victories the school announced in a news release.

She became college basketball’s winningest coach on Jan. 21, passing former Duke coach men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who finished his 42-year coaching career in 2019 with 1,202 wins, according to ESPN.

VanDerveer coached at Stanford from 1985 to 1995 and again from 1996 to 2024, winning national titles in 1990, 1992 and 2021. She took a year off in 1996 to lead the U.S. women’s national team to a gold medal at the Atlanta Summer Games, ESPN reported.

In 1996, VanDerveer took a year off from coaching at Stanford to lead the U.S. women’s national team to a gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics, which helped pave the way for the launch of the WNBA in 1997.

VanDerveer, who also coached at Idaho (1978-80) and Ohio State (1980 to 1985), led Stanford to the Final Four 14 times.

VanDerveer, who also coached at Idaho (1978-80) and Ohio State (1980 to 1985), led Stanford to the Final Four 14 times.

“Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career,” VanDerveer said in a statement. “I’ve been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world’s foremost institutions for nearly four decades. Coupled with my time at Ohio State and Idaho, and as head coach of the United States National Team, it has been an unforgettable ride.

“The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct. I’ve loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I’ve been able to give at least a little bit back.”

VanDerveer was a five-time national coach of the year and led the Cardinal to 15 Pac-12 championships.

She guided Stanford to 34 berths in the NCAA tournament, and is the only coach in NCAA history to win national titles 30 years apart, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

She will continue to work with the university and the athletic department in an advisory role, Stanford officials said.

“Tara’s name is synonymous with the sport and women’s basketball would not be what it is today without her pioneering work,” Bernard Muir, Stanford’s director of athletics, said in a statement. “She has been devoted to this campus for 40 years and a servant to all the student-athletes who have come through her program. Tara built one of the sport’s iconic programs almost immediately upon her arrival at Stanford, and then maintained that standard for nearly four decades.

“An energetic and positive teacher, a Hall of Famer, a trusted friend and mentor, Tara’s impact is simply unmatched, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to characterize her as one of the most influential people to ever be associated with this university. We will look forward to finding the appropriate ways to honor her deep impact and legacy here at Stanford.”

VanDerveer’s last day as coach will be May 9, the school said.

Negotiations are underway for Kate Paye, who played for VanDerveer from 1991 to 1995 and was her assistant for 17 seasons, to become her successor, school officials said.

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