Tara VanDerveer, the legendary Stanford women’s basketball coach, announced her retirement after an incredible 45-year career. With 1,216 victories, she is the winningest coach in NCAA history, surpassing even Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
Throughout her career, VanDerveer has been a mentor and friend to many coaches, including Dawn Staley, Cori Close, Lindsay Gottlieb, Charmin Smith, Charli Turner Thorne, and her successor, Kate Paye. She often went out of her way to help her rivals, offering game plans and support when their teams advanced further than her own in the NCAA Tournament.
“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.”
VanDerveer’s Stanford teams won three NCAA titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and reached the Final Four 14 times. She also took a year off to coach the U.S. women’s Olympic team to a gold medal in 1996.
Her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and her legacy will continue through the countless coaches she has mentored and inspired. As Gottlieb noted, VanDerveer’s actions have shaped the way coaches treat opponents and each other.
VanDerveer expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to coach at Stanford for nearly four decades and to have been a part of the game she’s loved since childhood. Her retirement, effective May 8, marks the end of an era, but her influence on women’s basketball will endure for generations to come.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.