It’s the end of an era. After 38 seasons with Stanford, the NCAA’s winningest coach of all time has retired.
Her retirement was announced on April 9, 2024, and a formal press conference was held the following day.
Where it All Started
Even though Vanderveer is known for coaching Stanford for almost four decades, it was not her first coaching job.
Her first coaching job was at Ohio State as an assistant coach for two years. In 1978, she got her first head coaching job at the University of Idaho in Moscow.
Her stint with Idaho lasted for two years, in which she led them to 42 wins and an appearance in the AIAW National Division II tournament.
She returned to Ohio State in 1980 and coached there for five seasons. In those five seasons, she led them to three NCAA tournaments as well as recording a total of 110 wins to just 37 losses.
Turning Stanford Around
Before Vanderveer’s arrival, the Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball program had seen better days. They were lucky if any fans showed up to the games.
On May 8, 1985, Stanford hired Vanderveer to be their head coach. Her first two seasons were a challenge since it was the first time she finished with a losing record.
The program’s turnaround began in her third season when she led the team to the NCAA tournament in 1988 where they made it to the Sweet 16. From that moment forward, Stanford never missed the tournament.
Vanderveer led the program to its first NCAA title in 1990, where they finished with a 32-1 record. The program won its second title two years later, followed by many more NCAA tournament appearances.
In 2002, Vanderveer was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2011, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Stanford won its third title in 2021, over thirty years after the second championship. Throughout Vanderveer’s tenure with the program, Stanford never finished lower than the third seed. It is safe to say that they owned the Pac-10/Pac-12 conference.
Leaving a Legacy Behind
Some of the notable current/former WNBA players Tara Vanderveer has coached includes Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, Candace Wiggins, Jennifer Azzi, Nicole Powell, Jayne Appel, Kate Starbird, Kayla Pedersen, Haley Jones, Lexie Hull and Val Whiting.
She also coached the likes of Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Ruthie Bolton, Nikki McCray, and Katrina McClain on the USA Basketball team.
The very last team she coached featured Cameron Brink, who is expected to be taken in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft.
She retires with 1,216 career wins, which is the most by a college for both men and women. She is one of six coaches to reach the 1,000 career win mark.
Her successor will be assistant coach Kate Paye, who has been a longtime member of her coaching staff as well as one of her former players.
Photo Courtesy: @StanfordWBB/X
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