5 women’s college basketball coaches with most career wins in history ft. Tara VanDerveer
Several women's basketball coaches in the NCAA have achieved significant success and racked up numerous wins. Most of them have more than 20 years of coaching. Around 100 coaches have already achieved more than 600 coaching wins, while around six people have only reached the century mark.
Here's a closer look at the top five coaches with the most career wins in women's college basketball.
5 coaches with the most wins in women's college basketball history
#1. Tara VanDerveer, 1,216 wins
Tara VanDerveer currently stands as the winningest coach in NCAA basketball.
She became the most successful coach in Division I women's basketball history on Dec. 15, 2020, to record her 1,099th win. On Jan. 22, 2024, VanDerveer surpassed former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski with her 1,203rd career win, becoming the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history with 1,216 wins.
VanDerveer's long-time career with Stanford from 1985 was full of feats. She led the Cardinal to three NCAA championships and 13 Final Four appearances, with her most recent title in 2021.
VanDerveer was also a 10-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year. After over three decades in Stanford's program, she retired in 2024, leaving with five National Coach of the Year honors and Hall of Fame inductions to the Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She boasts a win percentage of .818, losing only 271 games.
#2. Geno Auriemma, 1,215 wins
As the head coach of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team since 1985, Geno Auriemma has led the Huskies to multiple national championships and 1,215 career wins, including 17 undefeated conference seasons.
The 70-year-old coach has guided UConn to 11 NCAA titles, 23 Final Four appearances and 27 conference tournaments. His 11 titles with UConn is a tournament record, surpassing John Wooden's 10 titles with UCLA in men's college basketball.
He also holds nine AP Coach of the Year, eight Naismith Coach of the Year and seven WBCA National Coach of the Year distinctions. He received the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2012 and has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
#3. Pat Summitt, 1,098 wins
Pat Summitt was the figurehead for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from 1974 to 2012, tallying 1,098 career wins. At the time of her retirement in 2012, she was the winningest women's basketball coach.
She led the Lady Volunteers to eight NCAA championships and 18 Final Four appearances. Throughout her 38-year career beginning in 1974, Summitt never had a losing season and broke numerous records.
Summitt’s accomplishments include five Naismith Coach of the Year awards, the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award, and the 2011 Sportswoman of the Year from Sports Illustrated. She was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
#4. Barbara Stevens, 1,058 wins
After taking head coaching stints in Clark and Massachusetts, Barbara Stevens became a notable coach of Bentley University in NCAA Division II. Over a career spanning from 1977 to 2020, she achieved a remarkable .784 winning percentage and 1,058 career victories.
Her analytical prowess earned the Bentley Falcons 33 trips to the postseason, 10 trips to the Fab Four and an undefeated 35-0 season en route to the 2014 NCAA Division II national championship.
Stevens was hailed Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year 16 times and was a five-time recipient of the WBCA National Division II Coach of the Year. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
#5. C. Vivian Stringer, 1,055 wins
Charlaine Vivian Stringer holds the record as the winningest African American women's college basketball coach in history, with 1,055 career wins.
She made NCAA history as the first coach to lead three women’s programs to the Final Four: Cheyney State College in 1982, Iowa in 1993 and Rutgers in 2000 and 2007.
Stringer retired in 2022 with a remarkable .712 winning percentage, losing only 426 games in her 50-year head coaching career. She has an award named after her too – the C. Vivian Stringer Coaching Award presented annually to a woman who has experienced outstanding achievement as a coach.