Rutgers Hall of Fame Women’s Basketball Coach C. Vivian Stringer announces retirement after 50 seasons

Legendary women’s basketball pioneer C. Vivian Stringer will retire after 50 years and 1,055 wins as head coach, she announced Saturday.

Stringer, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, has guided her teams to 28 NCAA appearances and 4 Finals during her career at Cheyney State, Iowa and most recently Rutgers.

Stringer’s retirement will take effect September 1.

“My life is defined by coaching and I’ve been on this journey for over five decades. It’s rare that someone gets to do what they love for so long and I’ve been lucky enough to do it. there,” Stringer said in a press release. . “Recently, after celebrating the first women’s Finals team at Cheyney State University, where it all began, I feel that I’ve been in this position for a long time. It’s important to step into a new position. party and challenge others to step up and carry this game forward.

“This has been the hardest decision of my life, but I thank God for allowing me to do what I love most. I’m ready to start a new journey and spend more time with my family, my children and grandchildren. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.”

The school said a nationwide search for Stringer’s replacement would begin immediately.

Stringer, 74, is fourth all-time in Division I women’s basketball wins, joining the likes of Tara VanDerveer, Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma with more than 1,000 wins, and she is the first black coach in the men’s or women’s events reach that threshold. She was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Stringer has been on paid leave from Rutgers since April 2021, shortly after signing a five-year contract, with head coach Tim Eatman associate serving as head coach since. While the team initially said her resignation stemmed from a fear of contracting COVID-19 and passing it on to her daughter, who has spinal meningitis, the university denied that characterization. but did not clarify the reason behind her absence, by Asbury Park Press. The university said Saturday that Stringer will be paid $872,988 in a retirement arrangement.

The Rutgers have won 11-20, including 3-14 against the Big Ten, this season.

Stringer is the first boys or girls basketball coach to guide three different programs to the Finals, bringing national relevance to each of the schools she touches. She led Cheyney, a historic black college where she coached from 1971 to 1983, to her first NCAA championship game in 1982, when the Wolves fell to Louisiana Tech. At Iowa (1983-1995), she turned the Hawkeyes, who had won just seven games the season before her arrival, into a powerhouse, sending them into their first national semifinal in 1993. Along the way, Stringer won her first women’s championship trophy. Advanced basketball ticket sales at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It didn’t take long for her to repeat similar levels of success after assuming a leadership position in Piscataway, New Jersey, in 1995. Rutgers made it to the First Finals in 2000 as well as the game. played the national title in 2007, in which it failed to reach Tennessee. Stringer took the Scarlet Knights to 10 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2003 to 2012, and guided them to win the WNIT title in 2014. Behind her teams’ unyielding defense of the brand, Her 37 20-win seasons, the last of which she won in 2019-20, are the most in NCAA history.

“I love Rutgers University for the incredible opportunity they have given me and the huge victories we have achieved together,” said Stringer. “The University of Iowa has always had a soft spot in my heart and Dr. Christine Grant for making me my first head coach, when my husband and I trusted her to move our family. came to Iowa. She was a strong believer in women’s rights and that is a responsibility that I have championed and will continue to fight for.”

Stringer also helped produce 21 WNBA draft picks, including Sue Wicks, Cappie Pondexter and Essence Carson as well as current players. Kia Vaughn, Epiphany Prince, Erica Wheeler (who is not outlined), Betnijah Laneyreigning MVP of the WNBA Finals Kahleah coin and Arella Guirantes.

Stringer said: “To the young girls I’ve been fortunate to have coached and mentored into the women and leaders of today, continue to push through barriers, continue to advance your place at the table. and always know who you are.

“Coach Stringer thank you for elevating our game,” tweeted South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who earlier this month became the first black basketball coach to win multiple honors. Division I national badge. “Strength from your shoulders allows us to stand taller. We will forever hold your legacy in our hearts. Thank you Coach Stringer.”

Among Stringer’s other accolades, she’s three-time national coach of the year and four-time conference coach of the year, twice in the Big Ten and twice in the Big East. She was also an assistant to the 2004 Olympic gold medal winning team in Athens.

Rutgers said the pitch at Jersey Mike’s Arena will be renamed after the coach.