Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, 67, surpasses Pat Summitt for most Division I women’s basketball wins with 1,099

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11:06 p.m. ET

  • Mechelle VoepelESPN.com

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      Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports for espnW. Voepel started beating women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.

What it lacked in tension, it made up for in historical sense. Number 1 Stanford’s 104-61 win over Pacific on Tuesday was the 1099th of coach Tara VanDerveer’s career, earning her the most wins in the history of Division I women’s basketball.

She then got the game ball and then got a makeover nicknamed “T-Dawg” by her partying players.

“I’ve gotten so many messages from people. It was so exciting,” said VanDerveer. ‘It has been a great journey. I hope Pat Summitt looks down and says, “Good job, Tara. Keep it up. ”

VanDerveer passed the late Summitt, whose storied Tennessee career ended prematurely in 2012 after she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, the type of Alzheimer’s. Summitt, who had 1,098 wins in his career, died in 2016.

VanDerveer, 67, began her career as a college coach in Idaho in 1978, and took over at Stanford in 1985, where she took 947 of her victories. She has won two NCAA titles, progressed to 11 other Final Fours, won or shared 23 Pac-12 regular season titles, and has won 13 of the 19 league tournaments held.

She has coached some of the greatest players in the sport. These include Jennifer Azzi, who helped the Cardinal to their first NCAA title in 1990, four-time All-American Candice Wiggins, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, and a team that started 5-0 this year and looks set to have a strong final. to become. Four contender.

“Basketball has always been and always will be a great team sport,” said VanDerveer. “This may be a record that has the name of Tara VanDerveer next to it, but it’s about the athletic directors who hired me and gave me a chance. Great, great, great assistant coaches who worked extremely hard for our program. Great players. to have.

“I’ve never been the best player on a team I’ve ever played in. I don’t consider myself a John Wooden Jr. coach. But I’m determined, I work hard and I love this basketball game. And I love it. really enjoy coaching young women and helping them get better. “

Even though Stanford is undefeated, this season has seen its challenges. Because of the Santa Clara County COVID-19 protocol banning indoor activities, including contact sports, Stanford had to move to Las Vegas to practice and play two of its games so far. Sunday’s record win came against Cal in Berkeley. Tuesday’s win was in Stockton, California, with no fans.

VanDerveer said her focus is on her players and what’s next, although she appreciates the recognition.

VanDerveer, an East Coast resident who studied in Indiana and watched Bob Knight’s practices, has built the Cardinal into the West Coast’s crown jewel program. She has won 81.3% of her games with only 253 losses. In Pac-12 game, VanDerveer is 512-82 (86.2%). She would have come so much sooner, except she stepped down from Stanford’s Final Four season in 1995-96 to coach the U.S. national team, which won the 1996 Olympics.

It was no surprise that VanDerveer thought about Summitt right after Tuesday’s game. The coaches were born only one year apart: Summitt in June 1952 and VanDerveer in June 1953.

Summitt began her college coaching career in Tennessee in 1974, and VanDerveer started in Idaho in 1978. Their teams started a series in 1988, thanks to Azzis who was born in Tennessee, and the coaches met three times in the NCAA tournament, all won through Tennessee. .

VanDerveer said she improved by coaching against Summitt.

“She helped me with that by playing against her teams,” said VanDerveer. “Something I learned from Pat was just being passionate about the game. I study other people; I’m a copier. The importance of rebound, playing really hard – that’s what her teams did. They didn’t give up. They didn’t give up. op. were determined teams. “

UConn’s Geno Auriemma is not far behind VanDerveer; he took his 1,093rd victory in Seton Hall on Tuesday. Auriemma took over the Huskies the same year that VanDerveer took over the cardinal.

“I’ve been here since 1985. Tara is still at Stanford,” Auriemma said. “Is doing [the success] have anything to do with stability, being in one place for so long? And that Pat would be in one place for a long time? I think that has something to do with it.

‘Tara [has been] at a great school, a place where women’s athletics and women’s basketball are highly valued. The test of time – that is ultimately what seals your legacy: time. That’s a lot of games to coach, let alone win. “

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