Who are the longest tenured head coaches in women's college basketball history?
We recently examined the men's NCAA head coaches with the most job security. Next, let's evaluate the women's NCAA head coaches who remained with one school for several decades.
Andy Yosinoff, 47 seasons at Emmanuel (1977-78 to present)
Yosinoff has been a staple at Emmanuel -- a small private Catholic college in Boston -- since 1977. He's the longest tenured active college basketball coach (men or women's), and he's one of just 10 women's NCAA head coaches to win 900 career games. Yosinoff has led Emmanuel to the NCAA tournament 21 times, including a Final Four run in 2001. Yosinoff also served as the school's director of athletics for 17 years. Yosinoff earned the Red Auerbach Coach of the Year Award in 2012 and was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Tara VanDerveer, 46 seasons at Stanford (1985-86 to present)
VanDerveer has the most wins of any head coach in NCAA history, men's or women's, and her three national championships are the fourth most among women's NCAA head coaches. After stints at Idaho and Ohio State, she became Stanford's head coach in 1985. Aside from a one-year hiatus during the 1995-96 season to coach Team USA to a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics, VanDerveer has been Stanford's head coach ever since. In January, VanDerveer told ESPN: "I evaluate [my future] every year. I'm in the second year of a four-year contract, and it's a great contract. I feel very supported at Stanford. I love what I'm doing."
Barbara Stevens, 44 seasons at Bentley (1986-87 to 2019-20)
After stints at Clark University and Massachusetts, Stevens was hired by Bentley in 1986. She's one of six NCAA women's basketball head coaches with at least 1,000 career victories, and she led the Falcons to a Division II national championship in 2014. Stevens is a five-time WBCA National D-II Coach of the Year (1992, 1999, 2001, 2013 and 2014). Stevens was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Sylvia Hatchell, 43 seasons at North Carolina (1986-87 to 2018-19)
Hatchell is also in the exclusive 1,000-win club. Her 43-season tenure with the Tar Heels included a national championship in 1994 and three Final Four appearances. She was a two-time National Coach of the Year (in 1994 and 2006) and three-time ACC Coach of the Year (in 1997, 2006 and 2008). She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Yvonne Kauffman, 42 seasons at Elizabethtown (1970-71 to 2011-12)
Kauffman was one of the most successful coaches in Division III history, making her mark across multiple sports. She coached women's basketball, field hockey and tennis at Elizabethtown, while also serving as a physical education professor. She racked up 1,143 wins across the three sports and led the basketball team to D-III championships in 1982 and 1989.
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