In the 2024 NCAA women's basketball championship, South Carolina beat Iowa to take home the title. Adding a third championship to her belt, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley now joins an elite group of the winningest coaches in women's basketball history. Who else is on the list?
GENO AURIEMMA, 11 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Auriemma has the most NCAA tournament championships of any head coach, beating out John Wooden's 10 titles in men's college basketball. He has been the Connecticut Huskies' head coach since 1985, leading UConn to 11 national championships and 23 Final Four appearances. Before Auriemma, UConn had just one winning season in the program's history. Most recently, he led UConn to back-to-back-to-back-to-back titles from 2013 to 2016. Auriemma is a nine-time AP Coach of the Year, eight-time Naismith Coach of the Year, seven-time WBCA National Coach of the Year and winner of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. He has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Auriemma has also coached Team USA to three Olympic gold medals.
PAT SUMMITT, 8 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Summitt spent her entire coaching career leading the Tennessee Lady Vols. From 1974 to 2012, she guided them to eight national championships and 18 Final Four appearances. She has won the third-most games in Division I women's college basketball history. Summitt is a five-time Naismith Coach of the Year, a winner of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award and Sports Illustrated's 2011 Sportswoman of the Year. She was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, and she was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame (as a player). Summitt also coached Team USA to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.
KIM MULKEY, 4 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Across 23 years at Baylor and LSU, Mulkey has won four national championships (3 at Baylor and 1 at LSU) and led her teams to five Final Four appearances. She's a three-time AP College Basketball Coach of the Year, three-time USBWA National Coach of the Year and two-time WBCA National Coach of the Year. She has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
TARA VANDERVEER, 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS
VanDerveer currently has the most wins of any head coach -- men's or women's -- in NCAA history. After stints at Idaho and Ohio State, she took over as Stanford's head coach in 1985. In April 2024, Stanford announced that VanDerveer was retiring. During her coaching tenure, she led the Cardinal to three national championships and 13 Final Four appearances while winning five National College Coach of the Year Awards and the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. She has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. VanDerveer also coached Team USA to a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics.
DAWN STALEY, 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hired by South Carolina in 2008, Staley has transformed the Gamecocks program into a juggernaut of excellence. After 16 seasons, Staley has secured three national championships, six Final Four appearances, and seven 30-win seasons, among other achievements. During her tenure with South Carolina, Staley has been named National Coach of the Year five times. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame solidified her coaching legacy with her enshrinement as part of the Class of 2013. Staley was also inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012. Apart from college basketball, Staley was the U.S. Women's National Team head coach from 2017 to 2021, leading the U.S. to the 2018 FIBA World Cup gold.
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