Tara VanDerveer of the Stanford Cardinal now has more wins than any other Division I women’s basketball coach, even the legendary Pat Summitt, who coached the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer, with her No. 1 Cardinal defeating the Pacific Tigers 104-61 in Stockton, Calif., Tuesday night, earned her 1,099th win in NCAA Division I women’s basketball — surpassed the legendary Pat Summitt as the standalone winningest coach in NCAAW history.
VanDerveer began her Div. I coaching career at the University of Idaho in 1978 and spent two seasons leading the Vandals. She then coached for five years at the helm for the Ohio State Buckeyes before taking over at Stanford in 1985.
VanDerveer has been to 12 Final Fours and won two national championships with the Cardinal (1990, 1992). Her career winning percentage is 81.3.
Summitt coached the Tennessee Lady Volunteers from 1974 to 2012, winning 1,098 games. She was good friends with VanDerveer and played against her 29 times before retiring. Summitt passed away in 2016 after a battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The greatest.#TaraAtTheTop pic.twitter.com/SboiWxxElN
— Stanford Women’s Basketball (@StanfordWBB) December 16, 2020
1099.
Pat would be proud.
Congratulations, Coach VanDerveer! pic.twitter.com/T2R6hmVqCh
— Lady Vol Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) December 16, 2020