Monday, 03 February 2025

Tara VanDerveer

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Basketball
Statistics: 2 NCAA Division I Tournament Wins (1990 & 1992)
12 NCAA Division I Final Fours (1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 & 2017)
4 Big Ten Regular Season Championships (1982, 1983, 1984 & 1985)
22 Pac-10/12 Regular Season Championships (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014)
13 Pac-12 Tournament Wins (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 & 2019)
4 National Coach of the Year Awards (1988, 1989, 1990 & 2011)
10 Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year Awards (1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 & 2009)
2 Big Ten Coach of the Year Awards (1984 & 1985)
1 Olympic Gold Medal (1996)
1 Goodwill Games Gold Medal (1994)
1 FIBA World Championship Bronze Medal (1994)
1,088-250 NCAA Record
60-23 NCAA Tournament Record
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Beginning her head coaching career with Idaho, Tara Vanderveer spent two years with the Vandals before moving to the Big 10 with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Coaching at Ohio State for five years, VanDerveer did a good job, leading the Buckeyes to win four Big Ten Tournaments. A more significant challenge laid ahead for VanDerveer in Stanford, a school she joined in 1985 and is still there today.

Stanford was a struggling program before VanDerveer, and by year three, she brought them to the Sweet Sixteen. In 1990, VanDerveer brought Stanford to their first NCAA Championship, which they would repeat in 1992. In addition to the two titles, VanDerveer’s Cardinal reached the Final Four ten other times and won the Pac-10/Pac 12 25 times.

In 2021, VanDerveer became the first women’s head basketball coach in the NCAA to reach 1,100 wins, and the number is still growing.

Internationally, VanDerveer was the head coach for the United States women's team that won the 1996 Olympics and the 1994 Goodwill Games.

We are proud to nominate Tara VanDerveer for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

Back to List