Stanford’s women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer surpassed the all-time wins record for NCAA competition on Sunday with a 65-66 win over visiting Oregon.
VanDerveer now has 1,203 wins, beating out the previous record held by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
Krzyzewski had held the record since 2011. He retired in 2022 after 42 years coaching for Army and Duke. He was on hand at Stanford to offer congratulations to VanDerveer for the momentous milestone.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball,” Krzyzewski said in the statement. “This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy.”
The arena at Stanford erupted in cheers of “Tara! Tara!” following the emotional victory. Numerous past stars attended the game, including some of the stars from her time coaching the U.S. Women’s Olympic squad that competed in 1995-1996. That team won the gold and was credited for sparking interest in women’s basketball.
“It’s really special to win the game and have you all here to celebrate,” VanDerveer said. “I just love how our team battled. How about Kiki?!”
VanDerveer was referencing Kiki Iriafen, who posted a career-best 36 points in the win.
Iriafen said the team pulled together to get the win at home for VanDerveer.
“I’m super honored to be here, super honored to play for her, and super happy we got the W for Tara,” Iriafen said.
VanDerveer began her coaching career at Idaho, where she posted a 42-14 record in two seasons. She then departed for Ohio State, posting a 110-37 record in five seasons. She has been with Stanford ever since and led the Cardinals to National Championship titles in 1990, 1992, and 2021. Her record at The Farm is even more impressive, tallying 1,051-216.
“I like to say that I’ve never felt that coaching basketball was a j-o-b job,” VanDerveer said. “I can’t wait to come into the gym. I love coming to practice, love coming to the games, and it’s fun. I get to wear sneakers to practice and the games, and all of you, our fans, are so fantastic.”
Stanford is currently leading the Pac-12 with a 17-2 record and is ranked No.8 nationally. The next opportunity for the Cardinals to extend VanDerveer’s NCAA wins record comes Friday, January 26, with an away game against the Arizona Sun Devils.
