Ann "Muffet" McGraw (née O'Brien; born December 5, 1955) is an American former college basketball coach, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, compiling a 848–252 (.771) record over 33 seasons.
 McGraw at the 2011 WBCA convention in Indianapolis | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1955 Pottsville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1974–1977 | Saint Joseph's |
| 1979–1980 | California Dreams |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977–1979 | Archbishop Carroll HS |
| 1980–1982 | Saint Joseph's (assistant) |
| 1982–1987 | Lehigh |
| 1987–2020 | Notre Dame |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 936–293 (.762) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2017 (profile) | |
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Career
editShe led her team to nine Final Fours (1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019), seven championship game appearances (2001, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019), and two National Championships in 2001 and 2018. McGraw was the sixth different Division I coach to win multiple NCAA titles, joining Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Linda Sharp, Tara VanDerveer and Kim Mulkey[1]
McGraw was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Saint Joseph's University and briefly played professionally for the California Dreams of the Women's Professional Basketball League. She coached at Archbishop Carroll HS from 1977 to 1979, and worked as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's from 1980 to 1982. From 1982 to 1987 she was head coach at Lehigh University where one of her notable players was Cathy Engelbert.[2] In addition to coaching basketball, McGraw was also Lehigh's softball coach from 1982 until 1985.[3]
She became head coach at Notre Dame in 1987. Between 1987 and 2020, McGraw led the Irish to 26 NCAA tournament appearances including a streak of 24 straight seasons from 1995 to 2019. During the current streak, Notre Dame made it to the second round in all but one of the appearances, including 7 championship game appearances. McGraw compiled 50 wins over ranked opponents, including 40 over the last 8 seasons. Her teams appeared in the AP poll 139 times during her tenure. Notre Dame finished in the Top 3 of the Big East in 9 out of the 11 seasons they were in the league and finished in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference in all 4 seasons since they entered the conference.
McGraw was awarded the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year award, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year and the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2001. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.[4][5][6][7] In 2016, the John R Wooden award committee recognized McGraw with the 2017 Legends of Coaching Award.[8]
She is the 27th coach in NCAA history to win over 500 career games, and is currently tied as the eighth head coach in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach 800 career wins. On April 1, 2018, McGraw achieved her 800th career victory at Notre Dame with a win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the National Championship game, her second national title with the Fighting Irish. On December 30, 2018, she notched her 900th career win against Lehigh, the team at which she began her collegiate coaching career in 1982.[9]
On April 22, 2020, McGraw announced that she was stepping down as the head coach of Notre Dame.[10]
Personal life
editShe married her husband, Matt McGraw, in October 1977 and together they have a son, Murphy. [11]
Awards and honors
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2020) |
- 2001 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year[12]
- 2001 – Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year[6]
- 2009 – Carol Eckman Award[13]
- 2011 – Women's Basketball Hall of Fame[7]
- 2013 – Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year[14]
- 2013 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year[14]
- 2013 – Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division I Coach of the Year[14]
- 2014 – espnW Coach of the Year[15]
- 2014 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year[16]
- 2014 – USBWA Coach of the Year [17]
- 2014 – Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year[6]
- 2016 – Legends of Coaching Award (2017)[8]
- 2017 – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame[18]
- 2018 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year
- 2023 – NCAA President's Pat Summitt Award[19]
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Engineers (East Coast Conference) (1982–1987) | |||||||||
| 1982–83 | Lehigh | 14–9 | |||||||
| 1983–84 | Lehigh | 13–9 | |||||||
| 1984–85 | Lehigh | 20–8 | |||||||
| 1985–86 | Lehigh | 24–4 | |||||||
| 1986–87 | Lehigh | 17–11 | |||||||
| Lehigh: | 88–41 (.682) | ||||||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (North Star Conference) (1987–1988) | |||||||||
| 1987–88 | Notre Dame | 20–8 | 7–3 | 2nd | |||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) (1988–1995) | |||||||||
| 1988–89 | Notre Dame | 21–11 | 12–2 | T-1st | WNIT Seventh Place | ||||
| 1989–90 | Notre Dame | 23–6 | 16–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1990–91 | Notre Dame | 23–9 | 15–1 | 1st | WNIT Eighth Place | ||||
| 1991–92 | Notre Dame | 14–17 | 8–4 | 2nd | NCAA first round | ||||
| 1992–93 | Notre Dame | 15–12 | 11–5 | T-2nd | |||||
| 1993–94 | Notre Dame | 22–7 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 1994–95 | Notre Dame | 21–10 | 15–1 | 1st | WNIT Third Place | ||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Big East Conference) (1995–2013) | |||||||||
| 1995–96 | Notre Dame | 23–8 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA second round | ||||
| 1996–97 | Notre Dame | 31–7 | 17–1 | 2nd | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1997–98 | Notre Dame | 22–10 | 12–6 | T-4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1998–99 | Notre Dame | 26–5 | 15–3 | 3rd | NCAA second round | ||||
| 1999–00 | Notre Dame | 27–5 | 15–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2000–01 | Notre Dame | 34–2 | 15–1 | T-1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2001–02 | Notre Dame | 20–10 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2002–03 | Notre Dame | 21–11 | 10–6 | T-5th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2003–04 | Notre Dame | 21–11 | 12–4 | T-2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2004–05 | Notre Dame | 27–6 | 13–3 | T-2nd | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2005–06 | Notre Dame | 18–12 | 8–8 | 10th | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2006–07 | Notre Dame | 20–12 | 10–6 | T-5th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2007–08 | Notre Dame | 25–9 | 11–5 | 4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2008–09 | Notre Dame | 22–9 | 10–6 | T-4th | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2009–10 | Notre Dame | 29–6 | 12–4 | T-4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2010–11 | Notre Dame | 31–8 | 13–3 | T-2nd | NCAA Runner-Up | ||||
| 2011–12 | Notre Dame | 35–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up | ||||
| 2012–13 | Notre Dame | 35–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2013–2020) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Notre Dame | 37–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up | ||||
| 2014–15 | Notre Dame | 36–3 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up | ||||
| 2015–16 | Notre Dame | 33–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2016–17 | Notre Dame | 33–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 2017–18 | Notre Dame | 35–3 | 15–1 | T-1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2018–19 | Notre Dame | 35–4 | 14–2 | T-1st | NCAA Runner-Up | ||||
| 2019–20 | Notre Dame | 13–18 | 8–10 | T-9th | |||||
| Notre Dame: | 848–252 (.771) | 425–97 (.814) | |||||||
| Total: | 936–292 (.762)[20] | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Muffet McGraw". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. May 9, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ "Lehigh alumna Cathy Engelbert '86 appointed first WNBA Commissioner," Lehigh University Athletics, Wednesday, May 15, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019
- ^ "Lehigh Softball Record Book" (PDF). January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Naismith College Coach of the Year". Atlanta Tipoff Club. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "USBWA WOMEN'S HONORS". USBWA. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Past Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coaches of the Year". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- ^ a b "Muffet McGraw". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 5, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b WNDU. "Muffet McGraw Named 2017 Wooden Legends of Coaching Award Recipient". Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ "Ogunbowale scores 23 as Notre Dame's McGraw wins 900th". ESPN. December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (April 22, 2020). "Muffet McGraw steps down as women's basketball coach at Notre Dame". ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Coach Muffet McGraw and her husband share their love story". ABC57.
- ^ "Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw is AP Coach of the Year". AP.
- ^ "Carol Eckman Award". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Muffet McGraw Sweeps National Coach Of The Year Honors". Notre Dame Athletics. April 9, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Michelle (March 14, 2014). "Stewart is espnW player of the year". ESPN. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
- ^ "Breanna Stewart wins as sophomore". ESPN. April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. BASKETBALL WRITERS AWARDS". U.S. Basketball Writers Association. March 31, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ^ "Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw's road to Basketball Hall of Fame included plenty of twists". Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ "Convention". NCAA.org.
- ^ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
External links
edit- "Muffet McGraw – University of Notre Dame Official Athletics Site". University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2011.