Tara VanDerveer: Hall of Famer Reaches Astounding 900 Wins

By Jobs & Hire Staff Reporter | Nov 28, 2013 01:05 PM EST

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Inspirational coach, Tara VanDerveer becomes the fifth women's coach to garner the pivotal 900th win with an 83-59 Stanford victory over Florida Gulf last November 27, 2013. This Hall of Famer reached the milestone after taking the head coach position at Standford in 1985.

This amazing woman holds a 900-204 record in the entirety of her career. Tara VanDerveer, now 60, joins the ranks of Pat Summitt, C. Vivian Stringer, Jody Conradt and Sylvia Hatchell, all with 900 wins under their belts. It wasn't that long ago that Tara collected 800 wins. In 2010, she reached her 800th victory and followed it up with another hundred only three years later. The all-time record for most wins belongs to Summitt with 1,098 victories in the course of her career. VanDerveer hopes to one day achieve the same and with a contract extension that could allow her to coach until she is ready to retire, the prospect of 200 more wins seems possible.

The fateful game against the Eagles was led by Chiney Ogwumike with 27 points and Mikaela Ruef with 14 points. Both players have been under coach VanDerveer since the beginning, having even played in her 800th win.

Though not an easy career at the start, Tara VanDerveer preserved to get to where she is today. Her coaching days began as a volunteer coach for the junior varsity team at Ohio State. It wasn't long before her talent shone through, leading the Buckeyes to an 8-0 season. VanDerveer once again showed her mettle as she coached the 1996 USA basketball women's national team through the Olympics. She developed a formidable team as their record 60-0 won them the gold medal that year. Truly, this milestone event only cements what is already known about Tara VanDerveer - that she is an uniquely talented and hardworking coach deserving of a place in the Hall of Fame.

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