Rutgers women’s basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer announces her retirement.
C. Vivian Stringer, the face of the Rutgers women’s basketball program since 1995, announced her retirement on Saturday morning. The Hall of Fame basketball coach leaves behind a tremendous legacy of success.
A success that she in large part built with her vision and undeniable work ethic.
In times of adversity that affected her program from the outside, Stringer showed class and always defended her team.
Such was the level of respect that Stringer earned that early on in her Rutgers career players committed to play for her and not necessarily the university.
But make no mistake about it, despite the struggles last year in her absence, Stringer leaves behind a program at Rutgers that has a strong track record of success over the past two decades.
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In a statement released by Rutgers on Saturday morning, Stringer explained her decision:
“I am officially announcing my retirement,” said Stringer. “My life has been defined by coaching and I’ve been on this journey for over five decades. It is rare that someone gets to do what they love for this long and I have been fortunate to do that. I love Rutgers University for the incredible opportunity they offered me and the tremendous victories we achieved together. There’s always a soft spot in my heart for the University of Iowa and Dr. Christine Grant for giving me my first major coaching position, when me and my husband trusted her to move our family to Iowa. She was a strong believer in women’s rights and that’s a responsibility that I have championed and will continue to take up the fight for.
“After recently celebrating the first women’s Final Four team at Cheyney State University, where it all started, it sat with me that I have been at this for a long time. It is important to step aside and challenge others to step up and take this game forward. I am forever indebted to all the coaches who I worked beside. Some were former players, some were colleagues, but all were friends and family at the end of the day and were my most trusted relationships. To the young ladies that I was fortunate to have coached and mentored into the women and leaders of today, keep pushing the barriers, keep pushing for your spot at the table, and always know who you are.
“This was the hardest decision of my life, but I thank God he has allowed me to do the thing I love most. I am ready to start my new journey and spending more time with my family, children, and grandchildren. I am truly blessed to have had so many wonderful people in my life.”
She retires with 1,055 wins. Her time at Rutgers was the longest of her storied career.
Stringer did not coach this past season. Her assistant, Timothy Eatman, served as the interim head coach.
Four times she led Rutgers to the Final Four and three times they were Big East regular-season champions. In 2014, prior to their first season in the Big Ten, they won the WNIT.
Three times since joining the Big Ten the Scarlet Knights have made the NCAA Tournament.
As part of the celebration of her retirement, Rutgers announced that all basketball games at Jersey Mike’s Arena will be played at C. Vivian Stringer Court.
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