Nancy Fahey
Nancy Fahey (born November 3, 1958)[1] is the current head women's basketball coach at the University of Illinois. Previously, she served as head coach at Washington University in St. Louis. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where she played college basketball.[2] Fahey was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | Illinois |
Conference | Big Ten |
Record | 32–62 (.340) |
Biographical details | |
Born | Belleville, Wisconsin | November 3, 1958
Playing career | |
1977–1981 | Wisconsin |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1982–1986 | Johnsburg HS |
1986–2017 | Washington (MO) |
2017–present | Illinois |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 769–195 (.798) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
| |
Awards | |
| |
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame |
Coaching career
Johnsburg High School
Fahey began her coaching career shortly after graduating from Wisconsin. She was hired as the girls' basketball coach at Johnsburg High School in 1982.[3] Her final two years at the program, she led the Lady Skyhawks to 20-win seasons and regional championships both years.[4]
Washington University
In 1986, Fahey was named as head women's basketball coach at Washington University. She found some success in her first season, going 16-5. The school joined in the newly-created University Athletic Association and competition started in the 1987-1988 season.[5] Washington won the first three and seven of the first eight UAA championships, making the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament seven of eight years as well.[2] In 1991, despite finishing second in the UAA, Fahey made her first NCAA Tournament run, finishing in fourth place after losing in the Final Four to St. Thomas and the third-place game to Eastern Connecticut.[6] In 1994, the Bears made another deep run into the tournament, this time making the championship game before losing to Capital University.[7]
The 1997-98 season began a new era for Fahey. The Bears went 28-2, winning the national championship over Southern Maine 77-69.[8] The next season, they went an undefeated 30-0, winning the national championship over Saint Benedict 74-65.[9] The next year was much of the same, going 30-0 once again and winning a third straight national championship, this time once again over Southern Maine 79-33.[10] In 2000-01, the team failed to go undefeated, but finished at 28-2 and won their fourth straight national championship over Messiah College 67-45.[11]
Washington won the UAA conference every year from 1997-98 to 2006-07, again going to the national championship game in 2007. However, they lost to DePauw 55-52.[12] The 2007-08 season was the first time the Bears failed to win 20 games in a season since the national championship run, going 19-8 and finishing second in the conference. However, they rebounded the next year, going 26-5 and losing the national championship game to George Fox University 60-53.[13] In 2009-10, the Bears made their fifth national championship run, this time finishing the season at 29-2 and defeating Hope College 65-59 to take home the title.[14] The following year, despite finishing second in the UAA, the team went to the national championship game for the third consecutive year, losing to Amherst 64-55.[15]
Over the next seven seasons, Fahey would lead Washington University to another four conference championships and advance to the quarterfinals twice (in 2015-16 and 2016–17).
After winning her fifth national championship, Fahey became the first NCAA Division III coach to be admitted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2012.[16]
University of Illinois
On March 22, 2017, Fahey was named as head women's basketball coach at the University of Illinois, following former Washington University athletic director Josh Whitman to the school after he left for Illinois the previous year.[17]
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington University Bears (Independent) (1986–1987) | |||||||||
1986–87 | Washington University | 16–5 | |||||||
Washington University Bears (University Athletic Association) (1987–2017) | |||||||||
1987–88 | Washington University | 21–5 | 5–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 2nd Round | ||||
1988–89 | Washington University | 19–6 | 9–3 | 1st | |||||
1989–90 | Washington University | 25–3 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA D3 1st Round | ||||
1990–91 | Washington University | 24–7 | 11–3 | 2nd | NCAA D3 4th Place | ||||
1991–92 | Washington University | 22–5 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 1st Round | ||||
1992–93 | Washington University | 22–4 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 1st Round | ||||
1993–94 | Washington University | 26–4 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 Runner–Up | ||||
1994–95 | Washington University | 20–7 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 1st Round | ||||
1995–96 | Washington University | 22–6 | 12–2 | 2nd | NCAA D3 1st Round | ||||
1996–97 | Washington University | 19–7 | 10–4 | 3rd | NCAA D3 1st Round | ||||
1997–98 | Washington University | 28–2 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 National Champions | ||||
1998–99 | Washington University | 30–0 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA D3 National Champions | ||||
1999–00 | Washington University | 30–0 | 15–0 | 1st | NCAA D3 National Champions | ||||
2000–01 | Washington University | 28–2 | 14–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 National Champions | ||||
2001–02 | Washington University | 25–1 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA D3 2nd Round | ||||
2002–03 | Washington University | 26–2 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 Quarterfinals | ||||
2003–04 | Washington University | 22–5 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA D3 Sweet 16 | ||||
2004–05 | Washington University | 22–5 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA D3 2nd Round | ||||
2005–06 | Washington University | 25–3 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 Sweet 16 | ||||
2006–07 | Washington University | 25–6 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 Runner–Up | ||||
2007–08 | Washington University | 19–8 | 10–4 | 2nd | NCAA D3 2nd Round | ||||
2008–09 | Washington University | 26–5 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 Runner–Up | ||||
2009–10 | Washington University | 29–2 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 National Champions | ||||
2010–11 | Washington University | 25–6 | 11–3 | 2nd | NCAA D3 Runner–Up | ||||
2011–12 | Washington University | 21–6 | 10–4 | 2nd | NCAA D3 2nd Round | ||||
2012–13 | Washington University | 22–6 | 10–4 | 3rd | NCAA D3 Sweet 16 | ||||
2013–14 | Washington University | 24–3 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA D3 2nd Round | ||||
2014–15 | Washington University | 25–3 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 Sweet 16 | ||||
2015–16 | Washington University | 23–6 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA D3 Quarterfinals | ||||
2016–17 | Washington University | 26–3 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA D3 Quarterfinals | ||||
Washington University: | 737–133 (.847) | 355–58 (.860) | |||||||
Illinois Fighting Illini (Big Ten Conference) (2017–present) | |||||||||
2017–18 | Illinois | 9–22 (.290) | 0–16 (.000) | 14th | |||||
2018–19 | Illinois | 10–20 (.333) | 2–16 (.111) | 14th | |||||
2019–20 | Illinois | 11–16 (.407) | 2–14 (.125) | 13th | |||||
2020–21 | Illinois | 2–7 (.222) | 0–6 (.000) | ||||||
Illinois: | 32–65 (.330) | 4–52 (.071) | |||||||
Total: | 769–198 (.795) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- "Washington University Bio". Washington University. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- Johnsburg Girls Basketball Coach History
- Nancy Fahey Named Illinois Women's Basketball Coach
- UAA Historical Background
- 1991 D3 Women's Tournament
- 1994 D3 Women's Tournament
- 1998 D3 Women's Tournament
- 1999 D3 Women's Tournament
- 2000 D3 Women's Tournament
- 2001 D3 Women's Tournament
- 2007 D3 Women's Tournament
- 2009 D3 Women's Tournament
- 2010 D3 Women's Tournament
- 2011 D3 Women's Tournament
- WBHOF Fahey Profile
- Fahey Named Head Women's Basketball Coach
- All–time Division III women's basketball champions