Debbie Ryan Biography

720-308 (33 yrs.) Career and Virginia Record

Consistency is the mark of a winner. In her 33 years at the helm of the Virginia women's basketball program, Debbie Ryan has recorded 20 or more wins in a season 23 times and 30 or more twice en route to 24 NCAA Tournament appearances and three consecutive Final Four berths from 1990-92.

In the season-opening game of the 2009-10 season, Ryan reached the 700-win milestone with a victory at UMBC. Only six other active coaches have reached that mark - Pat Summitt (Tennessee), C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers), Sylvia Hatchell (North Carolina), Tara VanDerveer (Stanford), Robin Selvig (Montana) and Andy Landers (Georgia).

The Cavaliers ended that season with a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and Monica Wright was named a consensus first team All-American.

In July of 2008, Ryan was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 10th anniversary class.

"I am humbled and honored to be named to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame," Ryan said after the announcement. "My life has been blessed with tremendous players, coaches, staff members and administrators over the years who have supported me and share equally in this honor. I am very thankful and fortunate to be able to represent the University of Virginia and my entire family in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. This is a proud moment for all of us."

The 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons were her 31st and 32nd at UVa, as Ryan's Cavaliers enjoyed their second and third seasons in their state-of-the-art home, John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia returned to the national rankings and competed in two-straight NCAA Tournaments.

Ryan is the architect behind UVa's rise to prominence in the 1990s, and she has maintained that level of excellence. No other team in the ACC has been ranked in the AP and USA Today polls more total weeks or consecutive weeks than the Cavaliers. And only a few teams across the nation can match the level of success that the Cavaliers have experienced in NCAA competition. Her teams have been to 24 NCAA Tournaments, second only to Tennessee and Louisiana Tech. She directed UVa to three consecutive Final Four appearances in the 1990s and has consistently had the Cavaliers in contention for a national title.

When she won her 450th career game on Jan. 11, 1997 at N.C. State, she reached the 450-win milestone in only her 600th game, faster than any other men's or women's coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She was the first ACC coach to record 200 wins in league competition. In conference action, Ryan has a record of 302-149.

Other measures of Ryan's success include 12 appearances in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, including 11 straight years (1987-97), three Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament titles, three straight Final Four appearances, the 1990 and 1992 East Regional titles, the 1991 Midwest Regional title, and 11 ACC regular-season crowns.

She was selected as the Naismith Coach of the Year in 1991 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, and has won the ACC Coach of the Year award seven times. She was named the Converse District III Coach of the Year and 2000 IKON/WBCA District III Coach of the Year and earned state-wide recognition as the Virginia state Coach of the Year four times.

Ryan gives credit for many of her personal awards to the incredible players who have come through the Virginia program. Ryan has recruited and developed players such as Val Ackerman, Cathy Grimes, Donna Holt, Dawn Staley, Tonya Cardoza, Heather and Heidi Burge, Tammi Reiss, Dena Evans, Wendy Palmer, Tora Suber and Monica Wright. Players under Ryan's guidance have won 33 All-America honors, 17 Academic All-America honors, sevenACC Player of the Year awards, and 61 All-Conference awards. Virginia also has the most three-time All-ACC first team selections (Dawn Staley, Donna Holt, and Wendy Palmer).

In addition to the accomplishments on the court, alumni of Ryan's program have gone on to successful careers in medicine, law, engineering, business and coaching.

Ryan's success does not end at the college level.

In April 2010, she was the co-coach of USA Basketball Women's Select Team along with former Cavalier Dawn Staley.

"It's always a great honor to be included with USA Basketball in any way," said Ryan at the time of the announcement. "I think the world of the program and I've always been very, very proud to say that I've been able to coach for USA Basketball in my career."

The 2010 USA Select Team coaching assignment was Ryan's sixth USA Basketball head coaching nod. Most recently Ryan headed the 2003 USA Pan American Games Team, a squad comprised on the nation's top collegiate players. Ryan and the U.S. posted a 5-2 slate and earned the silver medal.

She was also the head coach for the 2001 USA World University Games Team that won the gold medal, finished in seventh place at the 1989 U19 World Championship, earned a gold medal at the 1988 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and began her USA Basketball coaching career at the helm of the gold medal winning 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival West Team.

For her efforts at the 2001 World University Games, which included a hard-fought 87-69 gold medal victory against host China, Ryan earned USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year honors. In addition to her USA Basketball coaching stints, Ryan served as a member of the USA Basketball Games Committee for Women and the USA Basketball Women's Player Subcommittee during the 1988-1992 quadrennium, helping to select athletes for numerous competitions including the 1990 World Championship and 1992 Olympic teams.

She is not only recognized within the coaching ranks, but also in the state-wide community. On Feb. 18, 1997, Ryan was honored by the Virginia General Assembly for her success and on February 5, 1991, Ryan was named the Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Virginia Women's Forum.

Ryan is also a Nike Advisory coach and has been speaking for Nike for more than 20 years. She is the author of three books, Virginia Defense, Virginia Summer Development Program, and Women's Basketball Drills- Conditioning.

She played collegiate basketball at Ursinus College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in physical education in 1975. Ryan received her master's degree in physical education from UVa while working as an assistant basketball and field hockey coach. She was named head women's basketball coach in 1977.

Ryan holds her own basketball camp at Virginia each summer and is a regular speaker at camps and clinics across the country.

RYAN BY THE NUMBERS
28 Postseason Tournament Appearances
20 Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances (1984-2003)
12 Trips to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen
7 Trips to the NCAA Final Eight
3 Trips to the Final Four
1 Trip to the NCAA Championship Game

RYAN'S MILESTONES
700
Nov. 13, 2009
Virginia def. UMBC, 68-57
at Baltimore, Md.

600
Dec. 29, 2004
Virginia def. James Madison 98-52
at Charlottesville, Va.

500
Feb. 21, 1999
Virginia def. Florida State 73-55
at Charlottesville, Va.

400
Jan. 25, 1995
Virginia def. Maryland 82-48
at College Park, Md.

300
Mar. 23, 1991
Virginia def. Lamar 85-70
at Austin, Texas

200
Dec. 28, 1987
Virginia def. Miami (Fla.) 78-69
at Miami, Fla.

100
Nov. 29, 1983
Virginia def. Duke 72-58
at Durham, N.C.

First Win
Nov. 28, 1977
Virginia def. Virginia Union 54-48
at Charlottesville, Va.

RYAN'S HEAD COACHING RECORD