Debbie Ryan
Debbie Ryan (born November 4, 1952) is a former women's basketball coach who coached at the University of Virginia. Ryan also coached the American women's basketball team at the 2003 Pan American Games. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2000 but is currently in remission. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. Ryan was also inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Debbie Ryan in 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Biographical details | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | November 4, 1952 Titusville, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1975 | Ursinus | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–2011 | Virginia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall | 739–324 (.695) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowls | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tournaments | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3× NCAA Regional—Final Four (1990, 1991, 1992) 11× ACC regular season champion (1984, 1986–1988, 1991–1996, 2000) 3× ACC tournament champion (1990, 1992, 1993) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7× ACC Coach of the Year (1984, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2000) Naismith College Coach of the Year (1991) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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The US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) awarded her the Coach of the Year award in 1991. She was also named the Naismith College Coach of the Year.
Ryan started as an assistant coach at Virginia under head coach Dan Bonner. In 1977, Ryan, who had recently completed graduate school in Virginia, was asked to become the head coach of the women's basketball program. She accepted, to become only the third head coach in the program's history. Ryan resigned after 34 years of head coaching duties at UVA at the completion the women's 2010–11 basketball season. After her resignation, Ryan was a volunteer assistant coach of Seattle Storm for the 2011 WNBA season, reuniting with her former player Jenny Boucek, who is an assistant coach there. In 2014, Ryan was honored as one of the Library of Virginia's "Virginia Women in History" for her contributions to women's basketball and her actions as a cancer treatment advocate.