November 1, 2021
Notre Dame to recognize Muffet McGraw’s legendary career
By Tee Baker
McGraw will be the seventh inductee into the Notre Dame Athletics Ring of Honor from the women's basketball program
Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw will be inducted into the University of Notre Dame Athletics Ring of Honor, the school announced today. The Ring of Honor was established in 2010 to honor the accomplishments of former and current members of Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s basketball programs. McGraw stepped down as head coach of the Fighting Irish women’s basketball team on April 22, 2020.
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McGraw’s resume is elite. In her 33 seasons as head coach of Notre Dame, she had an astounding record of 848-252, good for a 77.1% winning percentage. With 936 career wins spanning her 38 season career, McGraw ranks sixth all-time in wins among Division-I head coaches.
The three-time consensus National Coach of the Year (2001, 2013 and 2014) led the Fighting Irish to nine NCAA Women’s Final Four appearances. And two NCAA National Championships (2001 and 2018). Muffet also led her Irish teams to 14 regular-season conference titles and 11 conference tournament championships.
“She is legendary, she is excellent and she deserves to be celebrated for all of her accomplishments on and off the floor. She is a force and inspiration to all women,” said current Notre Dame head coach and former Irish star Niele Ivey in a statement. “I’ve always admired her strength and ability to strive for excellence in her career while balancing motherhood. I’m so grateful that I have learned and been mentored by her as both a player and coach. I am forever grateful for what she’s done for me and what she’s done for Notre Dame women’s basketball. I’m so proud to be a part of her legacy and excited to continue to follow in her footsteps.”
Dear @MuffetMcGraw, it's your turn next for the Ring of Honor.
🔗: https://t.co/C3vX8jLkzz#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/WnwxUpYUrz
— Notre Dame WBB (@ndwbb) November 1, 2021
McGraw will be the seventh inductee into the Ring of Honor from the women’s basketball program. She joins current WNBA players Natalie Achonwa, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Kayla McBride as well as former players Beth Cunningham, Niele Ivey and Ruth Riley.
“Any honor I receive is thanks to all the amazing women I’ve had the pleasure of coaching, and working alongside over the past 33 years,” Coach McGraw said in a statement. “It’s been a privilege to coach in front of the best fans in basketball. The Ring of Honor is a chance to reflect on some great memories with the people who helped make them some of the best times of my life. The thing that makes this really special is sharing it with the people I care about. I hope our fans will join me for one last celebration of what we accomplished together.”
Notre Dame will recognize McGraw with a Ring of Honor ceremony before Notre Dame’s home matchup against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Dec. 12.
Written by Tee Baker
Tee has been a contributor to The Next since March Madness 2021 and is currently a contributing editor, BIG EAST beat reporter and curator of historical deep dives.
