Sept. 10, 2011

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford's Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women's Basketball, Tara VanDerveer, received the Phyllis Bailey Career Achievement Award from Ohio State's Varsity "O" Women's Alumnae Society as part of the school's Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.

VanDerveer was formally presented the award during a dinner ceremony Friday night in Columbus during which Ohio State's 11-member Hall of Fame Class of 2011 was inducted and former Stanford athletic director Andy Geiger was presented the Barbie Tootle Buckeye Spirit Award.

"Receiving this award is a very special honor, and holds very special meaning to me," VanDerveer said. "Phyllis Bailey gave me my first job in collegiate basketball at Ohio State. When I was beginning my coaching career, I wrote letters to the top 20 programs, and only heard back from two. Ohio State was one of those two schools, and Phyllis wrote back and offered me a position at Ohio State as assistant coach and the junior varsity head coach. And with everything Phyllis has done for the advancement of women's collegiate athletics, I am very proud to earn this award named after her, and would like to thank Ohio State and the Varsity "O" Women's Alumnae Society."

The Phyllis Bailey Career Achievement Award is designed to pay tribute and to extend recognition to those individuals who, through their careers, have contributed to the honor and fame of The Ohio State University through the field of athletics by continuing to demonstrate, in their daily lives, the values learned in intercollegiate athletics and have continued the advancement of women's athletics.

This year marked the fifth time that the award has been presented. Bailey was the inaugural recipient of the honor in 2007, and past recipients are Barb Bogart Holman (2008), Robin Tucker (2009) and Dru Ann Hancock (2010).

In a neat twist of fate, VanDerveer was honored this weekend alongside Geiger, the former Stanford athletic director responsible for hiring her away from Columbus to Stanford in 1985.

VanDerveer's first stint at Ohio State has led to a 32-year head coaching career through the 2010-11 season in which she has won 826 career games at three different schools (Idaho, Ohio State, Stanford). She is one of just five Division I women's basketball coaches to reach 800 career wins.

Her decorated career, which includes leading the USA Basketball Olympic Team to a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, two NCAA titles at Stanford (1990 and 1992), nine Final Four appearances, 22 conference titles (19 Pac-10, three Big Ten) and 26 NCAA Tournament appearances (23 at Stanford, three at Ohio State), was recognized in August as VanDerveer was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. as part of its Class of 2011. She was previously inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. in 2002.

After earning her master's degree at Ohio State while serving as varsity assistant coach and head coach of the junior varsity team, VanDerveer took her first varsity head coaching job at the University of Idaho in 1978. There, she led the Vandals to a 42-14 record over two seasons before returning to Columbus to take over the Buckeye program.

VanDerveer went 110-37 over five seasons at Ohio State, winning three Big Ten titles and reaching three NCAA Tournaments. Her .748 winning percentage remains second-best all-time at Ohio State, behind only current Buckeyes head coach Jim Foster.

Geiger came calling following the 1984-85 season, offering VanDerveer the chance to turn around a struggling Stanford program. VanDerveer took the position after some initial hesitation, but within three seasons had the Cardinal into the NCAA Tournament and in her fifth year on The Farm captured Stanford's first-ever women's basketball national title.

Over the next 20 seasons at the Cardinal helm, VanDerveer has captured a second national title (1992) and made eight more Final Four appearances. Through 25 years on The Farm, she owns a record of 674-147 (.821).

She has also racked up an impressive international coaching resume. In 1995, VanDerveer was selected to coach the USA Basketball Olympic Team for the 1996 Atlanta Games. Taking a year's sabbatical from Stanford, VanDerveer guided the U.S. squad to 52 straight victories over its domestic and international tour in 1995-96, then to the Olympic Gold Medal with eight straight victories in Atlanta.

Prior to her Olympic success, VanDerveer coached the USA Basketball World Championship Team to a bronze medal in 1993, and took the USA Basketball World University Games Team to gold in 1991.

VanDerveer and the Cardinal will seek the 11th Final Four appearance and third national title in program history when the 2011-12 season gets underway in November. Stanford's 2011-12 schedule will be released Monday morning, August 15.