Muffet McGraw, famed head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team, has stepped down after 33 seasons with the team.
McGraw made the announcement Wednesday.
“I am grateful to have worked with the best assistant coaches in the business, and I have been blessed to coach so many phenomenal women,” McGraw said in a statement. “To the best fans in the country, it was my honor and privilege to play for you.”
McGraw led the team to two national basketball championships, and leaves the organization with more than 900 wins and nine Final Four appearances. Her last season with the team was disappointing – the team went 13-18.
In 2017, McGraw was the 13th female coach inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. McGraw has 936 career wins, which ranks sixth all-time among Division I coaches.
“Muffet is a pioneer, a trailblazer, a fierce competitor, a champion, a leader, and an advocate for women’s empowerment and equality. Her sustained success over decades has etched an incredible legacy in the archives of sport. It has elevated Notre Dame to one of the elite programs in the country, and I will forever be grateful for the privilege to have played for her,” said Ruth Riley, a retired WNBA player and Hall of Famer who played under McGraw between 1997 and 2001.
Niele Ivey, an assistant coach with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and a Notre Dame alumna, has been named McGraw’s successor as Irish head coach. She was part of all nine Final Four appearances for the Irish, two as a player and seven as an assistant coach.
“I am so honored to be able to follow in the legacy that Coach McGraw built here at Notre Dame,” Ivey said in a press release. “My love and appreciation for Coach McGraw is beyond anything I can express. She’s more than a mentor, more than a friend, she’s one of the most influential people in my life. I am full of gratitude for Coach McGraw and what she has done for me. She was the first to give me an opportunity to play for Notre Dame and coach here as well. I will forever be grateful for her love and support. I would also like to thank Jack Swarbrick and Father Jenkins for having the faith to move this program forward with me. I can never thank you enough for this incredible opportunity.”
CNN’s Jill Martin contributed to this story.