Nancy Wilson (basketball)

Born in Lake City, South Carolina, Wilson attended Lake City High School, graduating in 1969.{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamecocksonline.com/blog/2011/11/nancy-wilson-to-be-recognized-at-womens-basketball-vs-cofc.html|title=Nancy Wilson to Be Recognized at Women's Basketball vs. CofC|work=South Carolina Gamecocks|access-date=2018-01-15|language=en}} She attended Coker College in Hartsville, S. C., graduating in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education. She was a member of the college's first intercollegiate women's basketball team, and also competed in intercollegiate field hockey. She would later obtain her master's degree in Physical Education from The Citadel in 1982.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cokercobras.com/information/halloffame/nancywilson|title=Nancy Wilson|work=Coker College|access-date=2017-12-27|language=en}}

Soon after graduating from Coker College, Wilson was hired as an assistant coach for the College of Charleston women's basketball team in 1973. The team was then in the AIAW Division II. She worked for head coach Joan Cronan, and also coached the college's volleyball team. In 1976 Wilson succeeded Cronan as the head coach of the women's basketball program as Cronan focused more on her position as the Director of Women's Athletics.{{Cite news|url=http://today.cofc.edu/2012/03/19/nancy-wilson/|title=A Student of the Game – The College Today|date=2012-03-19|work=The College Today|access-date=2017-12-27|language=en-US}}

Wilson led the Cougars to quick success, leading the team to a 21–5 record her first season as head coach, and beginning with the 1979–80 season reached the AIAW Division II national championship game three years in a row. During this eight-season period at College of Charleston Wilson compiled a 193–64 record. Wilson was named the SCAIAW Coach of the Year three times, and shared National Coach of the Year honors in 1982.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=AIAW_Division_II_Basketball_Tournament|title=AIAW Division II Basketball Tournament – Varsity Pride|website=www.jonfmorse.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-27}} The success led Wilson to be offered the job to coach South Carolina in 1984.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cofcsports.com/documents/2017/11/4/1718CofCWBBMediaGuide.pdf|title=Charleston Athletics|website=www.cofcsports.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-27}}

Wilson spent 13 years as head coach at South Carolina beginning with the 1984–85 season. During the early years of Wilson's tenure when South Carolina was a member of the Metro Conference, Wilson built the program into a dominant presence within the conference, winning five regular season titles and three conference tournament championships. Wilson led the Gamecocks to five NCAA Tournament appearances, all during their Metro Conference years, including an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen in 1989–90. Wilson was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1991.{{Cite web|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/scar/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/2017-18/misc_non_event/17-wbk-mg-sec-6.pdf|title=South Carolina Women's Basketball 2017–18 Media Guide|website=www.gamecocksonline.com|access-date=2017-12-27}}

When South Carolina joined the more competitive Southeastern Conference beginning with the 1991–92 season however, the success was harder to come by. Still by her final season of 1996–97, Wilson held the program's all-time wins record with a 231–149 showing, that remained SC's record until passed by head coach Dawn Staley on December 21, 2017{{Cite news|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/staley-becomes-gamecocks-winningest-coach-in-her-hometown/article_24776120-e6ae-11e7-9231-fb571028842e.html|title=Staley becomes Gamecocks' winningest coach in her hometown|author=Staff reports|work=Post and Courier|access-date=2017-12-22|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/122017aaa.html|title=Gamecocks Close Pre-Holiday Schedule at Temple|access-date=2018-01-14|language=en}}

Wilson joined the American Basketball League's Seattle Reign as the associate head coach in 1997 under Tammy Holder, Wilson's former assistant coach at SC.{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/061005aab.html|title=Holder Returns To Carolina Program|access-date=2017-12-27|language=en}} The Reign went 15–29 in Wilson's first season on the staff.{{Cite news|url=http://funwhileitlasted.net/2013/08/08/1996-1998-seattle-reign/|title=1996–1998 Seattle Reign • Fun While It Lasted|date=2013-08-08|work=Fun While It Lasted|access-date=2018-01-15|language=en-US}} They began to realize substantial improvements during her 2nd season, but the league was struggling to compete against the new Women's National Basketball League (WNBA), and in a surprising move declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the middle of the following season, on December 22, 1998. The Reign were 8–7 at the time.{{Cite web|url=http://web.kitsapsun.com/archive/1998/02-21/0007_women_s_basketball__smiling_throu.html|title=WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Smiling through the Reign|website=web.kitsapsun.com|access-date=2017-12-27}}

After her time in the ABL, Wilson returned to South Carolina and took a job at the College of Charleston teaching physical education classes. While there she was persuaded in 2003 by a member of the administration to return as head coach of the women's basketball team, beginning with the 2003–04 season.

Success did not come as immediately nor as consistently for her second tour as it did for her first, as she compiled a 118–152 over nine seasons. She did however lead the program to its best season in Division I basketball in 2008–09, when the team set program single-season records with 14 conference wins in the Southern Conference, and with 23 wins overall. Further, College of Charleston won a school-record nine consecutive games that season, and advanced to its first-ever Southern Conference Tournament championship game.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cofcsports.com/documents/2017/11/4/1718CofCWBBMediaGuide.pdf|title=College of Charleston Media Guide|date=2011-06-08|work=SportsTalk|access-date=2017-12-22|language=en-US}}

2008–09 was also the season that Wilson became the 24th active Division I coach at the time in NCAA history to reach 500 career victories, with a 63–43 win over Georgia Southern on Feb. 16, 2009.{{Cite news|url=https://issuu.com/cofcsports/docs/0910wbbguide/85|title=CofC Women's Basketball Media Guide|work=issuu|access-date=2017-12-27|language=en}}

Wilson would lead CofC to another strong season in 2009–10 finishing 21–12 (13–7), but then the team would falter to 10–20 (7–13) and 7–23 (6–14) results in 2010–11 and 2011–12, respectively. Prior to the 2011–12 season, Wilson announced that she would be retiring from coaching at the conclusion of that season.{{Cite news|url=http://today.cofc.edu/2011/06/07/coach-nancy-wilson-to-retire-after-2011-12-season/|title=Coach Nancy Wilson to Retire after 2011–12 Season – The College Today|date=2011-06-07|work=The College Today|access-date=2017-12-27|language=en-US}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Start|type=coach|conference=|postseason=|poll=no}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead||name=College of Charleston|startyear=1976|conference=AIAW Division II|endyear=1984}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=|season=1976–77|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=21–5|conference=|confstanding=|postseason=}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=|season=1977–78|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=20–12|conference=|confstanding=|postseason=}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=|season=1978–79|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=19–10|conference=|confstanding=|postseason=}}

{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=|confstanding=|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=32–8|postseason=AIAW Div. II Nationals Runner-up|season=1979–80}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=|confstanding=|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=25–9|postseason=AIAW Div. II Nationals Runner-up|season=1980–81}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=|confstanding=|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=30–7|postseason=AIAW Div. II Nationals Runner-up|season=1981–82}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=|confstanding=|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=23–6|postseason=NAIA District 6 Regionals|season=1982–83}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=|confstanding=|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=23–7|postseason=NAIA District 6 State Playoffs|season=1983–84}}{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal|name=College of Charleston (AIAW)|overall=193–64 ({{Winning percentage|193|64}})|confrecord=}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead||name=South Carolina|startyear=1984|conference=Metro Conference|endyear=1991}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=|season=1984–85|name=South Carolina|overall=18–10|conference=8–3|confstanding=2nd|postseason=}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=confboth|season=1985–86|name=South Carolina|overall=19–11|conference=9–1|confstanding=1st|postseason=NCAA First Round}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=|season=1986–87|name=South Carolina|overall=18–12|conference=8–4|confstanding=2nd|postseason=}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=confboth|season=1987–88|name=South Carolina|overall=23–11|conference=10–2|confstanding=1st|postseason=NCAA Second Round}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=confboth|season=1988–89|name=South Carolina|overall=23–7|conference=10–2|confstanding=T-1st|postseason=NCAA First Round}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry|championship=conference|season=1989–90|name=South Carolina|overall=24–9|conference=13–1|confstanding=1st|postseason=NCAA Sweet Sixteen}}

{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=conference|conference=12–2|confstanding=T-1st|name=South Carolina|overall=22–9|postseason=NCAA First Round|season=1990–91}}{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal|name=South Carolina (Metro)|overall={{Winning percentage|147|69|record=y}}|confrecord={{Winning percentage|70|15|record=y}}}}

{{CBB yearly record subhead||conference=Southeastern Conference|startyear=1991|name=South Carolina|endyear=1997}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=2–9|confstanding=12th|name=South Carolina|overall=13–15|postseason=|season=1991–92}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=5–6|confstanding=7th|name=South Carolina|overall=17–10|postseason=|season=1992–93}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=2–9|confstanding=T-10th|name=South Carolina|overall=14–13|postseason=|season=1993–94}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=1–10|confstanding=T-10th|name=South Carolina|overall=12–15|postseason=|season=1994–95}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=2–9|confstanding=T-11th|name=South Carolina|overall=16–12|postseason=|season=1995–96}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=1–11|confstanding=T-11th|name=South Carolina|overall=12–15|postseason=|season=1996–97}}{{CBB yearly record subtotal|confrecord={{Winning percentage|13|54|record=y}}|name=South Carolina (SEC)|overall={{Winning percentage|84|80|record=y}}}}{{CBB yearly record subtotal|confrecord={{Winning percentage|83|69|record=y}}|name=South Carolina (Total)|overall={{Winning percentage|231|149|record=y}}}}{{CBB yearly record subhead||conference=Southern Conference|endyear=2012|name=College of Charleston|startyear=2003}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=4–16|confstanding=10th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=7–22|postseason=|season=2003–04}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=10–10|confstanding=8th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=15–14|postseason=|season=2004–05}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=7–11|confstanding=8th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=11–17|postseason=|season=2005–06}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=5–13|confstanding=9th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=10–20|postseason=|season=2006–07}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=9–9|confstanding=5th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=14–16|postseason=|season=2007–08}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=14–6|confstanding=T-3rd|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=23–8|postseason=|season=2008–09}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=13–7|confstanding=4th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=21–12|postseason=|season=2009–10}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=7–13|confstanding=9th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=10–20|postseason=|season=2010–11}}{{CBB yearly record entry|championship=|conference=6–14|confstanding=8th|name=Col. of Charleston|overall=7–23|postseason=|season=2011–12}}{{CBB yearly record subtotal|confrecord={{Winning percentage|75|99|record=y}}|name=College of Charleston (SoCon)|overall=118–152 ({{Winning percentage|118|152}})}}{{CBB yearly record subtotal|confrecord={{Winning percentage|75|99|record=y}}|name=College of Charleston (Total)|overall=311–216 ({{Winning percentage|311|216}})}}{{CBB Yearly Record End|overall={{Winning percentage|542|365|record=y}}}}

{{reflist}}

{{College of Charleston Cougars women's basketball coach navbox}}

{{South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball coach navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Nancy}}

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Coker University alumni

Category:Charleston Cougars women's basketball coaches

Category:South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball coaches