Head women’s basketball coach Dianne Nolan announced Tuesday that she would step down after 28 years on the sidelines.
“It’s time for a change and the time was right,” Nolan said. “My boys are going off to college. Actually, one of them is going to play lacrosse here, and it will be the first time that I will have the chance to explore some things and that is something I am looking forward to.”
Her 28 years at Fairfield ranked her as the fifth- longest tenured active coach at one school, and the ninth-longest tenured coach in Division I women’s college basketball history. Her service time at Fairfield is longer than that of any of the University’s eight presidents.
“To be honest, I liken it to a hip play on Broadway. These types of runs are unprecedented,” Athletic Director Gene Doris said.
“Twenty-eight years, you just don’t see that anymore.” Nolan’s 517 wins are the 27th most in women’s college basketball history.
After spending the first five years of her career at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, N.Y., she posted a 456-359 (.560) record at Fairfield, while also leading the team through the transition Division II to Division I in 1981.
“This team has been like my baby that I have raised for 28 years, and you never want to leave unless you feel like your baby is OK,” Nolan said. “I really feel like this team is in a good place and that was important to me. When I decided it was going to be time, everything was going to be in place and I thought, ‘wow, everything is going to be OK.”
The Stags had an-up-and down season this year, flashing their potential throughout the year. They finished fourth in the MAAC, but lost on a last-second shot in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
But Nolan said that the conference tournament had no bearing on her decision.
“I had decided before that,” she said. “It was really mutual when Gene and I sat down. I was like, ‘I’m ready,’ and he was like, ‘yeah, it’s time.’ That’s why it feels so right and so good.” Doris agreed.
“The discussion was personal between us,” he said. “But, it was not a snap decision, and we both agreed it was time, it was a whole long discussion.”
The women will return with all their starters and lose only one key player for next year.
Nolan felt confident in stepping down with the team in such good shape.
“They’re going to be good, like I said to them in the locker room, I love them dearly and they are such good kids, I want them to be good,” she said. “The best thing they could do for me is to go out and win a championship.”
Her teams have had success before as well. They have won three MAAC championships and made four NCAA tournament appearences including the only at-large bid in school history in 2001.
Nolan is a five-time MAAC Coach of the Year and was inducted into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame on Feb. 12. She was a mentor in the Ignation Residential College, and every senior Nolan coached during her time graduated with a degree on time.
She was rewarded with the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Distinguished Service Award in 2006 for all of her work in the community.
“I’m going to miss the people. The people made the place for 28 years. I had the privilege of being associated with so many good people,” said Nolan.
Doris said the search for Nolan’s successor would begin on Wednesday.
The University hired ChampSearch, the California-based head-hunting firm that it used last year to assist in its search for a men’s basketball coach, to do the same thing this year for a new women’s coach.
Nolan, appeared in good spirits as she spoke to reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
“I want to thank the Fairfield community, the students and the people,” she said. “Just for their support and for all their kindliness. I walk across this campus and the hellos, the ‘hey coach how are you doing’, from non-athletes, that makes it a special place and I just really want to thank everyone for that.”
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