# Muffet McGraw

Muffet McGraw (née Ann O'Brien; born December 5, 1955) is an American former college basketball coach and analyst, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, compiling a 848–252 (.771) record over 33 seasons.

## Career

McGraw led her team to nine Final Fours (1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019), seven championship game appearances (2001, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019), and two National Championships in 2001 and 2018. McGraw was the sixth different Division I coach to win multiple NCAA titles, joining Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Linda Sharp, Tara VanDerveer and Kim Mulkey.
McGraw was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Bishop Shanahan High School in 1973 and Saint Joseph's University in 1977. She briefly played professionally for the California Dreams of the Women's Professional Basketball League. She coached at Archbishop John Carroll High School from 1977 to 1979, and worked as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's from 1980 to 1982. From 1982 to 1987 she was head coach at Lehigh University where one of her notable players was Cathy Engelbert. McGraw was also Lehigh's softball coach from 1982 until 1985.
McGraw became head coach at Notre Dame in 1987. Between 1987 and 2020, she led the Irish to 26 NCAA tournament appearances including a streak of 24 straight seasons from 1995 to 2019. During this streak, Notre Dame reached the second round in all but one appearance, including 7 championship game appearances. McGraw compiled 50 wins over ranked opponents, including 40 over the last 8 seasons. Her teams appeared in the AP poll 139 times during her tenure. Notre Dame finished in the Top 3 of the Big East in 9 out of the 11 seasons they were in the league and finished in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference in all 4 seasons since they entered the conference.
McGraw received the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year award, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award, and the Naismith College Coach of the Year award in 2001. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2016, the John R. Wooden Award committee recognized her with the 2017 Legends of Coaching Award.
McGraw is the 27th coach in NCAA history to win over 500 career games, and is currently tied as the eighth head coach in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach 800 career wins. On April 1, 2018, she achieved her 800th career victory at Notre Dame with a win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the National Championship game, her second national title with the Fighting Irish. On December 30, 2018, she notched her 900th career win against Lehigh, the team at which she began her collegiate coaching career in 1982.
On April 22, 2020, McGraw announced that she was stepping down as the head coach of Notre Dame. She was succeeded by Niele Ivey, who had spent 17 seasons at Notre Dame as a player and an assistant coach.
Since leaving Notre Dame, she has been a studio analyst for the ACC Network, contributing to studio shows and halftime reports. She also is a professor of sports leadership at the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame and has been involved in local Democratic politics.

## Personal life

McGraw got her nickname from the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet. She legally changed her name to "Muffet" prior to entering college. She met her future husband Matt McGraw at St. Joseph's, and married him in October 1977 and together they have a son, Murphy.

## Awards and honors

In December 2023, the University of Notre Dame unveiled a Muffet McGraw statue in front of Purcell Pavilion, the school's basketball arena. A plaque in front of the statue notes her career accomplishments, including the two national championships at Notre Dame.
McGraw's career coaching awards include:
* 2001 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year
* 2001 – Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year
* 2009 – Carol Eckman Award
* 2011 – Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
* 2013 – Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year
* 2013 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year
* 2013 – Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division I Coach of the Year
* 2014 – espnW Coach of the Year
* 2014 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year
* 2014 – USBWA Coach of the Year
* 2014 – Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year
* 2016 – Legends of Coaching Award (2017)
* 2017 – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
* 2018 – AP College Basketball Coach of the Year
* 2023 – NCAA President's Pat Summitt Award

## Head coaching record

Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| Lehigh Engineers (East Coast Conference) (1982–1987) ||||||
| 1982–83 | Lehigh | 14–9 | | | |
| 1983–84 | Lehigh | 13–9 | | | |
| 1984–85 | Lehigh | 20–8 | | | |
| 1985–86 | Lehigh | 24–4 | | | |
| 1986–87 | Lehigh | 17–11 | | | |
| Lehigh: | Lehigh: | 88–41 (.682) | | | |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (North Star Conference) (1987–1988) ||||||
| 1987–88 | Notre Dame | 20–8 | 7–3 | 2nd | |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) (1988–1995) ||||||
| 1988–89 | Notre Dame | 21–11 | 12–2 | T-1st | WNIT Seventh Place |
| 1989–90 | Notre Dame | 23–6 | 16–0 | 1st | |
| 1990–91 | Notre Dame | 23–9 | 15–1 | 1st | WNIT Eighth Place |
| 1991–92 | Notre Dame | 14–17 | 8–4 | 2nd | NCAA first round |
| 1992–93 | Notre Dame | 15–12 | 11–5 | T-2nd | |
| 1993–94 | Notre Dame | 22–7 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA first round |
| 1994–95 | Notre Dame | 21–10 | 15–1 | 1st | WNIT Third Place |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Big East Conference) (1995–2013) ||||||
| 1995–96 | Notre Dame | 23–8 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA second round |
| 1996–97 | Notre Dame | 31–7 | 17–1 | 2nd | NCAA Final Four |
| 1997–98 | Notre Dame | 22–10 | 12–6 | T-4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 1998–99 | Notre Dame | 26–5 | 15–3 | 3rd | NCAA second round |
| 1999–00 | Notre Dame | 27–5 | 15–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2000–01 | Notre Dame | 34–2 | 15–1 | T-1st | NCAA Champions |
| 2001–02 | Notre Dame | 20–10 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA second round |
| 2002–03 | Notre Dame | 21–11 | 10–6 | T-5th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2003–04 | Notre Dame | 21–11 | 12–4 | T-2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2004–05 | Notre Dame | 27–6 | 13–3 | T-2nd | NCAA second round |
| 2005–06 | Notre Dame | 18–12 | 8–8 | 10th | NCAA first round |
| 2006–07 | Notre Dame | 20–12 | 10–6 | T-5th | NCAA second round |
| 2007–08 | Notre Dame | 25–9 | 11–5 | 4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2008–09 | Notre Dame | 22–9 | 10–6 | T-4th | NCAA first round |
| 2009–10 | Notre Dame | 29–6 | 12–4 | T-4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2010–11 | Notre Dame | 31–8 | 13–3 | T-2nd | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2011–12 | Notre Dame | 35–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2012–13 | Notre Dame | 35–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2013–2020) ||||||
| 2013–14 | Notre Dame | 37–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2014–15 | Notre Dame | 36–3 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2015–16 | Notre Dame | 33–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2016–17 | Notre Dame | 33–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2017–18 | Notre Dame | 35–3 | 15–1 | T-1st | NCAA Champions |
| 2018–19 | Notre Dame | 35–4 | 14–2 | T-1st | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2019–20 | Notre Dame | 13–18 | 8–10 | T-9th | |
| Notre Dame: | Notre Dame: | 848–252 (.771) | 425–97 (.814) | | |
| Total: | Total: | 936–292 (.762) | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||