July 2, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Athletics has had many memorable moments during its history. Each day during the month of July, Gobulldogs.com will highlight a great moment from Fresno State Athletics history.
July 2: Margie Wright becomes the NCAA All-Time Winningest Coach
With a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma on March 5, 2000, Bulldog softball head coach Margie Wright became the NCAA's all-time winningest coach in the sport.
Now with 1,345 career victories in 30 seasons of coaching (six seasons at Illinois State and 24 seasons at Fresno State), Wright is second all-time in career victories among Division I coaches in all sports, behind former Bulldog Augie Garrido who has 41 years of coaching experience and over 1,700 victories in the sport of baseball at four different schools.
On the list, Wright is one of only four coaches, including UCLA head volleyball coach Andy Banachowski and Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt to amass over 1,000 career victories.
In her time at Fresno State, Wright has 1,182 victories and in 2009, picked up her 300 career victory in the Western Athletic Conference, becoming the first coach to reach such a milestone.
Not only is Wright the all-time winningest coach, but she has led Fresno State to become the all-time winningest program with 1,366 wins.
The 1998 `Dogs won the schools first-ever NCAA Championship and Fresno State has been to 12 Women's College World Series and has won 86 NCAA tournament games. The `Dogs are also the only team to compete in all 28 NCAA tournaments.
Wright has won 17 conference titles at Fresno State and three tournament titles, including titles this past season. Along with 1998 National Championship, the `Dogs have been NCAA runners-up three times and have finished third and fifth place in the nation three times each.
In 2009, Wright earned her sixth WAC Coach of the Year honor. She has coached 53 All-Americans, 16 Academic All-Americans, four NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award winners, four Honda Awards Program softball finalists, 16 NCAA individual and 11 team statistical champions, eight professionals, 15 Olympians, two NCAA Top VIII Award winners and two No. 1 professional draft picks.
Coming tomorrow: A look back on the 2005 football game at USC.
"We Are Your Team" - For Fresno State ticket information log onto gobulldogs.com or call 559-278-DOGS.
