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Home > SECWB News & More! > General News > Duke Names McCallie New Coach
Duke Names McCallie New Coach
by LeAnne Harrington
Posted: April 18th, 2007 @ 11:50pm
Duke University announced today that Michigan State head coach Joanne P. McCallie has been hired as the new coach of the Blue Devils’ women’s basketball team. Duke Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said that McCallie will be formally introduced at a press conference on Friday, April 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The press conference will be open to the public. McCallie replaces Gail Goestenkors, who left Duke earlier this month to take over the Texas Longhorns program. Alleva stated: "Joanne has accomplished so much at both Maine and Michigan State and we feel she is one of the top coaches in the game today. She elevated the Michigan State program to a new level and we look forward to her continuing the tremendous tradition we have established at Duke."
Today’s announcement ended several tense weeks for Blue Devils fans, which saw the position offered to Duke alum, former Duke assistant and current Cal coach Joanne Boyle. Boyle declined the offer and signed a 7-year contract extension at Cal. McCallie’s name had been mentioned as a candidate for several high-profile coaching vacancies, but she seemed to be off the market as of March 24 when she signed a 5-year contract at Michigan State worth a reported $500,000 a year with an incentive package worth another $143,000 annually. This new contract reportedly boosted her base pay by $100,000 a year. The terms of McCallie’s contract at Duke have not been disclosed.
McCallie, also known as "Coach P" is considered to be one of the top young coaches in the nation. She began her coaching career as an assistant at Auburn (remember… there’s always an SEC connection) under former coach Joe Ciampi from 1988-92. As the team's primary recruiter, she helped sign the fourth-ranked class in the nation in 1990-91 and the 16th-ranked class in 1991-92. While at Auburn, McCallie and the Tigers appeared in two national championship games and made an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight.
McCallie’s first job as a head coach came at the University of Maine, where she had an overall record of 167-73 in eight seasons. As coach of the Black Bears, McCallie led the team to 7 straight 20 win seasons, 6 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two North Atlantic Conference Tournament Championships, two America East Conference Tournament Championships and five regular-season conference titles. In addition, McCallie was named conference coach of the year 3 times.
McCallie’s most recent tenure as head coach was at Michigan State, where she helped put the Spartans basketball program on the map. In her seven seasons at MSU, she posted a record of 149-75. She led Michigan State to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, four straight 20-win seasons and an appearance in the NCAA Championship game in 2005. Under McCallie’s tutelage, Michigan State basketball became one of the elite programs in the nation, posting an 81-23 record over the last three years. After Michigan State’s best-ever season in 2004-05, McCallie was named National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, Basketball Times, and Nike, as well as being voted Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Duke President Richard Brodhead said, "This is a wonderful appointment for Duke. Throughout her career, Joanne McCallie has been associated with excellence. She is an accomplished coach and teacher who understands the importance Duke gives to the development of our players as students and as athletes. The Duke women’s team is in very good hands."
McCallie, a native of Bruswick, Maine, played collegiately at Northwestern, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in political science in 1987. She earned her master’s degree in business administration from Auburn in 1990. She and her husband John, an Economics professor at Michigan State, have 2 children: Madeline (Maddie) and John Wyatt (Jack).
McCallie inherits a Duke team that ended the 2006-2007 season with a 32-2 record and ranked #1 in the nation. Duke has posted 7 straight 30-win seasons, an NCAA record. In addition, the 2007-2008 squad will include a nation’s best 8 McDonald’s High School All-Americans. McCallie says, "This has been a dream job of mine for many years. We cannot wait to meet and get to know a team that we are so very impressed by academically, as well as athletically, and by the way the carry themselves. The entire McCallie family is absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to serve at Duke."
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