Bill Fennelly, Iowa State’s longtime women’s basketball coach, says he’ll retire after this season

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly announced Monday he will retire at the end of the coming season, his 32nd with the Cyclones.

Fennelly is 656-335 with 24 NCAA Tournament appearances and 26 postseason appearances at Iowa State.

“It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to coach at Iowa State for the past 32 years,” Fennelly said. “I have been truly blessed to have had the opportunity to coach so many amazing players while working with loyal and dedicated staff members. We have built one of the most respected programs in the nation on and off the court.”

The 69-year-old Fennelly grew up in Davenport and began his women’s basketball coaching career as an undergraduate assistant at William Penn College in Oskaloosa. He was 166-53 with three NCAA Tournament appearances in seven seasons at Toledo before leaving for Iowa State in 1995. The Cyclones were coming off six straight losing seasons and Fennelly made them competitive immediately.

The Cyclones reached the Elite Eight in 1999 and 2009 and finished in the top half of the Big 12 standings 24 of 30 seasons. They won the Big 12 regular-season championship in 2000 and the conference tournament in 2000, 2001 and 2023.

With 822 overall victories, Fennelly ranks 15th all-time among Division I women’s basketball coaches.

“While I still love coaching and am working as hard as ever, I understand that this job has an expiration date,” he said. “After talking with my family, I have made the decision that the 2026-27 season will be my last. Announcing my intention now is what is best for everyone in our program and provides the new athletics director clarity on my future and allows them to make plans for the program moving forward.”

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