Prior to the Auburn women’s basketball on Sunday afternoon, a ceremony was held to honor coach Joe Ciampi and unveil a banner for him in Auburn Arena. Ciampi was the Tigers’ head coach from 1979 through 2004 and remains Auburn’s winningest basketball coach.
He amassed 607 wins over his 27-year career, beginning with two years coaching at the U.S. Military Academy. Ciampi was only the 10th coach in the history of Division I women’s basketball to reach that benchmark. Of those wins, 568 came in his 25 years in Auburn.
During his time in Auburn, Ciampi coached seven All-Americans, 36 All-SEC players, and 28 SEC Academic Honor Roll distinctions were earned.
In the postseason, Ciampi secured four regular season SEC Championships and four SEC Tournament championships.
In national postseason competition, Ciampi’s Tigers appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 10 times and six Elite Eights.
His teams made appearances in three NCAA Final Fours, which were all followed with an Auburn appearance in the National Championship game. In 2003, his team advanced to win the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Ciampi was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1985, 1988, and 1989, with National Coach of the Year accolades coming in 1987 and 1989. In 2005, Ciampi was welcomed in to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ciampi’s legacy on the international scale is represented in Ruthie Bolton, who won gold at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, as well as Carolyn Jones and Vickie Orr, who won bronze medals as members of the 1992 team.
Players, friends, family and staff were invited to Auburn Arena to celebrate with Ciampi. Their names were announced at halftime, followed by group photos on the court.
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Callie Stanford is from Springville, Alabama and is currently a sophomore at Auburn. She has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.
Twitter: @Stanford1Callie
