How many championships does Tara VanDerveer have? Taking a look at Stanford HC's March Madness record

Tara VanDerveer is one of the first names that comes to mind when it comes to passion for the game of basketball. Her journey exemplifies what it means to achieve success in the sport against all odds.

Fans of the Stanford Cardinal know what having a passionate basketball coach means, courtesy of VanDerveer. This is also reflected in the program’s trophy cabinet, one of the richest in the country. But how many championships has the Hall of Fame coach won in her coaching career?

How many championships does Tara VanDerveer have?

Tara VanDerveer has three national championships, 31 regular-season conference championships, and 15 conference tournament championships. She has held three head coaching jobs in her career, first at Idaho, then at Ohio State, before assuming her current job at Stanford.

VanDerveer’s collegiate coaching career started as an assistant coach at Ohio State. While she was the assistant coach for the Buckeyes varsity team, she worked as the head coach for the junior varsity team.

After two years at Ohio State, VanDerveer got an offer from the University of Idaho. The team had only managed one winning season in four seasons prior to VanDerveer’s arrival. She led the Vandals to a 17-8 record in her debut season and a 25-6 in her second season in charge.

The Buckeyes re-hired VanDerveer in 1980, this time as the team’s head coach. Under her leadership, the program rose to become a nationally ranked team, ending the 1984-85 season as No. 7. She also led the Buckeyes to four straight Big Ten regular-season titles before her departure in 1985.

In 1985, VanDeveer accepted the coaching role at the Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball program. Up until this point, the Cardinal were not a big basketball program, and they were coming off their second straight losing season. VanDeveer recorded her first losing season as a coach in her debut season at Stanford. She managed a 14-14 record in her second season.

But by her third season in charge of the Stanford Cardinal, the team recorded a winning season. The same year, she led the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1982. She won her first Cardinal’s first conference championship under her the next season.

In just her fifth season at Stanford, VanDerveer won her first national championship for the Cardinal in 1990. Two more have followed since, the first in 1992 and the second in 2021. How soon will it be before VanDeveer wins another national championship?