NYU Athletics

Success has been no stranger to Janice Quinn during her tenure as head women’s basketball coach at New York University. Entering her 22nd season as the Violets’ bench boss, she is already the most successful coach in the history of one of the top athletic programs in Division III, sporting a career record of 453-127 (.781).

In 2007-08, Quinn captured her 450th career victory as NYU displayed the classic trademarks of its highly respected coach, overcoming a 10-point deficit to defeat University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Brandeis University, 57-47, on Jan. 12, 2008 at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center. Also the Violets’ Associate Director of Athletics, she led the Violets to a 14-11 record last season, the program’s 25th consecutive winning campaigns.

There is no shortage of impressive accomplishments when reviewing Quinn’s resume: the first NCAA Division III National Championship in program history in 1997, the three Final Four appearances, the six University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, the 13 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship appearances, the 15 20-win seasons (including 13 straight from 1992-93 through 2004-05), the 20 postseason appearances (13 NCAA, 7 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Tournament).

As an NYU player, assistant coach and head coach for the past 27 seasons, Quinn's teams have won 543 games, accounting for nearly 77% of the victories since the program's inception in 1923. A 1993 NYU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Quinn has been associated with have recorded all 17 of the University’s 20-win seasons and have made all 15 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.

However, from the day she assumed the head coaching position at NYU in 1987, following four stellar seasons as a player and two years as an assistant, Quinn established one simple goal: winning a national championship.

After her first season in 1987-88 resulted in an ECAC Division III Metro title, the Violets built themselves into a national championship contender. Undeterred by losing in the Final Four in 1995-96, the Violets capped off a near-perfect 29-1 (.967) season in 1996-97 with a 72-70, buzzer-beating win in the national title game over the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on their homecourt, the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center. Quinn received Coach of the Year accolades from Women's DIII News, the Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association (MBWA) and the Converse Basketball Coaches’ Association of New York. Quinn and her assistants were also named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

"The road to the national championship will always stand out as a highlight of my journey here at NYU," Quinn said.

Since becoming the Violets’ head coach, Quinn has led her charges to the Elite Eight twice (1998-99, 2000-01) and the Sweet 16 six times (1988-89, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1997-98, 2003-04). For good measure, NYU has also captured five ECAC Division III Metro Tournament titles (1987-88, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05).

Consistent success has been Quinn’s calling card, as the 13 consecutive 20-win seasons and the seemingly constant placement among the national top-25 polls attest. Proof of this comes not only in the form of wins and losses, but also in her personal collection of Coach of the Year trophies. She has led the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year four times, been named the National Invitational Tournament (NIT)/Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association (MBWA) Coach of the Year on six occasions and is a four-time New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year.

Much of this can be credited, though, to her recruitment and development of top student-athletes. Junior forward Jessica McEntee became just the second NYU women’s basketball player named a two-time UAA Player of the Year, winning the honor the past two seasons. McEntee has also captured multiple Player of the Year and All-America accolades.

Overall, Quinn has coached nine different UAA Players of the Year and seven different All-Americans across her illustrious career.

Of course, Quinn is a NYU Hall of Fame performer from her playing days, becoming the first 1,000-point scorer in the history of the women’s program. Her 1,137 points place her 12th all time. In her senior season of 1984-85, Quinn helped the Violets record the first of its 17 20-win seasons, including a ECAC Metro Tournament title, and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and Best All-Around Player.

Quinn is also NYU’s associate director of athletics, having ascended into that position prior to the 2001-02 school year.

Quinn graduated with honors in 1985, earning dual baccalaureate degrees in economics and metropolitan studies. She went onto earn a master’s degree in finance and management from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service and the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, penning her master’s thesis on health care in low-income neighborhoods of the South Bronx that included special research for the United Hospital Fund.

Quinn, who has also served as a volunteer in the Children's Storefront mentoring program and the New York Cares community outreach program, is one of six children (she has four brothers and one sister), and resides in Manhattan.

e - ECAC Metro Tournament
E - ECAC Metro Champions
* - NCAA First Round
** - NCAA Sweet Sixteen
*** - NCAA Elite Eight
**** - NCAA Final Four
# - NCAA Champions