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1977 – present
The program: Women's basketball at Notre Dame dates its varsity record to 1977; the program marked its fiftieth season in 2026–27. Its home is Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
The McGraw hire: On May 18, 1987, Notre Dame hired Muffet McGraw. She coached thirty-three seasons, going 848–252 at Notre Dame and 936–293 in her career, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2017 — while still coaching.
The first title: On April 1, 2001, Notre Dame beat Purdue 68–66 to win the NCAA championship, Ruth Riley's late free throws supplying the margin. It was the program's second Final Four; the first had come in 1997.
The almost years: The Irish reached the Final Four nine times in all — 1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019 — five of them in a row from 2011 through 2015, and lost the championship game five times: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2019.
The second title: On April 1, 2018 — seventeen years to the day after the first — Notre Dame beat Mississippi State 61–58 for the championship, on Arike Ogunbowale's buzzer-beating shot, two days after her buzzer-beater had beaten Connecticut 91–89 in overtime in the semifinal.
The succession: McGraw stepped down on April 22, 2020. She was succeeded by Niele Ivey, a guard on the 2001 championship team and a longtime assistant, who remains head coach — in her seventh season in 2026–27.
Sources:
- FightingIrish.com — the McGraw hire of May 18, 1987; her Notre Dame and career records; the Hall of Fame induction.
- NCAA championship record — the 2001 final, Notre Dame 68, Purdue 66; the 2018 final, Notre Dame 61, Mississippi State 58; the Final Four and runner-up years.
- Program record — McGraw's retirement, April 22, 2020; Ivey's succession and tenure.