LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Editor's note: The above video is from January 2023.
Jan. 4, 2024 marked a special day for the University of Louisville women’s basketball program. Their win against Duke marked 1,000 wins for the program.
The Cardinals became the fourth ACC school to reach the mark, beating Duke 61-44. They are also the 27th women's program to reach that milestone.
“What a journey it has been,” head coach Jeff Walz said on social media. “So many special people have contributed to this program’s success. Thank you to all the players, coaches, support staff, managers and administrators for all of your hard word and dedication over the years.”
Since the team’s inception in 1975, there have been seven head coaches. Peggy Fiehrer was the second.
“In the very beginning, it was, it was exciting,” she said during a video posted on social media commemorating the program’s success. “It was just a moment where there was so much enthusiasm for women’s basketball at that time.”
According to the program's website, Terry Hall was the first coach in 1975. Fiehrer took over the program in 1980, and was there for nine years. Bud Childers became the program's third coach in 1989, and was there until 1997.
Husband and wife duo Martin Clapp and Sara White were the next head coaches for three years. Clapp stayed on as the head coach until 2003, when Tom Collen became the next head coach.
Walz took the helm in 2007 and hasn't looked back.
“As you go year in and year out, you’re trying to figure out, you know, what’s the recipe for success,” Walz said. “And I think we have that figured out here.”
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Athletic Director Josh Heird said the future of the program is bright, saying Louisville women's basketball is the "only program in the country with five straight Elite Eights."
"We're gonna continue to recruit, continue to work, and you know, see if we can't continue to win a bunch more and hopefully win a championship," Walz said during a news conference after the Duke game. "I mean, that's our ultimate goal. But at the end of the day, no matter what happens if we do, if we don't, know what, nobody's gonna tell me that we haven't done an amazing job here."
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