NORFOLK, Va., June 30, 2021 — As the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) concludes the celebration of its 50th anniversary during the 2020-21 academic year, the conference office now announces its Legends of Coaching, presented by The Home Depot, comprised of 50 outstanding coaches throughout the conference’s history.
Nearly 1,900 total votes were cast, with fans, media representatives, institution sports information contacts and others taking part.
To be considered on the ballot, coaches must have served as a head coach in the conference for a period of at least four (4) years, must have won at least one (1) conference championship and must have had a winning record.
In all, 50 individuals, including 15 MEAC Hall of Famers, are recognized. The Legends of Coaching are listed in alphabetical order by the individuals’ last names.
View the complete list of the 50 outstanding coaches throughout the conference’s history here. Don’t forget to vote in our MEAC men’s basketball poll as it closes on July 10.
Who is the MEAC Women’s Basketball GOAT?
Derek Brown (Coppin State)
Led the Eagles to a record of 269-237 in 17 seasons between 1999 and 2016…during that period, CSU earned three (3) berths to the NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Tournament and two berths to the WNIT…led the Eagles to three (3) MEAC regular-season crowns along with a record 49-game winning streak in conference play…was a two-time MEAC Coach of the Year and a three-time MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach (2005, 2006, 2008) coached 22 All-MEAC players.
Patricia Cage-Bibbs (Hampton & North Carolina A&T State)
At Hampton between 1997 and 2004, compiled a record of 95-31 in conference play and 127-83 overall, winning three (3) MEAC championships and earned three (3) berths to the NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Tournament…at Hampton, was named MEAC Coach of the Year one (1) time while coaching seven all-conference players and two rookies of the year…later served as head coach at NCAT between 2005 and 2012, compiling a record of 84-32 in conference play and 130-88 overall…won one conference regular-season championships while with the Aggies…in 2010, the Aggies became the first HBCU Div. I program to win two (2) postseason games as they defeated both Wake Forest and Charlotte in the WNIT…at both Hampton and N.C. A&T, captured a total of four (4) MEAC championships, named MEAC Coach of the Year three (3) times and named MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament Outstanding Coach four (4) times.
Claudette Farmer (Florida A&M)
Coached the Rattlers to an overall record of 190-123 between 1991 and 2001…captured two (2) conference championships, those coming in 1995 and 1999…named Coach of the Year following the 1994-95 season…coached Natale White, the NCAA’s all-time leader in steals and a MEAC Hall of Famer.
Lyman Foster (Women’s Basketball & Men’s Golf, South Carolina State)
Served as head women’s basketball coach from 1988-93, compiling a record of 45-28 in the conference and 79-68 overall…guided the Lady Bulldogs to three (3) MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament championships coached two MEAC Players of the Year…named MEAC Coach of the Year one (1) time…coached several players who were named to the MEAC’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Women’s Basketball Team…as head men’s golf coach from 1988 to 1993, led the program to two (2) PGA Minority Golf titles (1988 and 1989), to two (2) PGA Minority Golf Tournament second-place finishes and to one (1) HBCU Alumni Hall of Fame Golf Tournament championship.
Willie Simon (Women’s Basketball & Baseball, South Carolina State)
Won 305 women’s basketball games from 1974-88 at South Carolina State, winning three regular-season (1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86) and four MEAC tournament titles (1978, 1979, 1983, 1986)…won the AIAW national championship in 1978-79, after being the national runner-up in 1977-78…two-time MEAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year (1984- 85, 1991-92)…led South Carolina State to an NCAA Tournament win over La Salle in 1982-83, becoming the first HBCU (men or women) to win an NCAA postseason game…also led the Bulldogs baseball program to its lone conference title in 1973.
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David Six (Hampton)
Was 198-92 overall and 122-22 in nine seasons coaching in the MEAC…won six conference tournament championships, including a record five in a row from 2010-14…won five straight conference regular-season titles (2010-11 through 2014-15)…made seven postseason appearances — six NCAA and one WNIT…earned the program’s first-ever postseason win at the Div. I level with a WNIT win over Drexel in 2015…led Hampton to the MEAC’s two best seeds in the NCAA Tournament’s 64-team format: a No .13 in 2011 and a No. 12 in 2014…owns two of the MEAC’s seven undefeated seasons in conference play, going 16-0 in both 2012-13 and 2013-14…three-time Coach of the Year (2010-11, 2012-13, 2013- 14)…six-time MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Coach (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017).
Sanya Tyler (Howard)
Won 298 games in 21 seasons at the helm at The Mecca…was a combined 165-77 in conference play…1993-94 MEAC Coach of the Year…won nine tournament championships (1982, 1985, 1987-90, 1996-98)…named MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament Outstanding Coach eight (8) times (1985, 1987-90, 1996-98)…went undefeated (18-0) in conference play in 1996-97, one of just seven times that’s happened in MEAC women’s basketball history.
Coach Tyler is the only coach in HBCU history to have two players drafted and played in the WNBA in Denique Graves and Andrea Gardner. She coached an NCAA record holder in women’s basketball in Alisha Hill, who still holds the single-season record for field goal percentage at a whopping 70 percent during her freshman season.
Coach Tyler boasts two Parade All Americans in Denique Graves and Karen Wilkins. She is an MEAC Hall of Fame inductee and has three players who are also in the MEAC HOF.
Alvin Wyatt Sr. (women’s basketball, football – Bethune-Cookman)
Was 245-207 as women’s basketball coach from 1978-95, winning the 1984 MEAC Tournament
title and being named Outstanding Coach…2016 inductee into the Bethune-Cookman Athletic
Hall of Fame…2020 inductee into the MEAC Hall of Fame.
How can you vote in this poll when some of the coaches mentioned are even listed?? There’s only one coach who has won a national championship and he’s not even listed. Yet a friend of mine, who was a decent head coach but not in the class of the national championship coach, is listed.
Can you please put all of the coaches mentioned in the article “on the ballot?”