Kean University

In her 12 seasons as head coach of the women's basketball team at Kean, Pat Hannisch amassed an overall mark of 214-79, a record unlikely as any at Kean ever to be broken. Over that time, Hannisch's clubs posted 10 winning seasons and 10 postseason appearances.

She led her Cougars to a remarkable four consecutive Jersey Athletic Conference and New Jersey Athletic Conference championships. These were in the first four years of the conference, which was formed in 1982.

Hannisch led her squad to two NCAA Regional crowns and was named Coach of the Year for four consecutive years, from 1983 to 1986, and three times was the coach of the North-South All-Star Game. During the 1983-1984 season, Kean held the No. 1 spot in the national rankings for much of the year.

In her final campaign as the Cougars' head coach, Hannisch led her troops to a school-record 25 consecutive wins, losing only the first and last games of the season.

Hannisch has coached some of the best players ever to wear a Kean uniform, including Sallie Maxwell, the first All-American in team history, and Jennifer Savio Merchat, who became the program's first professional athlete.

Hannisch also coached the softball team for two seasons, compiling a solid 14-10 record and leading the 1977 club to the initial postseason berth in the program's history when it was invited to the EAIAW Regional Tournament.

Upon her arrival in 1974, Hannisch was the first woman to assume full-time responsibility in the athletic department. She retired from basketball to concentrate on her duties as the school's associate athletic director, in charge of coordinating the women's athletic program.