GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida women’s volleyball coach Mary Wise, who has the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I history, announced her retirement Thursday.
Wise, 65, formally stepped down after a team meeting and ended a 34-year tenure in Gainesville during which she led the Gators to the NCAA tournament every season.
Florida made the Final Four eight times under Wise, including two runner-up finishes and won a league-leading 25 Southeastern Conference championships.
“This is such a special place, and there was never going to be an easy time to walk away,” Wise said in a statement. “But after 43 years in the arena, the time to step away is now. … I cannot wait to see what’s next for the sport at a view from my new seat.”
Wise has a 987-150 (.868) record at Florida and a 1,068-213 (.834) mark overall. She spent four years at Iowa State (1981-84) — at 21, she became the youngest head coach in Division I history at the time — before joining Kentucky as an assistant. She took over at Florida in 1991 and quickly turned the Gators into one of the most…
