Baylor’s Mulkey fastest Div. I coach to 600 wins
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey reached 600 career wins in fewer games (700) than any other Division I men’s or women’s coach with the No. 2 Lady Bears’ 77-62 victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday night in Lubbock, Texas.
The Lady Bears broke open a tie game by scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter. They extended a pair of Big 12 records with their 54th consecutive league win and 43rd straight road victory in conference play.
Mulkey, who has three national championships in her 20 seasons at Baylor, now has a 600-100 record.
“If you’re talking about win No. 600, that means I’ve coached a lot of great players, [I have] had stability in my coaching staff. They bring those great players to Baylor, and I’m getting old,” Mulkey said ahead of the game. “That’s what [that] means: I’m getting old.”
Adolph Rupp won four national championships and 876 games overall with the Kentucky men from 1930 to 1972. His 600th win came in his 704th game, in 1959.
After winning national championships as a player and an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech, Mulkey became Baylor’s coach in 2000. The Lady Bears were national champions in 2005, 2012 and last season.
UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma has won 11 national championships and 1,083 games in his 35 years with the Huskies. His 600th win came in his 716th game, in 2006.
Mulkey last week became a finalist in the coach category for the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame for the second time in three years. There are eight finalists for the 2020 class, which will be announced April 4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.