Florida State basketball coach Sue Semrau announced her retirement Monday. She is the longest-tenured head coach in the ACC and Florida State’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 470-271.
𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐄 ❤️💛
— FSU Women's Hoops (@fsuwbb) March 21, 2022
Sue Semrau has announced her retirement as the head women's basketball coach at Florida State University.
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During her tenure, the Seminoles made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including Elite Eight appearances in 2010, 2015 and 2017. She was voted Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, WBCA and ESPNW in 2015 and, in her 24 seasons, was named ACC Coach of the Year four times.
“It’s been a joy and a privilege to be the head coach at Florida State University,” Semrau said in a release. “Thank you to the amazing players and the talented and diligent members of our staff, you have given me millions of moments to cherish, and friendships for a lifetime. The countless supportive and hard-working administrators, faculty and staff have enriched my life.
“Our precious fans embrace us, fight with us and represent this great university with passion. The excellent camaraderie of the coaches I worked with at FSU shaped me. I still remember on my interview Coach Bowden sitting with me and telling me that we could do this; and that he would help me. And he did. More than I could have imagined.”
Over the last 10 years, the Seminoles averaged almost 25 wins per season. Since the WNBA formed in 1997, over 20 of Semrau’s players have been drafted, signed or have played for a WNBA team. Of those 20 players, 10 have been selected in the past 10 years. Another 12 of her players have gone on to play professionally overseas.
In 14 of her 24 seasons, the Seminoles have won at least 20 games, including a string of eight straight seasons of 20 or more wins from 2012-20. She also spent time as the president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association from 2013 until 2015.
“It is hard to put into a few words just what Sue Semrau has meant to our athletics program, our university and the women she has inspired over her career,” said FSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford. “I know I speak for the FSU athletic directors who had the opportunity to work with her over her long career in saying that you couldn’t find a better representative of Seminole athletics or women’s basketball than Sue.”