The professional career of Dawn Staley is marked by a series of milestones in collegiate and international basketball. During Women’s History Month, the focus remains on the South Carolina head coach who became the first Black coach to win multiple Division I basketball titles. Her 2022 victory over UConn, made Staley  the only Black head coach with multiple national championships, with two under her belt.  She increased that total by adding a third title in 2024.

Staley has always acknowledged the coaches who preceded her. After winning the 2017 national championship, she delivered a piece of the net she cut down to Carolyn Peck, the first Black woman to win a championship. Peck had previously given Staley a piece of the nylon from her 1999 title win at Purdue. Years later, Staley mailed snippets of the 2017 net to every Black woman head coach in the nation.

Before her tenure at South Carolina began in 2008, Staley established a record as a player. A three-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA’s all-time steals leader, she led the University of Virginia to three consecutive Final Fours. Staley was a two-time National Player of the Year and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1991 NCAA Final Four. She played professionally in the ABL for the Richmond Rage and in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets. In 2004, she was selected to carry the flag for the United States during the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Under Staley’s leadership, the Gamecocks have become a consistent presence in the national rankings. The program has secured three National Championships in 2017, 2022, and 2024, and has reached seven NCAA Final Fours in the last 10 tournaments. South Carolina has ranked in the AP Top 25 every week since Dec. 10, 2012, marking the second-longest active streak in the nation.

In 2026, Staley continued this trajectory by coaching the Gamecocks to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season and the 10th time overall. South Carolina was awarded the fourth No. 1 seed after spending the entire season ranked in the top five of both national polls and the NET rankings. This season, the program won its 10th SEC regular-season title with a 15-1 mark in league play and advanced to the SEC Tournament final for the seventh straight year. The team's 12 Quad 1 wins and 12 victories against ranked opponents both rank third-most in the nation. Additionally, all five Gamecock starters earned All-SEC status this year, tying the conference record for honorees.

Staley’s impact extends to the development of professional talent. Since her first player was selected in the 2015 WNBA Draft, a total of 18 Gamecocks have been chosen, including 11 first-round picks and two overall No. 1 picks. Among those athletes is A’ja Wilson, a four-time WNBA MVP. Staley also served as the U.S. Women’s National Team head coach from 2017 to 2021, leading the team to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Her 214 SEC wins are the most among active league coaches, and she is the only coach in South Carolina history to amass 300 victories.