License to Thrive

"Good Knight"

In April, Nike announced it would name its second development center (the Joe Paterno Center opened in 1992) on its 177-acre campus after Rutgers' women's basketball coach. The Stringer Center, a 35,000-square foot facility, opened in June, and houses 26 classrooms, providing care, learning and development for approximately 300 children between the ages of six months and 5 years old.  The Center is eco-friendly, consuming 33% less energy than a typical building, using solar panels for enery using less water for both the building and its landscaping.

Stringer is the third woman, the second coach, and the first African-American woman to have a building named after her on Nike's campus.  The Nike campus buildings pay tribute to some of the world's best athletes and coaches including Micahel Jordan, Mia Hamm, Tiger Woods Lance Amstrong, Jerry Rice and John McEnroe.

"I am blessed to have had success, and I know without so many phenomenal people in my life, it would not have been possible to win 100 games much less 800. I cannot imagine ever doing anything other than teaching young women which makes this center even more special to me," said Stringer.

Stringer has directed Rutgers to two Final Four appearances, in 2000 and 2007, during her 13-year tenure. In 2000, she became the first coach -- male or female -- to take three different programs to the Final Four. This past season, Stringer became just the third women's coach and the ninth coach overall to record 800 wins.   She began her coaching career at Cheyney State in 1971. Coaching there for 12 seasons, Stringer took the Lady Wolves to the first women's basketball national championship game in 1982. Stringer moved from Cheyney State to Iowa, where she was coach from 1983-1995 and took the team to the Final Four in 1993.