Dawn Staley, a member of the American basketball Hall of Fame, currently serves as the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s team, the reigning champions. As a player, she earned three Olympic gold medals with Team USA, and later led another U.S. team to gold as their head coach.
Dawn Staley Quick Facts
Full name: Dawn Michelle Staley
Date of birth: May 4, 1970
Age: 54 years old (2024)
Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Profession: Basketball coach
Marital status: Unmarried
Early Life & Family
Dawn Staley was born on May 4, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, located in the United States. During the 1950s, her parents, Clarence and Estelle Staley, made the move from Orangeburg County, South Carolina to North Philadelphia while they were still adolescents.
After marrying at a young age, they settled into a three-bedroom, single-bath row house in the Raymond Rosen Homes housing project in 1967.
Clarence, who worked as a part-time carpenter, and Estelle, who is a homemaker, raosed a total of five children. Among their children are three sons, namely Lawrence, Anthony, and Eric, as well as two daughters, named Tracey and Dawn.
Career
In 1988, while attending Dobbins Tech in Philadelphia, Dawn Staley was bestowed with the prestigious title of National High School Player of the Year by USA Today. This achievement was a remarkable one, especially since Dawn had never been defeated throughout her entire high school career.
Following her successful years in high school, the point guard continued her basketball career at the University of Virginia for a span of four years.
During this time, she made three appearances in the NCAA Final Four and competed in the 1991 championship game, earning the title of Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. This information is documented in her official biography from the University of South Carolina.
While attending college, Dawn achieved numerous accolades including being named National Player of the Year twice (in 1991 and 1992), being selected as a Kodak All-American three times (in 1990, 1991, and 1992).
She also received the ACC Player of the Year award in both 1991 and 1992, and was recognized as the league’s top newcomer in 1989. Her exceptional performance led to the retirement of her jersey at UVA.
Dawn Staley achieved the prestigious honor of winning a gold medal for Team USA in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics. It is significant to mention that Dawn was not selected for the 1992 Olympic team. She told ESPN,
“They told me there were two reasons why I got cut. One was, I was too short. Two, I didn’t have enough international experience.
She added,
“I couldn’t do anything about my height, but I surely could check off going overseas and playing internationally.”
According to her WNBA profile, Dawn was a prominent figure in the league, serving as a guard for the Charlotte Sting. She was selected as a first round draft pick in 1999.
According to her bio on USC’s website, Dawn Staley began her career as a basketball coach at Temple University, leading her team to the playoffs in seven of eight seasons. She left the team with an impressive record of 172 wins and 80 losses, making her the most successful coach in the team’s history.
After departing from Temple, Dawn Staley attended USC where she has achieved a remarkable record. She has led her team to two national titles and reached the NCAA Final Four five times.
During the 2022 season, the Gamecocks dominated the rankings, claiming the #1 spot in both polls for the entire year. They achieved this through victories over 14 ranked opponents, including Stanford, UConn, NC State, Oregon, Maryland, Duke, LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia.
In the NCAA tournament, the Gamecocks continued their winning streak by defeating Howard, Miami, North Carolina, Creighton, Louisville, and ultimately UConn once again to secure their second national championship.
Head coach Dawn Staley made history as the first coach to defeat Geno Auriemma, Tara VanDerveer, and Kim Mulkey in a single season. Additionally, she was once again recognized as the Naismith Award winner and coached Aliyah Boston, who was named National Player of the Year.
On February 22, 2024, Staley achieved her 600th victory after coaching 786 games (534 of which were with South Carolina). In the same year, she led her team to an undefeated season of 38-0 and secured their third national championship. Additionally, Staley was also honored with her fourth Naismith Coach of the Year Award.
Net Worth
Dawn Staley became the highest-earning black head coach in the history of women’s college basketball and one of the highest-paid female athletes when she signed a $22.4 million deal with South Carolina in October 2021.
Her annual salary is $3.2 million, with the potential to receive an additional $700k in performance bonuses each year. As of 2024, she has an estimated net worth of $12 million.
