Andy Landers, the only full-time women’s basketball head coach in University of Georgia history, announced his retirement on Monday. Landers recently completed his 36th season in Athens, during which he recorded his 850th win with the Lady Bulldogs.
Landers was named Georgia's full-time head coach on April 24, 1979, and he quickly turned a fledgling program into a national contender.
In their first six seasons of intercollegiate play from 1973-79, the Lady Bulldogs were a combined 37-85 under four different head coaches who also taught classes at UGA. In Landers' second season, Georgia won the 1981 WNIT national title. A year later, the Lady Bulldogs played in the first-ever NCAA Tournament. The following spring, Georgia advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the first time. Two years after that, the Lady Bulldogs were 1985 NCAA runners-up.
Georgia has remained at the national forefront throughout Landers' tenure. Most notably, the Lady Bulldogs rank No. 2 nationally in both NCAA Tournament appearances (31) and weeks ranked by the Associated Press (522). Georgia also is one of only three Division I basketball programs to post a winning record every season since women’s athletics came under the auspices of the NCAA with the 1981-82 season.
