Rutgers and C. Vivian Stringer agree on contract extension

C. Vivian Stringer has agreed to a contract extension with Rutgers that will keep her as the women’s basketball head coach through the 2025-2026 season.

Beginning next season through the duration of the contract, Stringer is guaranteed $5.5 million, plus performance incentives and retention bonuses.

“Rutgers is family, and I’m proud to be given the opportunity to continue a tradition of excellence with the next generation of Scarlet Knights,” Stringer said. “This is what I love to do, and I do it today with as much care and passion as when I began. I am grateful to our administration, Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs, Deputy Athletic Director Sarah Baumgartner, and President Jonathan Holloway for their continued support as we seek to win championships while developing, mentoring, and teaching young women for life in and around the game of basketball.”

Stringer, 73, will enter her 27th season on the sideline for the Scarlet Knights with 1,055 victories in her career. This is good for fifth all-time in NCAA women’s basketball. She earned her 1,000th victory back in November of 2018 and became the first African-American coach to reach that number.

In 2019-2020, Stringer passed Pat Summit in accomplishing 20 or more victories for a 37th season, the most all-time. She entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as an inductee in 2009.

Stringer has led the Scarlet Knights to 17 NCAA Tournaments and two Final Fours, including a National Championship appearance in 2007. However, the program last won an NCAA Tournament game in 2015 and last made the Sweet 16 in 2009.

Rutgers has finished in the top three of the regular season standings in the Big Ten twice in the last three years. They are 58-24 during that time.

In addition, every player has graduated over the past two years.

“Coach Stringer has had an immeasurable impact on the lives of the many women who have come through our program over the years,” said Rutgers Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs. “She is a giant in the world of college athletics and beyond. Her many accomplishments – 1,000 wins, Final Four appearances, being inducted into several Halls of Fame, and countless awards and honors speak for themselves. She is an inspiration to all of us and we are proud to have her build on that legacy and continue to inspire future Scarlet Knights.”