Longtime Florida Volleyball Coach Wise Stepping Down

Legendary Florida volleyball coach Mary Wise announced Thursday she is retiring. Wise wrapped up her 34th season with the Gators in December 2024 in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal.

A message from Coach Wise 🧡💙#GoGators pic.twitter.com/VjpyMI7VcI

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) February 6, 2025

Endless Accomplishments

In her 34 seasons with Florida, Wise led the Gators to 987 wins, which is the seventh-most by any Division I coach at one school in NCAA history.

But, that’s not all. She took the Gators to the NCAA Tournament every season of her Florida tenure. That’s the third-longest streak in Division I history. Those tournament appearances included eight final fours and two national runner-up finishes (2003 and 2017).

When she arrived in Gainesville, Wise hit the ground running. The 1991 team won a share of the SEC title — the first of 25 league titles for Wise-led teams. Another crazy stat? That’s the most for any SEC women’s team and ninth of all SEC men’s and women’s teams.

Wise is one of two coaches to be named the AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year three times (1992, 1996, 2017). She also earned the title of SEC Coach of the Year 15 times.

“Gator Nation, it has been an honor to serve as your Head Volleyball Coach the past 34 seasons. I look back on my career with such gratitude for the assistant coaches, staff members, administrators, and especially the incredible women who said yes to being a Gator,” Wise said.

Before coming to Florida, Wise was the head coach at Iowa State. Twenty-one years old at the time, she was the youngest head coach in NCAA history. Wise finished her final season in 1984 with the Cyclone with a record of 21-9.

In her first season with the Gators in 1991, Wise led Florida to the program’s first of 18-straight SEC Championships. But, that’s not the only first Wise brought. Florida had never appeared in the national semifinal, received All-America honor, or been ranked No. 1. That all changed when coach Wise came to town.

Wise finishes her incredible career with a 1068-213 (.834) career record. That record is tied for fourth-most in Division I history.