Bill Fennelly
Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly has agreed to a two-year contract extension keeping him on the Cyclone sidelines until at least 2027.
The dean of Big 12 coaches just finished his 26th season at Iowa State with another NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament appearance, his 19th with the Cyclones.
“Ellen and I had an enjoyable dinner with Deb and Bill last night which included a great discussion about our futures. It was encouraging to hear and feel the enthusiasm, energy, passion and desire Coach Fennelly still has for leading our women’s basketball program,” Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “During those discussion, we mutually agreed to extend his contract through 2027 in order to send a clear message to recruits, student-athletes, his staff, and our fans, that Coach Fennelly will continue leading our women’s basketball program for the foreseeable future.”
Fighting through the challenges of COVID, Fennelly’s 2020-21 team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament led by Cheryl Miller Award winner Ashley Joens. The Cyclones helped Fennelly reach another coaching milestone in January with his 700th career victory at Kansas State.
“Iowa State has been home for Deb and our family for more than 25 years,” Fennelly said. “We are humbled by the opportunity provided by, Calli (Sanders), Jamie (Pollard) and Dr. Wintersteen to continue leading our program. I love coming to work every day and I am energized by the opportunity to continue to positively impact the young women in our program. I’ve been blessed beyond words and am eager to continue the journey we started 26 years ago.”
Fennelly’s career mark is 706-337 and his Iowa State ledger is 540-284. He won 166 games at Toledo before coming to Iowa State. His teams have made the NCAA Tournament 21 times, including two at Toledo.