Marianne Stanley Biography – WNBA Coach

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Marianne Stanley Bio

Marianne Stanley is an American basketball coach. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.

  • Birth DateApril 29, 1954
  • Birth Name Marianne Crawford Stanley
  • Age 70
  • Also Known As Marianne Stanley
  • Birth Place Yeadon, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Birth Sign Taurus
  • Nationality American
  • Profession Basketball Coach
  • Relationship Status Divorced
  • Children Michelle Stanley
  • Education Bachelors Degree in Sociology
  • Awards Honors WNBA Coach of the Year (2002)
  • Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Stanley

Marianne Stanley is an American basketball coach and former college basketball player. Presently, she is the head coach of the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is one of the well-known and honored coaching figures in American basketball history.

The sportswoman began as a college basketball player and played from 1972 to 1976. She then switched to coaching and has been doing it since 1977.

The Indiana Fever head coach’s legacy and professional career is a known affair to the public. However, there is not much information regarding her personal life. So, let’s learn about Marianne’s net worth, career, family, and many more.

Is A Former College Basketball Player

Marianne Stanley was born on the 29th of April in 1954 in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. Her birth name is Marianne Crawford Stanley. While not many details of her childhood and parents are available, she did reveal wanting to be an athlete growing up.

The sports personality seems to prefer to keep her family away from the media, considering her parents’ names are unknown.

The excellent coach completed her former education at Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. After that, she joined Immaculata University and started her collegiate basketball career.

Marianne Stanley College
Marianne Stanley played college basketball at Immaculata University. Image Source: Indiana Fever’s Facebook.

During her college playing days, the athlete led the team to win three national championships from 1972 to 1974. She was also a two-time All-American guard at Immaculata. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology.

Also Read: Know More About Mauritanian-American Actor Mamoudou Athie. 

Marianne Stanley Net Worth And Career

Marianne started her collegiate career in a women’s head coaching position at Old Dominion University. She led the team to two Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championships and the 1985 NCAA national championship. Hence, Marianne Stanley’s net worth must have increased at that time.

Afterward, the collegiate coach joined the University of Southern California as their head coach in 1989. Her base salary was $60,000, which was increased to $62,000 per year in 1992. In April 1993, a few months before her contract expiry date, she had a dispute with USC Director regarding her contract and salary. 

Stanley filed an $8 million federal sex discrimination lawsuit against Athletic Director Mike Garrett and the University of Southern California in 1993. She based her case on requesting a salary comparable to Southern Cal men’s basketball coach George Raveling‘s $130,000. Sadly, the court dismissed her case in 1999.

The Immaculata alumni transitioned from collegiate to professional coaching in the early ’00s. Between 2000 to 2019, she worked as an assistant coach for Rutgers University, WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and New York Liberty. Moreover, Marianne became the head coach of the Washington Mystics in 2002. She must have earned a fortune as a professional basketball coach.

Marianne Stanley’s net worth must be growing well following her impressive career history and good wins. Moreover, she has been working as Indiana Fever’s head coach since 2020. Therefore, we can assume that the competent coach is also financially prosperous.

Just Like Marianne Stanley, Curt Miller is also a WNBA Coach.

Is Marianne Stanley Married?

The head coach was married to her high school sweetheart Rich Stanley, an aspiring Villanova basketball player. The lovebirds got married during Stanley’s junior season at Immaculata.

Sadly, Marianne and her husband got divorced when she began coaching at Old Dominion. Stanley is a tough woman but often avoids talking about the hardships in her life. When asked about her divorce in an interview, she replied she would rather talk about basketball. Hence, she prefers not to disclose her life details.

Marianne Stanley’s ex-husband, Rich, has also remained in the shadows. Like any other celebrity, the coach prefers to keep her personal life separate from her professional life. She may have had a failed marriage, but she excels in her career.

Marianne Is A Single Mother

The Indiana Fever’s head coach has a daughter named Michelle Stanley. She had her only daughter during her senior year at college. However, the birth of her little girl did not discourage Marianne from pursuing a coaching career either. She is a single mother and an outstanding coach.

Marianne Stanley’s daughter, Michelle, was born on the 22nd of October in 1976. She is now married and lives with her family in California. Furthermore, Michelle and her husband, Jonathan Worden, live happily with their three kids, Madelyn Worden, Jonathan Worden Jr., and Dylan Worden.

Today’s basketball fans talk about Tennessee, Connecticut, and Stanford. Well, Old Dominion and Marianne Stanley laid the foundation for women’s basketball. So, she is considered a pioneer in women’s basketball coaching. 

The Indiana Fever’s head coach is one of the thirteen Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honorees for 2022. Considering her significant contributions in her forty-five years of coaching career for women’s basketball, she is a well-deserving candidate. Let’s wish her more success.