Dr. Joann Rutherford served as the head coach of Mizzou women's basketball for 23 seasons from 1975 to 1998.
Rutherford compiled a 422-262 career record with the Tigers. Her career wins total of 422 ranked among the NCAA's top 35 all-time at the time of her retirement. She guided the Tigers to winning campaigns in 19 out of her 23 seasons. Rutherford's teams won 20 or more games 11 times, including an impressive stretch from 1977-87 where they did so 10 times in 11 seasons.
She led the Tigers to six NCAA tournament appearances and four Big Eight Conference Titles in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1990. Her squads won five conference tournament championships, in 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1994.
Under Rutherford, the Tigers finished the season ranked among the top 20 in the Final AP poll four times, including a No. 11 ranking in 1984.
Rutherford coached eight Tigers to All-America honors and was recognized as Big Eight Coach of the year three times in her career. She was also tabbed as the Big Eight Coach of the Decade for the 1980s, when her teams went a combined 213-98 (.685 winning percentage).
Highly-regarded among her peers, Rutherford served on many high-level national committees, and coached the South team in 1986 to a gold medal in the U.S. Olympic Festival.