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Gary Fifield came to Gorham in 1987 succeeding legendary head coach Richard “Doc” Costello and quickly established himself as one of the premier women’s college basketball coaches in the nation. During his 21 seasons with the Huskies, Fifield, the 2005 Russell Athletic/WBCA Division III National Coach of the Year, fortified the strong tradition of winning that is synonymous with University of Southern Maine women’s basketball.
Over the course of two decades, Fifield guided USM to a combined 541-86 record (.862 winning percentage). Fifield and the Huskies’ impressive win total is even more staggering when one considers Southern Maine’s 18 shared or outright Little East Conference regular season titles, 17 LEC tournament championships, including a string of 11 tournament crowns dating back to the 1996-1997 season and his team’s consistent appearance in postseason play during his tenure. Fifield’s teams were consistently successful and advanced to postseason play every year that he was the head coach – a tradition for USM that began 30 years ago in 1976.
Among his litany of awards, Fifield received the top honor a coach can achieve during a career when he was selected as the 2005 Russell Athletic/WBCA Division III National Coach of the Year. The veteran coach garnered the accolade after leading his team to a school record 31-3 overall mark, including an unblemished 14-0 regular season record in the LEC, the team’s ninth consecutive LEC tournament championship and their fourth of five appearances in the NCAA Division III “Final Four” .
Fifield’s awards include being named the 1998 WBCA District I Coach of the Year five times (1992, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006). Fifield earned the 1998 honor after leading his team to a 29-3 overall record and a spot in the NCAA Division III National Championship game. In 2003, Fifield was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. And his dominance against his Little East Conference opponents was recognized as he earned or shared the Little East Conference Coach of the Year award 13 times (‘89, ‘90, ‘92, ‘93, ‘95, ‘98, ‘99, ‘02, ‘03, ’04, ’05, ‘06 and ‘07).
Fifield earned his 500th career victory on January 9, 2007 with a 75-63 win over Rhode Island College. His milestone mark came just three years, one month and 14 days after his 400th career win which was claimed when the Huskies defeated Bates College 84-61 on Nov. 25, 2003. Since his 400th career victory Southern Maine continued to roll and post impressive win totals. During the 2006-07 season, Fifield and the Huskies added to their records, extending their NCAA Division III record with their 27th consecutive season of 20-or-more wins. USM began its record-setting march under former coach Richard “Doc” Costello during the 1980-81 season.
During the 2004-2005 campaign, USM also set a new school record for consecutive wins earning 28 “W”’s in a row, beginning December 4, 2004 and ending with a loss to the eventual National Champion, Millikin, on March 18, 2005 at the Final Four. The 2005-06 Huskies continued the USM tradition of excellence, posting the program’s best ever finish with a 32-2 mark, a Little East Conference championship and Southern Maine’s fifth trip to the NCAA Final Four and third appearance in the National Championship game.
During his 21 seasons, Fifield has had ten different players receive All-American or honorable mention All-American honors on 14 occasions. Fifield’s players have also distinguished themselves academically. Most recently, two-time USM WBCA All-American Ashley Marble was named the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year for the College Division and a first team Academic All-American.
Fifield further distinguished himself with his selection as an assistant coach for the West team at the 1993 Olympic Festival in San Antonio. He was the lone Division III women’s coach selected to participate.
A 1975 graduate of the University of Vermont with a B.S. in physical education, Fifield earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Vermont in 1982. Fifield, and his wife, Mary, have one son and reside in Buxton, Maine.
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