Joseph R. Ciampi (born September 25, 1946) is a retired American basketball coach. Starting off in boys basketball from 1968 to 1977, Ciampi was an assistant coach for a Nanticoke high school and the head coach for Marlboro High School in New York. In women's basketball, Ciampi coached the Army Black Knights women's basketball team from 1977 to 1979 before joining the Auburn Tigers women's basketball team in 1979. With the Tigers, Ciampi and his team reached the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament final consecutively from 1988 to 1990. After winning his 600th game as a Division I coach in January 2004, Ciampi retired from basketball in March 2004.
 Ciampi with Army in the late 1970s. | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1946 Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1966–1967 | Mansfield State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1968–1972 | Nanticoke Area HS (boys' asst.) |
| 1972–1977 | Marlboro Central HS (boys') |
| 1977–1979 | Army |
| 1979–2004 | Auburn |
| 2012–2013 | Atlanta Dream (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 73–23 (.760) (high school) 607–213 (.740) (college) |
| Tournaments | 27–16 (NCAA Division I) 5–0 (WNIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |
With his stints with the Army Knights and Tigers, Ciampi retired with 607 wins and 213 losses. In the mid 2000s, Ciampi's record of 607 wins was in the top 15 overall wins by a Division I basketball coach during the late 2000s. After working as a women's basketball sports commentator for Comcast during the early 2010s, Ciampi briefly returned to basketball as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Dream from 2012 to 2013. Ciampi was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Early life and education
On September 25, 1946, Ciampi was born in Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania.[1] At Nanticoke Area High School in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Ciampi started playing basketball and baseball.[2][3][4] Ciampi then attended Mansfield State College (now Mansfield University of Pennsylvania), graduating with a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1968.[5][6][7] At Mansfield State, Ciampi played varsity basketball in the 1966–67 season.[8]
Coaching career
High school basketball (1968–1977)
After graduating from college, Ciampi began his career as a high school gym teacher.[6][9] In boys' basketball, Ciampi was an assistant coach from 1968 to 1972 at Nanticoke Area High School, helping Nanticoke reach an 82–19 record in four years.[10][11] Continuing his boys basketball experience in Marlboro, New York, Ciampi worked as the head coach for Marlboro High School between 1972 and 1977. With Marlboro, Ciampi had 73 wins and 23 losses.[12]
Army (1977–1979)
In 1977, Ciampi joined the United States Military Academy to be head coach for Army Cadets women's basketball, the program's first head coach at the NCAA Division I level. With Army, Ciampi went 18–5 in 1977–78 and 21–5 in 1978–79 for a total of 39 wins and 10 losses.[13]
Auburn (1979–2004)
In 1979, Ciampi joined Auburn University as head coach of the Auburn Tigers women's basketball team. Inheriting a program that had won only 17 games in the past two seasons, Ciampi led Auburn to a 17–13 record in the 1979–80 season.[12] Auburn would later reach the final of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament three consecutive times from 1988 to 1990.[12]
Apart from the NCAA tournament, Ciampi led Auburn to the 2003 Women's National Invitation Tournament title.[14][12] While coaching the Tigers, Ciampi earned his 600th win as a Division I basketball coach in January 2004.[12] That year, Ciampi ended his Auburn head coach position with 568 wins and 203 losses.[15] Upon his retirement from basketball in March 2004, Ciampi had an overall college basketball record of 607 wins and 213 losses.[16] With his 607 wins, Ciampi was in the top 15 for the most NCAA Division I basketball wins during the mid 2000s.[17] By the end of the 2010s, Ciampi's 607 wins made him tied for 34th place alongside Mike Granel for the most basketball games won overall by a Division I coach.[18]
Later career
After retiring from Auburn, Ciampi was a consultant to several NCAA Division I women's basketball teams.[19] In the early 2010s, Ciampi was a sports commentator for SportSouth on women's basketball games played in the Southeastern Conference.[20]
In 2012, Ciampi came out of retirement to become an assistant coach for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA.[21] He continued to coach for the Dream until 2013.[22] The Dream went 19–15 in 2012 under head coaches Marynell Meadors and Fred Williams and 17–17 in 2013 under Williams, qualifying for the playoffs in both years, including as runners-up in the 2013 WNBA Finals.[23]
Ciampi continues to be a women's basketball analyst for the Auburn Sports Network and SEC Network.[24]
Awards and honors
In 2005, Ciampi was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.[25] The following year, Ciampi became a part of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[1]
Personal life
Ciampi is married and has four children.[26]
Head coaching record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Cadets (NCAA Division I independent) (1977–1979) | |||||||||
| 1977–78 | Army | 18–5 | |||||||
| 1978–79 | Army | 21–5 | |||||||
| Army: | 39–10 (.796) | ||||||||
| Auburn Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (1979–2004) | |||||||||
| 1979–80 | Auburn | 17–13 | |||||||
| 1980–81 | Auburn | 26–7 | |||||||
| 1981–82 | Auburn | 24–5 | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||||
| 1982–83 | Auburn | 24–8 | 6–2 | T–1st (West) | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1983–84 | Auburn | 19–10 | 4–4 | 4th (West) | |||||
| 1984–85 | Auburn | 25–6 | 5–3 | 2nd (West) | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1985–86 | Auburn | 24–6 | 6–3 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1986–87 | Auburn | 31–2 | 8–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 1987–88 | Auburn | 32–3 | 9–0 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1988–89 | Auburn | 32–2 | 9–0 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1989–90 | Auburn | 28–7 | 7–2 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1990–91 | Auburn | 26–6 | 7–2 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 1991–92 | Auburn | 17–12 | 4–7 | T–7th | |||||
| 1992–93 | Auburn | 25–4 | 9–2 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1993–94 | Auburn | 20–10 | 6–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1994–95 | Auburn | 17–10 | 5–6 | 8th | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 1995–96 | Auburn | 23–9 | 6–5 | T–5th | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 1996–97 | Auburn | 22–10 | 5–7 | T–7th | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 1997–98 | Auburn | 16–11 | 4–10 | T–9th | |||||
| 1998–99 | Auburn | 20–9 | 8–6 | 4th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 1999–2000 | Auburn | 22–8 | 9–5 | 4th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2000–01 | Auburn | 17–12 | 5–9 | T–8th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Auburn | 16–13 | 3–11 | T–10th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Auburn | 23–11 | 5–9 | 8th | WNIT Champion | ||||
| 2003–04 | Auburn | 22–9 | 9–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| Auburn: | 568–203 (.737) | 145–104 (.582) | |||||||
| Total: | 607–213 (.740) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||