Chris Gobrecht Explained

Chris Gobrecht
Birth Date:February 9, 1955
Birth Place:Toledo, Ohio
Player Years1:1973–1976
Player Team1:USC
Coach Years1:1977–1978
Coach Team1:Santa Fe Springs HS
Coach Years2:1978–1979
Coach Team2:Pasadena CC
Coach Years3:1979–1985
Coach Team3:Cal State Fullerton
Coach Years4:1985–1996
Coach Team4:Washington
Coach Years5:1996–1997
Coach Team5:Florida State
Coach Years6:1997–2004
Coach Team6:USC
Coach Years7:2005–2015
Coach Team7:Yale
Coach Years8:2015–2024
Coach Team8:Air Force
Overall Record:
  • (high school)
  • (junior college)
  • (college)
Tournament Record:
Championships:
  • 2 Pac-10 (1988, 1990)
  • NorPac (1986)
Awards:
  • 2× Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1987, 1988)
  • MW Coach of the Year (2022)

Christianne Geiger Gobrecht (born February 9, 1955) is an American basketball coach who was the head coach of the United States Air Force Academy women's basketball team.[1] A coach since 1977, she has been a head coach at the high school, junior college, and NCAA levels, and is known for only hiring female assistant coaches in order to protect opportunities for women.[2]

Coaching career

Gobrecht began her coaching career at Santa Fe Springs High School for one season before named the head coach at Pasadena City College, where she won a conference championship in her lone season there. She was also the head coach at Cal State Fullerton for six seasons prior to accepting the head coaching position at Washington, where she won two Pac-10 Conference titles and was named Pac-10 coach of the year twice. She was also the head coach at Florida State for one season prior to joining her alma mater USC in 1997. She led the Trojans to two WNIT appearances before she was fired at the end of the 2003–04 season.[3] Gobrecht took the 2004–05 season off to spend time with family, accepting the head coaching position at Yale in 2005.[4]

Gobrecht was named the head coach at Air Force on April 14, 2015.[5] She signed a contract extension after the 2017–18 season that extended her contract through the 2022–23 season.[6]

In 2022, the Mountain West Conference named Gobrecht the Coach of the Year in women's basketball after Air Force finished the regular season 17–12 (11–7 MW), the program's first winning season since it moved from Division II to Division I in 1996.[7] After advancing to the second round of the 2022 Women's National Invitation Tournament, Air Force finished the 2021–22 season 19–12 overall.[8]

Personal life

Gobrecht was married to Bob Gobrecht, who died in 2018 from an undisclosed illness.[9] The couple had two children; Eric and Mady. Eric attended the Air Force Academy and is a Major stationed at Beale Air Force Base in California, while Mady played for her mother at Yale and is currently a nurse in Colorado Springs.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Women’s Basketball Head Coach Chris Gobrecht announces retirement . 2024-04-01 . Air Force Academy Athletics . en.
  2. Web site: Air Force women's basketball coach Chris Gobrecht explains female-only hiring philosophy for assistants . Colorado Springs Gazette . 28 July 2021.
  3. Web site: Women's Basketball Coach Chris Gobrecht Relieved Of Duties . USC Athletics . 28 July 2021.
  4. Web site: Gobrecht uses family time to reflect, rejuvenate . Seattle Times . 28 July 2021.
  5. Web site: Air Force hires Chris Gobrecht as women's basketball coach . USA Today . 28 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Chris Gobrecht Receives Contract Extension . Air Force Academy Athletics . 28 July 2021.
  7. Web site: Mountain West Announces 2021-22 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team and Individual Awards. Mountain West Conference. March 6, 2022. March 21, 2022.
  8. Web site: 2021-22 Women's Basketball Schedule. U.S. Air Force Academy. March 21, 2022.
  9. Web site: Career path, life experiences crafted Chris Gobrecht into coach to finally succeed with Air Force women's basketball . Colorado Springs Gazette . 28 July 2021.
  10. Web site: Yale's Gobrechts share special bond . Fox Sports . 28 July 2021.