Instant Impact: Wise's Fierce Competitive Drive, Shared Ownership Created Success; UF Coaches Comment on Wise's Legacy
Friday, February 7, 2025 | Volleyball, Scott Carter
During the interview, Wise met with team members. They came equipped with questions, and they wanted answers. They didn't know much, if anything, about the then-31-year-old Wise. They knew their former coach, Marilyn McReavy, was out, and Wise might be in.
In a story published in the Gainesville Sun more than two years later, then-senior Nikki Vogt recalled how Wise made an impression on the players in that initial meeting.
"Every time we'd ask her a question, she'd turn it around on us,'' Vogt said. "We'd ask her what she expected from the team, and she'd say, 'It's your team, what do you expect?' That's her whole philosophy. Once she got here, we knew everything would work out.
"But no one knew it would work out as well as it has."
Things continued to work out in Wise's favor for three more decades, culminating on Thursday when she met with the Gators once more, the members of her final team. Wise told them that she was retiring after 34 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, 987 wins at UF, 25 Southeastern Conference championships and eight Final Four appearances.
The news caused a ripple across the NCAA volleyball community as the winningest female coach in Division I history – and fourth-winningest of all time – decided that now was the time to pass the torch.
Once a Gator, always a Gator🧡🐊💙
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) February 7, 2025
A career to remember, a legacy that lasts.
Gator Forever.#GoGators | #GatorAlways pic.twitter.com/pp1lzXTpHs
Wise was reminded of that initial 1991 team meeting earlier this week, the night before she held her final team gathering late Thursday afternoon. The details may be a little fuzzy, but she quickly pulled Vogt's name from memory when an inquisitor tripped over the pronunciation. More importantly, Wise revealed that a significant reason for her success was that she never wavered from what that first audience recognized immediately.
"I do think to be successful, players have to feel empowered and ownership,'' Wise said. "And what we have tried to do is create a program where they do feel ownership. There will always be some non-negotiables, but the program is the players and I've tried to never forget that."
Wise's approach worked as a 21-year-old head coach at Iowa State in 1981 all the way to the finish line, capping her final season at UF in the Sweet 16 and with a pair of road wins in the NCAA Tournament. Wise's accomplishments during her time at Florida stretch far beyond the arena.
In many ways, she became an institution, a figure as familiar as Albert, Lake Alice or Century Tower to generations of UF students. Gators from the past could share stories about Wise with their kids, Gators of the present. Wise, 65, has aged with those students' parents, but she still has a youthfulness that registers with them.
And a competitive drive that could match any hotshot recruit on her team.
"You don't have the type of record that Mary Wise has, and the number of rings that she has, by just rolling the ball out there,'' former Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley said. "One of the all-time greats. She is such an incredibly relentless competitor. Every single game, every single point, every single match, the fire was intense. She is the epitome of a warrior. I think her teams reflected her."
Gators ambassador Steve Spurrier, who returned to his alma mater to take over the football program the season before Wise became UF's volleyball coach, became close friends early on. As he was building the Gators into a national championship contender inside The Swamp, Wise was doing the same across the street at the O'Connell Center.
Both quickly established dominant advantages at home – Spurrier didn't lose a home game until his fourth season, Wise until her third — and fans responded enthusiastically. In November 1996, with Spurrier's Gators ranked No. 1, Wise's Gators joined them at the top, reaching No. 1 in the national rankings for the first time in program history.
The Head Ball Coach, who called Wise on Thursday night to congratulate her, had a favorite greeting when they crossed paths in those days.
"I used to call her the winningest coach on campus,'' Spurrier said. "She's won more SEC championships than almost all of us combined. She's one of the all-time bests here, that's for sure. She had a wonderful run. I don't know if anyone can match it."
Legendary coach @GatorMary retires after 987 wins and 34 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament during her @GatorsVB tenure. 👏#NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/j9n4RPGTBW
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) February 7, 2025
Wise's reach stretched far beyond the borders of the UF campus.
Former Gators setter Missy (Aggertt) Whittemore was part of Wise's first full-sized recruiting class at UF in 1992 and remained in Gainesville after graduating. She has known Wise for so long that she can remember her youngest son, Mitchell, as a toddler. A few years ago, Mitchell Wise was a volunteer assistant basketball coach at Buchholz High when Whittemore's sons played there.
Whittemore has been a longtime TV analyst for ESPN's volleyball coverage and other outlets. The sport continues to grow in popularity, and she credits Wise for playing an important role.
"She was an absolute pioneer in terms of really pushing the television coverage for our sport,'' Whittemore said. "Seeing how far that has come and seeing all that's come to fruition, I just think it's going to be part of her legacy. She was totally on board. She was one of those people who was pushing really hard for it and willing to do whatever it took to get our sport in front in a lot of eyes."
Wise was game if that meant changing a start time or rescheduling for another day to get TV coverage.
"If we had two matches on Sunshine Network back in the day, we thought that was fantastic,'' Whittemore said. "Now, every match is available. Those aren't small steps. Those are leaps she is directly related to."
Much of what was to come was evident right from the beginning. In Wise's first season, the Gators finished 35-5, and Wise earned SEC Coach of the Year honors. They were 15-16 the previous season.
"She set the tone right away,'' Foley said. "That was from day one. The results speak for themselves. It was evident that she was going to do something special here, and she did."
The Gators advanced to the NCAA Tournament, boosted by the addition of German import Gudi Staub, whom Wise signed with one of her two available scholarships that first season. Staub was named the first AVCA All-American in the school history that season.
The Gators lifted off under Wise and never came down.
"I think it allowed us to fast-forward the whole process,'' Wise said this week. "That was because of the talented players that remained, and it wasn't called portaling back then, but we sure did get some talented players. That early success allowed us to get into homes of good players.
"Volleyball was very regional-based then. The game is different, and the landscape of women's volleyball is different. There is more talent to go around. That was not the case early on."
Wise said she considered offers to leave twice over the past 34 years, but there were not enough "push factors" to depart UF in both cases. She stayed and did what she does best: build winning teams.
"I just have so much respect for her,'' Whittemore said. "I think more each year, largely in part seeing her succeed over such a long period."
When Wise considers her accomplishments, the wins, conference championships and awards are noteworthy. She said it could not have been done without the administrative support of Foley and current Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin. They value women's sports. Still, there are much more meaningful markers on the road of her lengthy career.
Mostly, people like Whittemore and countless others who have come and gone as players but never left as people.
"The bigger piece is, I'd like to think, is the experience of the players who have come through the program, what they learned, the women they became through their experiences in college and beyond, and that playing volleyball here was a piece of that,'' Wise said.
Coaches Corner
What Gators head coaches are saying about the career and retirement of UF volleyball coach Mary Wise, who led the program for 34 years and is the longest-tenured coach in UF Athletics history:
JC Deacon
Men's Golf
"Mary Wise and the Florida Gators are synonymous. Her level of consistency is the gold standard in college athletics. She has been the definition of a trailblazer in women's volleyball. Mary's contributions to her players, staff and Florida's athletic department may never be matched. I will forever be grateful for my time with Mary. When I started here in 2014, she was a leader amongst legends in our coaching room. She has been an amazing mentor and fierce competitor who demanded the most from everyone around her. I am so grateful to have had a front-row seat watching her remarkable career. Bye for now Mary! We sure are going to miss you."
Todd Golden
Men's Basketball
"She reached out to the rest of the head coaches [Thursday] night, letting us know she was retiring. I was blown away because she mentioned how she's been coaching for 43 years… I wasn't even a thought on this planet 43 years ago, to be honest. My parents weren't even together 43 years ago. So, it really hit me just how long at such a high level she was able to do it. Successfully coaching is pretty consistent across every sport, male or female, whatever it is. Most great coaches have similar characteristics. For her to be able to run such a high-level program for so long – and obviously we've experienced a lot of change in college athletics the last few years, and there have been other periods over the last 40 years where there have been changes, as well – for her to keep UF volleyball at a pinnacle for that time period says so much about her. The text I sent back on the group chat was, 'You are definitely a first-ballot hall-of-famer.' She has so much respect from us coaches. At head coaches meeting or whatever it is we go to, you could just tell how all the coaches, whether it's Tim Walton or JC Deacon, just appreciate everything she's done over the years. Obviously, I'm a relative newbie to the other head coaches here, but I have great respect for her and what she was able to do for our program. She'll be missed for sure."
Tim Walton
Softball
"Today is a very happy and sad day. I think happy because of the legacy that Mary Wise left behind, obviously being the winningest coach in Gators sports history and what she's meant. She and I shared the hallway in the Lemerand Center for many years, but what a great coach, great mentor, great champion. Twenty-five SEC championships is only something people dream of. One of the best to ever do it, in her sport but any sport in my opinion. She is a great competitor and just an absolute leader, mentor, to not only her players and her staff, but to fellow coaches. I feel for her, because I know today wasn't an easy day, but with that being said, I commend her for being the champion that she is and all the things she has done for all of our coaches. A great Gator."
Kelly Rae Finley
Women's Basketball
"Coach Wise is a hall-of-fame volleyball coach who had a tremendous career here. As a woman coaching women, it's really inspiring. Not only was she able to win a lot of games, she was able to impact young student-athletes, young women to be very, very successful in their life beyond volleyball. For me personally, she's always been somebody who has reached out to me to help me, to lift me up, to empower me, to challenge me, to tell me that I can do it. It's a really unique environment to be surrounded by people who really only want your success. Well-earned and well-deserved. We'll miss her around here. Her impact is going to be tremendous not only on the volleyball team, but on all women's sports on campus. I love her style. It's everything that's right about coaching. It's people-centered. Mary's approach to coaching is coaching the whole person, not just the player, and that's the way it should be."
Mike Holloway
Track and Field
"It has been incredible to be able to work with and watch Coach Wise since I joined the Gator Family 30 years ago. Mary is a shining example of who we are here at Florida and everything she did she did with class and integrity.
"While she will be missed here on a daily basis, she leaves behind an incredible legacy that the rest of us will continue to fight to uphold."
Anthony Nesty
Swimming and Diving
"Coach Wise has defined what it means to be a leader. Her impact goes beyond the record number of wins and championships. She has helped pave the way for all athletes and coaches, and we are better because of her. It's been an honor to learn from her and witness the impact that she has had at the University of Florida and in the world of sports we see and know today."
Amanda O'Leary
Lacrosse
"When I first arrived in Gainesville, I was fortunate to have Mary just a few offices away. She quickly became my go-to for advice — not just on navigating my new coaching role and the UAA, but also on life in Gainesville. Her guidance, wisdom, and unwavering support made a lasting impact. Mary has always been an inspiration. Year after year, I was always in awe of her success, her brilliance, and her ability to lead with both compassion and grace.
"She is the true definition of the GOAT! She will be deeply missed, but fortunately, I have her cell phone — so I can guarantee she hasn't heard the last from me!"
