 Susan Dunagan is in her 22nd season as the head coach of the Roanoke College women’s basketball program. She has compiled a 423-140 record with the Maroons and directed her teams to an unprecedented 13 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships. A 63-45 win over Washington & Lee two seasons ago gave Dunagan her 400th career victory, a plateau only eight other active coaches have reached. In addition to her success within the conference, Dunagan has also led the Maroons to 10 NCAA postseason appearances over the past 13 years.
It’s not difficult to see why Dunagan is considered one of the best collegiate women’s basketball coaches in the nation, at any level. In her 21 seasons walking the Roanoke sideline, she has led her teams to 20 or more wins 14 times. In 1997-98, the Maroons won their 12th conference title, defying the odds by becoming the lowest seed (5th) to win the conference tournament.
The “Dunagan Dynasty” began in her second season as Roanoke’s head coach. In 1982-83 the Maroons finished with a 20-5 record and won their first ODAC Championship. Roanoke went on to win three straight titles from 1985-87. In 1991-92, the Maroons finished 21-6, advanced to the NCAA’s Elite Eight, were ranked eighth in the final Division III poll, and led the nation in scoring margin.
In 20 seasons in the ODAC, Dunagan and the Maroons have compiled a 293-52 record in conference play, including three undefeated seasons, for an incredible .865 winning percentage. Dunagan’s 293 conference wins are by far the most by any coach to coach in the ODAC. Roanoke has played in the ODAC Championship game 16 out of a possible 20 times.
Dunagan’s success has not gone unnoticed. She has been named the ODAC Coach of the Year six times and was named the 1997 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association District Coach of the Year. In the spring of 2001, Dunagan was inducted into the Roanoke College Hall of Fame.
Dunagan’s basketball program is a breeding ground for success. She has coached three All-Americans, six ODAC Players of the Year, 21 First Team All-ODAC and 17 Second Team
All-ODAC players.
The Roanoke program has also been a stepping stone into the coaching ranks. No less than 15 of Dunagan’s former players and assistant coaches have moved on to have successful head coaching career at both the college and high school levels.
The on-court triumphs of Maroon basketball players also spill over into the classroom. In her 21 years of coaching at Roanoke, all of her four-year players have earned a diploma. This achievement complements Dunagan’s high expectations for her student-athletes. She has been an excellent role model and an inspiration to her players, several of whom have joined the coaching ranks.
Dunagan is well known in the Roanoke Valley, not only for the success of her program, but also for her ability to recruit talented student-athletes from the area. She is also a popular speaker at many local high schools in the community.
Before joining the Maroons, Dunagan spent 11 years at Cave Spring High School in Roanoke where she taught physical education and driver’s education as well as coached track, and of course, basketball.
A Radford University graduate, Dunagan received her bachelor of science degree in physical education in 1970 and returned for her master’s in physical education in 1976. In addition to her basketball duties at RC, Dunagan also serves as the school’s Senior Women’s Administrator and Director of Intramurals.
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