FIU Athletics

Russo established the FIU women's basketball program as one of the nation's best during her 36 years at the helm. The Panthers racked up a program-record 667 wins under Russo and had 18 seasons of 20-plus victories. In total, Russo accumulated 707 career wins, putting her in the top 50 all-time for coaching wins in the history of NCAA women's basketball.
 
With a groundbreaking emphasis on recruiting international players, she led the Panthers to nine overall NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 conference titles. An eight-time Coach of the Year, Russo's teams made a total of 16 postseason appearances and racked up an incredible 22 consecutive winning seasons.
 
Most notably, FIU's historic 1997-98 campaign featured a 29-2 overall record as the Panthers secured both the regular-season and postseason titles. FIU then defeated Marquette, 59-45, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Russo coached the Panthers to three NCAA Tournament victories, defeating Old Dominion in 1995 and Creighton in 2002. The Panthers earned their highest-ever NCAA Tournament seed in 2002 under Russo, seeded fifth in their region.
 
She coached five student-athletes who went on to play in the WNBA and had seven players who earned Associated Press All-American honors. She was inducted into the ASUN Conference Hall of Fame in 2016. Prior to coaching, Russo played basketball at Old Dominion from 1972-75. During her FIU coaching career, Russo earned a postgraduate degree from FIU in 1993.
 
"I am deeply honored and incredibly excited to be inducted into the FIU Athletics Hall of Fame. When I began my journey as a very young head coach, FIU was also a young and growing university — we truly grew up together! I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the FIU administrators for their unwavering support of the women's basketball program throughout my 36-year tenure. A special thank you to all my assistant coaches, and especially to Associate Head Coach Inge Nissen, for your dedication, loyalty and hard work over the years. I look forward to celebrating this special moment at the FIU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Sept. 12 on campus."