Providence mourns loss of winningest women's basketball coach, Bob Foley

Bob Foley, an athletics Hall of Fame inductee at Providence College and the school’s most successful women’s basketball coach in program history, has died. He was 72.

The Friars and his subsequent coaching home at the University of Richmond both posted tributes to Foley on social media Tuesday. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Foley passed away on Monday due to complications from a battle with leukemia.

“Coach Foley was quick to congratulate me once I was hired,” current Providence women’s coach Erin Batth posted on social media Tuesday. “He loved Friartown!”

More: Providence basketball coach Kim English has message for teams trying to lure his players away

More: Earl Timberlake back with Bryant; Grace Efosa stays at Providence in latest transfer moves.

Foley coached at Providence from 1985-96 and collected 206 career wins. He counted previous stints as an assistant at Colorado and Penn State before being hired to take over for Lynn Sheedy. His debut season saw Foley lead the Friars to a Big East championship and collect league Coach of the Year honors.

Foley coached and recruited some of the best players in program history. Mary Burke, Doris Burke, Shanya Evans, Lucie Fontanella, Britt King, Tracy Lis, Nadine Malcolm and Andrea Mangum all stand alongside Foley in the school’s athletics Hall of Fame. Eight of Providence’s top 11 scorers, three of its top five rebounders and each of its two assist leaders suited up with Foley on the sideline.

The Friars have totaled 13 selections to the Big East first team since their founding in the mid-1970s — 10 of those occurred under Foley. Providence was ranked in The Associated Press poll at various times in 1985-86, 1989-90 and 1990-91. Runner-up league finishes in 1986-87, 1989-90 and 1990-91 followed that opening title campaign in 1985-86.

The Friars earned all five of their March Madness bids under Foley — a breakthrough in 1986 and four straight from 1989-92. Providence was the first Big East program to reach the Sweet 16, advancing to that stage of the tournament in 1990. It was one of six seasons in which Foley’s teams won 20 games or more.

Foley joined the Spiders ahead of the 1996-97 season and went 85-83 in six seasons. He stepped down in March 2002 and created Next Level Basketball, a youth program in the Richmond area. The organization’s website said Foley and his staff had worked with more than 5,000 youth players since its founding.

“We are devoted to carrying on his legacy and passion for teaching the fundamentals of basketball while having fun,” a statement on the website said.

Foley’s career after Richmond also included a recruiting seminar for parents, athletes and coaches. He taught a class on college coaching at Virginia Commonwealth and served as an officiating evaluator for the Atlantic 10. Foley’s home region enjoyed significant success on the floor this season — the Spiders women swept league regular-season and tournament titles on the way to a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Foley was a Pennsylvania native and a Villanova graduate. He leaves his wife, Louise, and their four children — Lauren, Bobby, Michelle and Danny. Bobby Foley played basketball at Princeton from 2007-11, reaching the NCAA Tournament as a senior with the Tigers.

Calling hours and funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

bkoch@providencejournal.com 

On X: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence mourns loss of winningest women's basketball coach, Bob Foley