Donna_J._Papa
Donna J. Papa
American softball coach (born 1956)
Donna Jean Papa (born March 16, 1956) is an American softball coach. With a record of 1,368–805–4, she ranks 7th in wins in the history of college softball. She was the head coach at the University of North Carolina from 1986-2023.[1] She was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1956-03-16) March 16, 1956 (age 68) Waterbury, Connecticut |
| Playing career | |
| 1976–1979 | Connecticut |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Softball | |
| 1980 | UNC Greensboro (assistant) |
| 1981–1983 | St. John's (assistant) |
| 1984–1985 | Susquehanna |
| 1986–2023 | North Carolina |
| Volleyball | |
| 1984–1985 | Susquehanna |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1368–805–4 (.629) (softball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Softball 5 ACC regular season (1996, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2012) 1 ACC tournament (2001) | |
| Awards | |
| Softball 5× ACC Coach of the Year (1996, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2012) National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2012) | |
North Carolina
On May 25, 2023, after 38 years at the helm, Donna Papa retired as head coach of the North Carolina softball team.[2][3]
Softball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna (Middle Atlantic Conferences) (1984–1985) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Susquehanna | 13–7 | 3–3 | ||||||
| 1985 | Susquehanna | 16–8 | 7–1 | ||||||
| Susquehanna: | 29–15 (.659) | 10–4 (.714) | |||||||
| North Carolina Tar Heels (Independent) (1986–1991) | |||||||||
| 1986 | North Carolina | 35–13 | |||||||
| 1987 | North Carolina | 36–11 | |||||||
| 1988 | North Carolina | 25–23 | |||||||
| 1989 | North Carolina | 35–17 | |||||||
| 1990 | North Carolina | 38–18 | |||||||
| 1991 | North Carolina | 36–12 | |||||||
| North Carolina Tar Heels (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1992–present) | |||||||||
| 1992 | North Carolina | 45–18 | 3–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1993 | North Carolina | 42–17 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1994 | North Carolina | 32–25 | 2–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1995 | North Carolina | 25–34 | 1–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1996 | North Carolina | 33–29–1 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1997 | North Carolina | 21–34 | 2–6 | 5th | |||||
| 1998 | North Carolina | 32–21 | 6–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1999 | North Carolina | 39–22 | 4–4 | T-3rd | |||||
| 2000 | North Carolina | 47–17 | 6–2 | T-1st | |||||
| 2001 | North Carolina | 38–19–1 | 6–2 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2002 | North Carolina | 34–30 | 2–6 | 4th | |||||
| 2003 | North Carolina | 40–22–1 | 4–3 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2004 | North Carolina | 44–22 | 6–4 | T-2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2005 | North Carolina | 38–29 | 9–9 | 5th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2006 | North Carolina | 48–19 | 13–7 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2007 | North Carolina | 46–21 | 11–9 | 5th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2008 | North Carolina | 50–12–1 | 18–2 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2009 | North Carolina | 47–13 | 15–5 | 3rd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2010 | North Carolina | 42–20 | 11–10 | 4th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2011 | North Carolina | 34–21 | 13–7 | 2nd | |||||
| 2012 | North Carolina | 43–15 | 13–4 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2013 | North Carolina | 40–21 | 13–8 | T-3rd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2014 | North Carolina | 24–26 | 14–11 | 5th | |||||
| 2015 | North Carolina | 37–16 | 16–5 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2016 | North Carolina | 32–25 | 13–11 | T-5th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2017 | North Carolina | 40–21 | 14–9 | T-3rd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2018 | North Carolina | 30–26 | 15–8 | 2nd (Coastal) | |||||
| 2019 | North Carolina | 38–20 | 17–7 | 2nd (Coastal) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2020 | North Carolina | 10–14 | 3–3 | 6th | Season canceled due to COVID-19 | ||||
| 2021 | North Carolina | 14–26 | 10–19 | 10th | |||||
| 2022 | North Carolina | 23–28 | 6–18 | 10th | |||||
| 2023 | North Carolina | 26–28 | 13–10 | 6th | |||||
| North Carolina: | 1339–805–4 (.624) | 288–206 (.583) | |||||||
| Total: | 1368–805–4 (.629) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
- "Donna J. Papa Biography". University of North Carolina. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- McLeod, Justin (25 May 2023). "Donna Papa Retires as North Carolina Head Coach". ExtraInningSoftball.com. Extra Inning Softball. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- "DONNA J. PAPA RETIRES AFTER 38 SEASONS LEADING SOFTBALL PROGRAM". GoHeels.com. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics. Retrieved 26 May 2023.