Dawn Staley, in full, Dawn Michelle Staley, is an American personality and a well-established basketball Hall of Fame player and coach. She is holding the position of head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. She won three Olympic gold medals while being a player of the Team USA and later as the head coach of another US-gold medal winning team. Dawn was the receiver and the carrier of the USA flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Early Life
Dawn Staley was born on 4th May 1970, making her 52 years old as of 2023. She was brought up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., by her loving and caring parents, Clarence and Estelle Staley. The parents moved to North Philadelphia from South Carolina in the 1950s, during their teenage years. The couple married when they were young and started raising a family with five children in a three-bedroom, single-bath row house.
Dawn shared her childhood with brothers- Lawrence, Anthony, and Eric, and one sister, Tracey. Among all siblings, Staley is the youngest one. She went to Dobbins Tech High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later to Virginia (1988–1992). Staley has received a Rhetoric and Communication Studies degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was drafted to WNBA in 1999 in Round 1 with the 9th overall pick.
Dawn Staley Career
Player
During her high school career, Staley was recognized as the national high school player of the year. During her college’s four consecutive years or seasons, Dawn Staley led her team to four NCAA Tournaments, reaching three final fours and one for the national championship game. She was honored with the title of the ACC female athlete of the year and the national player of the year in 1991 and 1992.
Coaching Career
Temple Owls (2000–2008)
Staley began her coaching career in 2000, and during the first-ever season, she let the team advance to WNIT. In two consecutive years (2001 and 2002) and the year- 2004, her team won 10 Atlantic Tournemanets, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina Gamecocks (2008–present)
At South Carolina, she had to work hard and began from scratch as the two initial seasons had to face the game loss. After that, she began with 10 wins from 2008 to 2009 and eventually earned the number one ranking, with her team appearing in the final four during the 2014 to 2015 season.
Career Overview
As player:
- 1994 to 1995 Tarbes Gespe Bigorre
- 1996 to 1998 Richmond / Philadelphia Rage
- 1999 to 2005 Charlotte Sting
- 2005 to 2006 Houston Comets
As coach:
- 2000 to 2008 Temple
- 2008 to present South Carolina
Dawn Staley Biography |
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|---|---|
| Real Name | Dawn Michelle Staley |
| Birth Date | May 4, 1970 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 52 Years |
| Birth Place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Profession | Head Coach |
| College | University of Virginia |
| Qualification | Graduate |
Physical Statistics |
|
| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 4” – in Centimeters – 163 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 61 kg – in Pounds – 134 lbs |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
 |
|
Family |
|
| Father | Estelle Staley |
| Mother | Clarence Staley |
| Sister | One (Tracey Staley) |
| Brother | Three (Lawrence, Anthony & Eric) |
Relationship Status |
|
| Marital Status | Single |
| Affair | No |
| Who is her husband/boyfriend? | – |
| Children | – |
Personal Life
Dawn Staley is yet to be married and has never had any affair with anyone in the industry. She does not have any child through any means like adoption, etc. Staley is available on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. On Facebook, she goes by the name – Coach Dawn Staley, with nearly 12K followers as of 28th March 2023.
On Twitter (@dawnstaley), which she joined in January 2009, gives a link to the website – cameo.com/dstaley. She has nearly 164.5K followers on Twitter and she is also available on Instagram with the handle name – staley05 and a verified official account. She has 170K followers on her Instagram page, with 1,020 in the “following list”.
Dawn Staley Salary/Net Worth
She is a former American professional basketball player who appeared for the national USA and women’s NBA teams. Staley is the highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the NCAA and she proved her worth every time. Her base salary is $1 million per season and she signed a contract with South Carolina Gamecocks till 2028. She easily makes around $2 million every year including her salary and other allowances and compensation. Her salary breakdown per year is as follows till 2028, as per the contract.
2022-23: $2,000,000
2023-24: $2,100,000
2024-25: $2,200,000
2025-26: $2,300,000
2026-27: $2,400,000
2027-28: $2,500,000
Trivia
- She never had an interest in coaching basketball. She was initially approached by the director of athletics at Temple University. The director’s name is Dave O’Brien, who had an eye on her since she won the position of final four in Philadelphia.
- When asked if she would see her as a basketball coach, she replied, “no, not at all”.
- Initially, she resisted the offers but became a good coach and the guardian of her team.
- In 2020, at Sumer Olympics, she won the first gold medal as Team USA’s Head coach after she won all six games and had a record of a winning score of 45-0. She coached the USA team, and the team won the gold medal in the 2018 world cup in Spain along with FIBA AmeriCup in 2019 and 2021.
- She became the first persona to receive or be honored with the Naismith Award for both her roles as a player and a coach.
- She has won three major National Coach of the Year Awards, making her team appear for 32 games and winning of all, ranking at number 1 in both major polls.
