Union University’s women’s basketball head coach Mark Campbell won his 700th game as head coach in a 82-64 victory at the University of West Georgia January 18, 2023. He reached the milestone win in record pace in just his 811th career game. Campbell is in his 24th season as head coach at Union.
Following the win, Campbell said, “I am overwhelmed with all the people that God has surrounded me with over the years at Union. From assistant coaches, to graduate assistants, to student assistants, to players, and to high school coaches that did a lot of work to prepare players to play in college. I am very thankful for administrators that have been extremely supportive to the point that I never wanted to leave. Molly and I have loved being able to raise our kids and grow deep roots in Jackson. Most people want to move up quickly and the thing I have learned the most is community is the most important thing. I believe I live and work in the best community in the country.”
This record for Campbell includes men’s or women’s basketball, NCAA all divisions, and NAIA all divisions. He passed the record set by Geno Auriemma of UConn with 700 in 822 total games. Adolph Rupp is first on the list for men’s basketball’s fastest to 700 in 836 total games.
During his career, Campbell has won 19 conference regular season titles, won 14 conference tournament titles in his 23 seasons He has led his teams to a third-place or better finish in the national tournaments 12 times. Campbell has led Union to five national titles, including four in the NAIA and one in the NCCAA. He was the head coach of the USA U16 women’s basketball team, and won a gold medal in the summer of 2019 with that team in the America’s Tournament. He would have coached the U-17 team the next year had it not been for COVID. He was named the USA Developmental coach of the year that summer. He is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and the Jackson Madison County Sports Hall of Fame.
Most recently, Campbell has led his team to three straight Gulf South Conference regular season and tournament titles. He is coming off an appearance in the NCAA D2 Sweet Sixteen.
Campbell reached the milestones of 500 wins (2015), 600 wins (2019), and now 700 wins all since Union rejoined the NCAA in 2012-13. On December 14, 2022, Campbell was announced as the next Director of Athletics at Union University, a position he will serve alongside his coaching duties.
