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Rutgers Coach Offers Lessons on 'Standing Tall'

Head coach C. Vivian Stringer (far right) celebrates with her players after winning the semifinal game in the 2007 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Jim McIsaac
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Head coach C. Vivian Stringer (far right) celebrates with her players after winning the semifinal game in the 2007 NCAA Women's Final Four.
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C. Vivian Stringer, head coach of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, discusses her 800th career game win, bouncing back from radio host Don Imus' racial slur against her team, and her autobiography Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph.

"I am the last stop before the young women I coach take their place in society," Stringer writes, "and it is a responsibility that I take seriously. My goal is to give them the confidence to dream big and the skills to overcome any challenge they face, whether it's under the basket or in the boardroom."

Stringer talks with guest host Robert Smith about the challenges she has faced — from fighting for a spot on an all-white cheerleading squad, to the unexpected death of her husband, to her own struggle with cancer. She is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and has been named National Coach of the Year.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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