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Nell Fortner Hometown: Jackson, Miss. Position: Head Coach Experience: Eighth Season Alma Mater: Texas (1982)

An Olympic and World Championship-winning coach, Nell Fortner enters her 18th season as a head coach in 2011-12 and her eighth season as Auburn's head coach. Fortner has guided teams to 15 post-season appearances as a coach on the collegiate and professional level, including four of the last five years at Auburn.

Auburn has become home for Nell Fortner as her seven years on The Plains are her longest tenure at any position. Two seasons removed from Auburn's first SEC title in 20 years, Fortner is set to build on the success she has had with the Tigers.

Fortner became the fifth head coach in Auburn women's basketball history on April 22, 2004, bringing with her a unique blend of experience that she has used to lay a foundation for the Auburn program.

As an Olympic gold medal coach, a well-respected television analyst and a sought-after motivational speaker, and with head coaching experience at all levels, Fortner has one of the most complete resumes in women's basketball.

In her first season at Auburn, Fortner led the Tigers to a 16-13 overall record and a 6-8 ledger in the SEC. Fortner's inaugural team felt the loss of two key post players in Mandisa Stevenson and Le'Coe Willingham, as both moved on to spots on WNBA rosters. The Tigers were not expected to be a threat in conference play that year, but Fortner had her own plans that season. The Tigers became the most dangerous team in the league, nearly knocking off No. 1 LSU twice.

Fortner began a foundation for the Auburn program by inking high school All-American and Miss Basketball from Alabama and Louisiana: DeWanna Bonner, Whitney Boddie and KeKe Carrier, in 2004.

With a roster equipped with a mere three upperclassmen, one of which was a junior transfer, the Tigers 2005-06 season was one of learning for the eight underclassmen. In her second year, Fortner guided the young team to a 14-15 overall record, including a 4-10 mark in SEC play. The freshmen did shine in their inaugural campaign as Bonner became the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Becky Jackson in the 1980-81 season. Over the summer, Bonner added to her resume as she helped lead team USA to a gold medal in the FIBA Americas U20 Women's Championship in August. Classmate Carrier was also a member of the U20 trials roster.

Twelve of the 13 members of the 2006-07 squad were brought to Auburn by Fortner and staff. Even with a roster dominated by underclassmen the Tigers reached new heights in Fortner's third year, turning in a 21-13 ledger which included a trip to the "Elite Eight" of the Women's NIT. Bonner continued to excel in her sophomore campaign, as she led the team in scoring and rebounding, becoming only the third sophomore ever at Auburn to lead the team in both categories in the same season. For her efforts, Bonner was named First Team All-SEC. Bonner gained more international experience over the summer, as she help lead the USA U21 World Championship team to a gold medal in July.

Fortner has made recruiting in the state of Alabama a priority and in the 2007-08 season, the team included eight players from the state of Alabama - the most of any Auburn squad in program history.

In 2007-08, Fortner saw her goal met as the Tigers jumped into the national spotlight, earning as high as No. 14 in both the AP and Coaches poll. Auburn steamrolled through the non-conference season, picking up road victories at nationally-ranked Ohio State and Arizona State, capturing tournament titles on the home courts of the Buckeyes and Sun Devils. Auburn went on to finish SEC play with a 7-7 record, good enough for sixth overall.

Fortner's team also accomplished another major feat during the 2007-08 season, when it defeated its first top-10 opponent. On Jan. 13, the Tigers blasted past SEC-foe Georgia, 82-52. For its efforts during the season, Auburn earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 11 seed and played No. 6-seeded George Washington in Palo Alto, Calif. It was Auburn's first trip to the Big Dance since 2004, and the first for Fortner since her stint at Purdue.

Entering the 2008-09 season with a goal of winning championships, Fortner led the Tigers to their first SEC title since 1989. With Bonner, the SEC Player of the Year and State Farm All-American, leading the way, Auburn amassed a 30-4 record with a 12-2 SEC slate. For her efforts, Fortner was named the SEC Coach of the Year and the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year.

Auburn capped off the season with its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers earned a No. 2 seed for the tournament and defeated Lehigh in the first round before falling to host Rutgers.

Losing all but one starter from the SEC Championship team, Fortner re-grouped and was able to get her team to 15-16 on the season in 2009-10. Despite its record, the Tigers showed flashes of brilliance, defeating three ranked teams during the regular season and upsetting No. 7 seed Florida in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

With five returning starters from the 2009-10 squad, the 2010-11 Tigers finished the season 16-16, 8-8 in the SEC, and was selected to their fourth postseason appearance in five years. Alli Smalley closed out her Auburn career with an All-SEC First Team selection and became Auburn's all-time 3-point shooting leader with 219 career treys.

Fortner got her start in at Killeen High School in Texas before taking a position as a graduate assistant under Gary Blair at Stephen F. Austin State in 1986. She would stay on for three more seasons as an assistant coach, helping the Ladyjacks to a 112-18 record, three Southland Conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. For her work in the coaching profession, Fortner was honored by Stephen F. Austin State in 2007 with a Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Following her stint at SFA, Fortner took a position as assistant coach at Louisiana Tech, under legendary coach Leon Barmore. She spent five seasons with the Lady Techsters, helping the team to a 123-37 record with five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament that included a trip to the national championship game in 1994.

Beginning in summer 1995, Fortner took a position with USA Basketball, serving as an assistant coach for two seasons under Tara VanDerveer. Team USA posted a 52-0 run that culminated with a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Fortner's first head coaching position came the next year as she took over the women's basketball program at Purdue. In her first and only season, she led the Boilermakers to a 17-11 record (12-4 Big Ten), earning Big Ten Co-Champion honors for 2007 and a NCAA Tournament appearance.

On April 1, 1997, Fortner was named to succeed VanDerveer as the U.S. National Team head coach. She led the team to win gold medals at the 1998 FIBA World Championship and 2000 Olympic Games, and was named the 2000 USA Basketball Coach of the Year. She led the team to a 101-14 record, the most wins of any coach in Women's USA Basketball history.

Coming off the 2000 Olympics, Fortner took over as head coach of the WNBA's Indiana Fever, holding the position of head coach and general manager from 2001-03. In 2002 she took the upstart franchise to a .500 record for the first time and made the team's first appearance in the WNBA Playoffs. Overall, Fortner put together a 42-56 record with the Fever.

During her time with the Fever, Fortner also worked as a studio analyst with ESPN, covering women's college basketball and the WNBA Playoffs.

Fortner's impact at Auburn is much more than just on the court. She is a staple in the Auburn/Opelika area and is well-known through her community service efforts and public speaking. The Jackson, Miss., native also travels around the country for numerous speaking engagements including the 2006 Tucson Duramed FUTURES Golf Classic, which was held in Tucson, Ariz., and at the USOC in Colorado Springs at the "Women in Coaching" convention in September, 2006.

In addition to her work in the community, Fortner's reach is global. During her first season on the Plains, she was named as the spokesperson for the Auburn University War on Hunger in conjunction with the World Food Programme and continues in her commitment to the program.

At native of Jackson, Miss., Fortner moved around in her younger years and graduated from New Braunfels High School in New Braunfels, Texas. While there, she was an all-state and Parade All-America selection and earned a scholarship from the University of Texas to play both basketball and volleyball.

While at Texas, Fortner and the Longhorns compiled a 127-26 record, earning the team's first national ranking and a Sweet 16 appearance at the 1980 AIAW Tournament. She finished her career with 1,466 points. During her freshman season, she made her USA Basketball debut, earning a silver medal with the 1978 U.S. Olympic Festival South Team. Also while at Texas, Fortner was a middle hitter for the Longhorn volleyball team that would go on to win the 1981 AIAW National Championship.

For her efforts on the court, Fortner was honored as a member of the University of Texas Women's Athletics Wall of Honor and the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame.

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