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- Title:
- Head Men's Basketball & Cross Country Coach
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- Phone:
- 203-576-4721
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- Email:
- mruane@bridgeport.edu
Bio
Mike Ruane enters his 22nd season at the University of Bridgeport as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach.
In 2019-2020 Ruane guided Bridgeport to one of its most successful seasons, as it finished 24-4 and was ranked #13 in the NABC Poll and #1 in the East region. The Purple Knights won 17 straight games and got off to the best start in program history (21-2). Bridgeport finished as the East Coast Conference regular season champs and was set to host the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Hired in April 2000 and taking over a program that had won a combined 7 games in the prior 3 seasons (1999-2000: 2-24, 1998-99 3-23, 1997-98: 2-24), Ruane has led the Purple Knights to an overall record of 393 wins and 206 losses, for a .656 winning percentage. This ranks him in the top 50 for NCAA Division II active coaches in both winning percentage and total wins. The 393 wins ranks him #1 in total wins in East Coast Conference history.
In his 20 seasons, Ruane has led Bridgeport to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances (most for a coach in ECC/NYCAC history), 4 ECC Tournament Championships, 5 ECC Regular Season Championships, 2 NCAA Regional Semi-Final appearances, and 1 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
Ruane has also been named ECC Coach of the year five times, ECAC Division II Coach of the Year, Fairfield County “Sports Person of the Year” for Bridgeport, and received the Sam Schoenfeld Award for Sportsmanship as presented by the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association twice.
Prior to his appointment at UB, Ruane spent two seasons under legendary and Naismith Hall of Fame Coach Herb Magee at Jefferson University (formally Philadelphia University and Philadelphia Textile). He also was an assistant at NJIT and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Ruane obtained his M.ED in Sports and Athletic Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree majoring in Social Work, from Alvernia University. While at Alvernia, Ruane played Basketball, Baseball, and ran Cross Country.
Ruane Year by Year at Bridgeport
Year Record Post Season Play
2001 9-18 NYCAC 1st round
2002 14-14 NYCAC Semi-Finalists
2003 23-8 NYCAC Semi-Finalists, NCAA Regional Semi-Finalists
2004 20-9 NYCAC 1st round, NCAA Regionals
2005 21-9 NYCAC 1st round, ECAC Division 2 Tournament Champions
2006 23-11 NYCAC Finalists, NCAA Regionals
2007 22-9 ECC Tournament Semi-Finalists, NCAA Regional Semi-Finalists
2008 13-15 ECC Tournament 1st round
2009 22-9 ECC Tournament Finalists, NCAA Regionals
2010 23-9 ECC Regular Season & Tournament Champions, NCAA Regionals
2011 19-9 ECC Tournament Finalists
2012 19-10 ECC Tournament Finalists
2013 23-10 ECC Regular Season & Tournament Champions, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2014 19-10 ECC Tournament Champions, NCAA Regionals
2015 24-7 ECC Regular Season & Tournament Champions, NCAA Regionals
2016 15-14 ECC Tournament 1st round
2017 18-12 ECC Tournament Semi-Finalists
2018 25-6 ECC Tournament Finalists, NCAA Regionals
2019 18-13 ECC Tournament Finalists
2020 24-4 #1 Seed in East Region, finished 13th in NABC Poll ECC Regular Season Champions
2021 0-0 Did not compete due to the CoVID pandemic