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 1^st round

2002                       14-14                     NYCAC Semi-Finalists

2003                       23-8                       NYCAC Semi-Finalists, NCAA Regional Semi-Finalists

2004                       20-9                       NYCAC 1^st round, NCAA Regionals

2005                       21-9                       NYCAC 1^st 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 1^st 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 1^st 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 13^th in NABC Poll ECC Regular Season Champions

2021                       0-0                         Did not compete due to the CoVID pandemic