Renee Luers-Gillispie Resigns from UCF, Accepts Iowa Job

The UCF Knights haven’t known life without head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie. Now, they’ll have to learn to live without her. On Friday, the school announced the resignation of the longtime head coach, as she will accept the same job with the University of Iowa in her home state.

“This is a unique opportunity for Renee to go back home, and we wish her nothing but the best,” athletic director Danny White said, per the official press release. “She built an outstanding softball program from the ground up here at UCF. Thanks to Renee’s efforts, UCF softball has produced great results in the classroom, in competition and in the community.”

Luers-Gillispie started the softball program 17 seasons ago in 2002, leading the Knights to immediate success. UCF went 46-19 in its inaugural season, even going on a 21-game winning streak. In total, the Knights won five conference titles in three different conferences, as Luers-Gillispie racked up 625 wins as a Knight.

UCF also became familiar with the postseason under Luers-Gillispie. Under her, the Knights earned seven NCAA tournament berths and made five NCAA regional final appearances.

Luers-Gillispie also coached a bevy of players to a list of postseason honors. In total, the Knights have earned 67 all-conference honors, five conference player of the year awards, two conference pitchers of the year honors and two freshman of the year awards.

Her best season at the helm was in 2015 when UCF won a school record 50 games that included 11 single-season records. The Knights led the nation in ERA (0.93) and had a 0.979 fielding percentage, the second-best in the country in 2015. UCF was ranked for 14-consecutive weeks that season, elevating as high as No. 13 and finishing at No. 16.

“This is one of the best softball coaching opportunities in the country,” White said. “We expect to hire a head coach who will continue our tradition of being nationally competitive.”

For more on the Knights, as they search for a new head coach, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

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