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  Head CoachDixie Jeffers ph: (614) 236-6551 djeffers@capital.edu When people talk Capital University women’s basketball one name immediately comes to mind --- Dixie Jeffers. In her second decade as a college basketball coach, Jeffers and her teams have been a model of excellence and consistency on and off the court. One of the nation’s all-time winningest coaches, she has won an astounding 80-percent of the games she has coached and is one of only eight NCAA Division III coaches with 400 or more wins. Jeffers, who spent three seasons as the coach at Rio Grande University before coming to Capital, has a combined 472-128 career record. With Jeffers at the helm, Capital University women’s basketball has become one of the nation’s best and most respected basketball programs. From 1990-2000, no NCAA Division III women’s basketball team has had a higher winning percentage. Also during that span, Jeffers led Capital to the Final Four an incredible four times in five years. The Crusaders finished second in 1993, became the first Division III school to win back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995 and finished third in 1997. With all this success, Jeffers had the distinction of being the first Division III coach to win National Coach of the Year honors in successive years (1994 and 1995). Capital has won 20 or more games in 14 seasons and twice Crusaders crossed the 30-win plateau. Through Jeffers’ tenure, Capital has won the Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season title eight times. The Crusaders also have won the OAC postseason tournament seven times, including a run of six in a row from 1992-1997 with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. "Players constantly drive me to be successful and continue to achieve," stated Jeffers. "I have and always will love the game and will continually have the energy to do the job." Anybody who comes in contact with Jeffers knows that energy is something the coach will never lack on or off the court. The energy Jeffers places in successful teams on the court is equally translated to her players’ academic pursuits. "The kids we recruit have to understand that academics is the highest priority," says Jeffers. They have to bring the enthusiasm to the classroom that they bring to the floor. That is a Capital student-athlete." As impressive as Jeffers’ numbers are on the bench, her off-the-court accomplishments are equally impressive. For 15-straight seasons a Crusader has been named Academic All-OAC and she has coached numerous Academic All-Americans, NCAA and NACDA post-graduate scholarship recipients. In 1997 Crusader Carrie Ferguson was honored nationally as an NCAA Elite VIII selection. Jeffers and her teams also have been active in the community by giving free basketball clinics, helping the homeless, visiting Children’s Hospital and being active in the Special Wish Foundation, Inc. Jeffers serves on the board of directors for the Special Wish Foundation. Ironically enough, Jeffers is from a small Ohio town called Mount Victory and even if it appears she has climbed the coaching mountain, she wants to continue to ascend. "Once you have experienced a national championship, you never lose that hunger to do it again, for yourself, your current players, and the University," stated Jeffers. "Other than getting married and having my children, it is one of the top experiences of my life, and I want my current players to have that experience for themselves." Aside from her coaching duties, Jeffers serves as associate athletic director. She and her husband John live in Canal Winchester with their 13-year-old daughter Cara and 8-year-old son Jansen. Assistant Coach Melissa Shininger Assistant Coach Jason Wright |
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