News Local/State

Terri Sullivan Retires From Illinois Softball

 
Terri Sullivan coaching in her last season.

Terri Sullivan coaching in her last season. Courtesy of Fighting Illini Athletics

Illinois softball head coach Terri Sullivan has announced her retirement after 16 years with the program.

Sullivan says she decided to move on because her husband lives in Iowa and her daughter will begin kindergarten in the fall.

Sullivan was the inaugural head coach for the program when it started back in 2000. She appeared in four NCAA tournaments and was the 2010 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Sullivan says she attributes her success to her players.

“I’ve always done this because of them," she said. "People are what it’s all about, and anything that a coach has from a success standpoint is directly correlated to the effort of others. So players mean the world to me and with that said it is an emotional day and if it wasn’t I shouldn’t have been doing this for that long.” 

Associate Head Coach Donna Dibiase will take over as interim head coach.