Head coach John Rennie announced Monday that his 29th season at Duke will also be his last.
Rennie, who currently ranks sixth all-time on the NCAA Division-I career win list, not only raised the Duke program into national prominence but also brought the school its first national title in any sport when he coached the Blue Devils to a NCAA championship in 1986.
"My decision to make the 2007 season my last at Duke was finalized over the last several weeks," Rennie said. "I absolutely love my job. However, it is time to move onto a new chapter in my career."
Before the coach moves on, however, he has one last chance to bolster his already established legacy built upon five ACC Championships, 19 NCAA tournament appearances and five NCAA College Cups. The Blue Devils enter this season ranked fourth in the country, behind UC Santa Barbara, UCLA and conference foe Wake Forest.
As for a replacement, Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said a national search will start once the 2007 season is over.
Rennie said he would like to see someone affiliated with Duke take the helm of the program he built, citing current assistant Mike Jeffries a possible choice.
"He's obviously a superb candidate," Rennie said. "And there are others out there as well. I think that if you're looking to hire the best coach available, you don't have to look outside the Duke family."
For now, however, Rennie is focused on one goal.
"We had 13 seniors on this team, now we have 14," Rennie said. "Seniors always want to go out on top."
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