Coaches

Doug Bruno

Year Inducted: 2000

Category: Coaches

Schools / Organizations: DePaul University
Loyola University
(Chicago) St. Vincent DePaul High School
WBL:  Chicago Hustle

Biography: Doug Bruno has served DePaul University as its women’s basketball coach for 35 seasons. The Bruno years – 1976-78 and 1988-2021 – have produced a 736-357 record for the Blue Demons. Bruno is one of four active women’s coaches (as of 2021) with 600 victories.  Since his return to DePaul in 1988 through 2021, the program has made 24 NCAA appearances, with four trips to the Sweet 16, and has won six Big East Conference regular-season titles. The 2020 team was 29-5 and in line for a top-16 seed in the NCAA tournament when the season ended because of COVID-19.  Between the DePaul stints Bruno was at Loyola as associate men’s head coach under Gene Sullivan. Bruno helped the program to three Midwestern Collegiate Conference titles and the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1985 where it lost to eventual champion Georgetown. Bruno began coaching as the boys varsity assistant at Francis Parker High School before becoming the varsity coach at St. Vincent DePaul High School in 1974-75. He spent two years as head coach and director of player personnel for the Chicago Hustle of the World Basketball League. He was a two-year starter at Quigley South and a three-year letterwinner for Hall of Fame coach Ray Meyer at DePaul.  Doug has been named as an IBCA Coach of the Year 23 times and in 2018, he was the first recipient of the Rich and Ron Herrin Award for lifetime contributions to the sport.  Doug was also preident of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), has run a prestigious camp for girls’ players for 40 years, and is a member of the DePaul, Chicagoland Sports, and National Italian American sports Halls of Fame.