In his 20 seasons as head coach, Bill Worrel's Tech teams made nine trips to the post-season with eight appearances in the NCAA tournament, including five seasons in a row between 1989 and 1993. The Golden Eaglettes won or shared 12 regular season OVC titles under Worrell and eight OVC tournament crowns. His teams posted a 245-67 league record during his tenure -- an incredible .785 league winning percentage. During a three-year span, Worrell’s Eaglettes won an OVC-record 28 consecutive games.
A New Jersey native, Worrell played basketball at Tennessee Tech from 1964 to 1967, lettering each year under coach Kenny Sidwell. Following his playing days, he spent two years as a graduate assistant with the men’s squad.
Worrell received his B.S. degree from Tech in 1968, followed by a master’s degree in 1969. Prior to his return to Cookeville in 1981, Worrell coached in the high school and junior college ranks for 10 years in New Jersey.
As a Tech assistant coach from 1981 to 1986, Worrell helped the Eaglettes produce a 93-54 record, including an OVC championship in 1982, two trips to the NCAA tournament, and a visit to the WNIT. While an assistant coach with the women’s basketball team, Worrell also directed the men’s tennis team and was named OVC Coach of the Year in 1986.
The promotion of Worrell to head coach came in April, 1986, and he didn’t waste any time making his mark in the 1986-87 season. He stepped into the spotlight with the Eaglettes by capturing the 1987 OVC championship with a 12-2 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament, Worrell earned his first of four OVC Coach of the Year awards in women’s basketball. He won the honor again in 1990, 1992 and 2004.
Among his recruits, there have been 19 players who have earned All-America selection, seven who received Kodak all-region honors, two Academic All-Americans, four academic all-district winners, six OVC Players of the Year, eight Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Year winners and six players named OVC Female Athlete of the Year.
