WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Following 39 years on the sidelines, including the last seven on staff at Purdue, women's basketball associate head coach Beth Couture has announced her retirement. Couture's passionate energy and wisdom has impacted the lives of countless student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans over four decades.
A collegiate coaching career that started as an assistant coach at Presbyterian in 1987, Couture's final two seasons in West Lafayette were perhaps her most important, as she helped Purdue transition to the Katie Gearlds era.
"For me, I have a lot of gratitude and love for Katie," Couture said. "When she took over a short time before her first season, Katie did not have to trust me as she started to rebuild this program, but she did. I have been blessed to sit beside her for the last 18 months and watch her reestablish the standard at Purdue. She has grown so much as a coach on and off the court during our time together and will do so many amazing things for Purdue. What made this decision even harder was recognizing I will miss the daily interactions with Katie, our student-athletes and the staff. I look forward to being a super fan and cheering on the Boilermakers every chance I can."
Couture started at Purdue as an assistant coach for the 2016-17 season, before being moved up to associate head coach in 2018. Her time in West Lafayette was bookended by the Boilermakers' last two NCAA Tournament appearances. Eighteen Boilermakers garnered All-Big Ten honors with Couture on staff, while 34 earned Academic All-Big Ten status.
Her final two seasons at Mackey Arena saw her take on a mentorship role, as Gearlds made the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division I. Couture and the coaching staff worked tirelessly ahead of the 2021-22 season to help overhaul Purdue's schematics when Gearlds took over as head coach just 47 days before the season. Their efforts led to a 10-win improvement, the largest by a first-year head coach in program history.
Couture's swansong campaign in 2022-23 saw Purdue pick up back-to-back road ranked wins over No. 22 Illinois and No. 2 Ohio State, the latter being the first true road top-5 win in program history. The Boilermakers ended the season in the NCAA Tournament, the program's first trip to March Madness since 2016-17.
Couture's impact at Purdue will long exceed her tenure with her role in aiding in the recruitment process for the Boilermakers' incoming class of 2023, which was ranked No. 21 by ESPNW.
"I'm forever grateful to and for Beth," Gearlds said. "We only worked together for two years but it felt like a lifetime. The gratitude I have for what she taught me about this job as I transitioned from where I was to this level is something I cannot put into words. She really was my right hand these last two years. She accepted me for who I was and helped me get this program back on the right tracks. On a personal level, I never would have thought we would become best friends. But we did. I don't know if there's a person outside my family who has had more of an impact or who has gained my trust more than her."
Prior to her stepping on the sidelines over 1,000 times in her coaching career, a career that featured more than 600 victories, Couture was a Kodak All-American and two-time District 6 Player of the Year at Erskine College from 1980-84. She scored more than 2,000 points and was tabbed the Erskine Most Valuable Player four years in a row, leading to her induction in the Erskine Hall of Fame in 1989.
Following two seasons as an assistant at Presbyterian, Couture led the Blue Hose for 13 seasons to amass a 258-117 record. Couture and Presbyterian reached the NCAA Division II Tournament on six occasions and won seven Southern Athletic Championships during her tenure. A four-time SAC Coach of the Year recipient, Couture guided two SAC Freshmen of the Year and three SAC Players of the Year.
In 2002, Couture became the head coach at Butler, where she posted four straight 20-win seasons and reached the WNIT five times. Her 193 wins over 12 campaigns is the most by a Butler head coach.
After serving as the head coach at Converse College for the 2014-15 season and an associate head coach at Cleveland State the following year, Couture made her way to West Lafayette ready to add to her lifetime of memories in basketball.
"There are so many moments when I look back on my career that bring me joy," Couture added. "Beyond the on-court moments, I will always cherish hearing from my players after they graduated. It's bigger than basketball. Watching young women go out into the world and make an impact, have incredible careers and be a part of amazing families. There is no better feeling than hearing from them when they want to update you on where their lives have taken them. It's more than a game. You become part of a family.
"One game I will always cherish is our win this season against Ohio State. To be a part of something that has never been done before by any team at Purdue, a program that has so much rich history, was truly special. I am glad I was able to share that with Katie, the players and staff."
While she spent 39 years on the sideline motivating her student-athletes to reach their potential on the floor, Couture has been an inspiration to so many more off the court since 2009 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Courageously battling until she entered remission in 2010, Couture's teams have annually raised money and taken part in community service events that benefit not just cancer research, but the patients and their families throughout Indianapolis and the Lafayette and West Lafayette communities.
Her impact beyond basketball is immeasurable. Couture spent a lifetime immersed in setting her student-athletes up for success in the game of basketball and in life. A journey she would not hesitate to go on again.
"Coaching basketball has been my life the last 39 years," Couture recounted. "When you coach basketball, it's not just a job. It's a lifestyle. Your team becomes your second family. You want them to excel in basketball. More than anything though, you want them to succeed in life. For the part I played, I will forever be thankful for all the opportunities this game gave me. I have been blessed to work with so many amazing people and incredible student-athletes. To all my former players, all I can say is thank you. You meant the world to me."
After a lifetime dedicated to the game and her players, one simple phrase can express the gratitude of everyone Couture touched:
Thank you, BC.