Stewart Reportedly Stepping Down at Missouri

Norm Stewart, seventh among major-college coaches with 731 victories, will retire after 32 seasons at Missouri, according to reports.

Stewart, 64, and his attorney spent Wednesday discussing a buyout of the last two years of Stewart’s contract, several TV stations reported.

A news conference was scheduled for today by the university.

KMOV-TV in St. Louis and WDAF-TV in Kansas City reported that Stewart would retire. WDAF said Stewart initiated a buyout of his contract, and that Duke assistant Quin Snyder was a leading candidate to replace Stewart.

“I’m not having any comments. You need to talk to [Athletic Director] Mike Alden,” Stewart said Wednesday night.

“Tomorrow’s April Fools’,” Stewart jokingly added.

Stewart, who also coached six years at Northern Iowa, was 634-333 at Missouri and 731-375 overall. He took Missouri to the NCAA tournament 16 times, twice advancing to the regional final. This season’s team was 20-9 but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Stewart, a native of Shelbyville, Mo., and a Missouri graduate, came to Columbia in 1968 to rebuild a program that had won only six of 49 games the previous two seasons. His teams had 17 20-victory seasons, topped by the 1989 club’s 29-8 mark. The 1994 team that advanced to the regional final was 28-4.

In 1989, Stewart won a battle with colon cancer and five years later began the Coaches vs. Cancer program. Individuals and corporations across the state pledge money for every three-pointer made by Missouri.

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Steve Francis spent only one season at Maryland, helping the Terrapins to a school-record 28 victories.

Now the NBA beckons, and he is expected to be one of the top picks in the June draft.

“I believe it is time to take the next step and take on a new challenge,” Francis said in announcing his decision. “It’s time to start a new and exciting chapter in my life.”

The 6-foot-3 guard, a second-team All-American, averaged 17.2 points a game for Maryland, which once was ranked as high as No. 2 and lost to St. John’s in the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.

He joins forward Albert White of Missouri in leaving college early.

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June Olkowski, who coached Butler to a 114-56 record in six seasons, was hired as Northwestern’s women’s coach. She succeeds Don Perrelli, who retired after 15 seasons. . . . Jenny Przekwas, who took Saint Francis College from perennial loser to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, was named women’s coach at Washington State. Przekwas, 34, succeeds Harold Rhodes, who was fired March 9 after producing only four winning seasons in 17 years.