North Philly's Dawn Staley wins 3rd NCAA women's basketball championship

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Dawn Staley has done Philadelphia proud yet again.

She led the South Carolina Gamecocks to a third NCAA women's basketball championship.

It was the perfect ending to the perfect season.

While her accolades are front and center on a national stage, she is the pride of her North Philadelphia neighborhood.

"All weekend teachers, old staff, principals have been texting, calling in. She's a mighty Mustang!" said Carolyn Monson, president of the Dobbins Alumni Association. "The beautiful thing is she recognizes us all the time."

The Dobbins High School alum -- who has a mural inside the school and the girl's gymnasium is named after her --- made history over the weekend becoming the fifth coach to win at least three national championships.

Her victory over Iowa capped an undefeated season for the Gamecocks.

Darell Gates says he had been speaking with Staley throughout the tournament, sending her a congratulatory text from some former Dobbins players watching her net another title.

"Everybody watching TV, it was unbelievable," he said.

Gates says he thinks Staley is helping drive more interest in women's basketball, even admitting this year he watched more women's games than men's matches.