Alabama softball associate head coach Alyson Habetz is is retiring after 25 seasons in Tuscaloosa, the program announced Friday. Habetz has been with the Crimson Tide since the third season of its softball team, Patrick Murphy’s first year as head coach.

Habetz said in a news release that she is retiring from her role at Alabama in order to care for her mother.

“25 years ago, Patrick Murphy asked me to help him start a softball program in Tuscaloosa,” Habetz said in the release. “Accepting his invitation led me to discover a career that has truly filled my life beyond measure. There are no words I can say to appropriately thank Coach Murphy for such a gift. I have had the privilege of coaching beside a true legend in our sport.”

During her time with the Crimson Tide, Habetz helped UA to 11 SEC championships and 14 world series appearances. She largely worked with the team’s outfielders.

Murphy praised Habetz in the release.

“I can’t thank Aly enough for her loyalty and servant heart for the past 25 years,” he said. “It is almost unheard of these days for a coach to stay at one school for so many years. Her legacy at Alabama will be passed down through our current and former players onto the next generation. Anyone who watched us saw her passion and fire on the field and it was always represented in the way we played.”

Before coming to Alabama, Habetz was already a pioneer in womens’ sports. She went to court in order to be allowed to play baseball in high school and eventually became the first woman to ever play the sport in Louisiana high schools.

She helped Louisiana-Lafayette make it to the College World Series as an all-American softball player.

“For 25 years, Coach Habetz has played a significant role in Alabama softball,” UA athletics director Greg Byrne said in the news release. “We are so grateful for her contributions not only to the program, but also to the lives of the countless people she’s impacted. She is the ultimate team player and one of the best all-around people you’ll meet. We wish Coach Habetz all the best in her well-deserved retirement.”

Habetz followed Murphy to LSU for his three-day tenure as the Tigers’ head coach in 2011 before he changed his mind and came back to Tuscaloosa. The two went on to help the Tide win the Women’s College World Series in 2012, the program’s only national title.

She thanked a list of people in her announcement, including UA president Stuart Bell, Byrne and Alabama’s former presidents and athletics directors, as well as the team’s fans.

“Coaching softball at The University of Alabama has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Habetz said. “Each person I have encountered on this journey has left an indelible mark on my heart that I will cherish for a lifetime. Thank You from the bottom of my heart! God Bless & Roll Tide Forever!”