MARYVILLE, Mo. - Steve Tappmeyer is out after 21 seasons as head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State.

Tappmeyer announced on Monday that he has resigned as coach and will retire from his position at the university at the end of the 2008-09 academic year.

Tappmeyer is the winningest coach in program history after accumulating a 408-208 record in his 21 seasons. The 2008-09 campaign was a disappointing one, however, with the Bearcats going just 12-15 and missing the MIAA postseason tournament for the first time in 18 years.

Tappmeyer said he and his wife, Lyn, have enjoyed their time in Maryville and said it was a good place to raise their daughter, Andrea.

"There's a good chance I'll coach again at this level, but for now, Lyn and I plan on being in Maryville until the end of the summer and then move closer to our families and decide what the next season of our lives has in store for us," Tappmeyer was quoted as saying in a university news release.

Northwest athletic director Dr. Bob Boerigter said there was no pressure for Tappmeyer to resign.

"It was absolutely all his call," Boerigter said. "I knew he had his eye on a date he could take advantage of the (retirement) benefits he had worked so long and so diligently to have available to him, but I didn't anticipate it would be this quickly."

Boerigter declined to put a timeline on the search for a new coach, other than to say that a posting will go almost immediately to the national NCAA newsletter.

"On something like this you move as quickly as you can, but you must be as thorough as you can," Boerigter said.

Boerigter said he is confident that once news gets out of Tappmeyer's decision, qualified candidates will express interest. In addition, he said, the university will identify potential candidates it will contact about the position.

"It's been a very, very solid program, and I believe it can draw interest from some talented and attractive candidates out there," Boerigter said.

Boerigter also declined to reveal the makeup of the search committee that will handle the process, preferring to keep their positions and identities anonymous.

Tappmeyer has won three MIAA regular season championships (1998, 2002, 2007) and four MIAA tournament championships (1989, 2002, 2004, 2008). He has taken Northwest to the NCAA tournament in eight of the past 10 seasons and 10 times overall, including Elite Eight appearances in the 2002 and 2004 seasons.

Tappmeyer was named Kodak Coach of the Year following his first season at Northwest in 1989. He was named regional coach of the year in 2001 and is a four-time MIAA coach of the year (1989, 1998, 2001, 2007).

Tappmeyer came to Northwest after three seasons as head coach at East Central College, where he guided the community college program to a 62-32 record and was named the 1986 MCCAC Coach of the Year.

Prior to his stint at East Central, Tappmeyer served as an assistant at Northwest from 1981-85.

Tappmeyer played in the MIAA prior to entering the coaching field. The 1979 graduate of Southeast Missouri State averaged 16.3 points per game as a junior and was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection. He was also an honorable mention all-conference pick at East Central, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Attempts to contact Tappmeyer on Monday afternoon and evening were unsuccessful.

Sports reporter Rick Dunaway can be reached at rickd@npgco.com