Backus begins her fifth season as the Bulldogs' head coach. Under Backus' tutelage, Yale has been extremely successful behind the three-point line, finishing second in three-point field goals made last season and first in the Ivy League in three-point field goal percentage two years ago, while the team shot over 30 percent as a team last season. The team showed a tenacious ability to rebound in 2002-03, finishing first in defensive rebounding in the league and second in team rebounding margin.

Backus' coaching philosophy incorporates the very best values from her background at highly academic institutions. She has a clear understanding and belief in the priority of academics in the lives of her student-athletes, and is committed to preparing her players to compete at the highest levels of scholarship and citizenship both on and off the court.

Backus served as an assistant to legendary coach Don Perrelli at Northwestern University in the highly competitive Big Ten conference before coming to Yale. The Wildcats enjoyed much success during Backus' four years. The 1996 team played in the finals of the Women's NIT and finished with a 23-11 record. In 1997, Northwestern earned an NCAA tournament bid with a 17-11 record, while the 1998 team reached the Preseason NIT Final Four.

As head coach of Middlebury College in Vermont for seven years from 1987-94, her teams were 106-41, capturing the ECAC New England Division III Championship in the 1992-93 season and were ECAC runners-up in 1994. After the championship season in 1993, Backus was named ECAC Coach of the Year. As the Panthers' head coach Backus was an active member of the New England Women's Basketball Association, serving as president in 1993. Prior to coaching at Middlebury, she served as an assistant at the University of Vermont, under current Boston College coach Cathy Inglese for one year.

The Vermilion, Ohio, native also served as head coach of basketball and softball at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, from 1980-85. Her overall basketball head coaching record is 194-144.

Backus played collegiately at Central Michigan University from 1975-79, becoming one of the first women to receive an athletic scholarship in the state of Michigan in basketball. While at Central Michigan, she held the single game scoring record as a junior and still is in the record book for the second most rebounds in a game at 19. As a senior, Backus was named team captain.

She graduated cum laude from Central Michigan in 1979 with a B.S. in education. Backus spent a year as the graduate assistant coach at Central Michigan in 1979-80, and served as the head coach for the junior varsity team. She also holds a master's degree in administration and supervision from Loyola University in Chicago.

In addition Backus has a long history of success in competitive sailing. A past international, North American and national sailing champion, Backus has been racing competitively for 35 years. Among numerous other distinctions, Backus was part of an Olympic campaign in 1988 and as crew, helped her sister win the 1985 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, the most prestigious sailing award in the United States.