OLEAN, N.Y. — After 35 years and 484 victories, Martha Altmire is coming home.

The Moniteau graduate has retired as the Olean (N.Y.)High School girls basketball coach, where she accumulated more wins than any prep girls basketball coach in New York State history.

"It's a contract thing,"Altmire, 57, said. "My teaching contract is up and I always told myself that when I retire, I'm retiring from everything.

"I've had a great time here. Now it's time to go home."

Having never married, Altmire is moving back to the Boyers area this summer to be closer to family and the region where she grew up.

"I've always loved Butler County,"she said. "I've never strayed very far and I've always stayed in touch with what goes on there."

And she's never lost very many basketball games.

Also a physical education teacher at Olean, Altmire compiled a 484-222 record as a girls basketball coach. She endured only six losing seasons there and ended her career with 15 consecutive winning campaigns.

Altmire's final team compiled an 18-8 record, won the section Class Atitle and qualified for the state tournament before losing to eventual state champion Pittsford-Sunderland, from Rochester.

Only one other Altmire-coached team — her 1981-82 squad that finished 24-1 and New York Class Brunner-up — ever reached the state tournament.

"This was a wonderful way to go out,"Altmire said. "We graduated a lot of seniors from last season and this year's team was a young one that was 8-6 at one point and seemingly going nowhere.

"It just caught fire. I can't explain it."

She's still at a loss to explain all that's happened to her over the past few months.

During her final home game Feb. 10, Altmire was presented the key to the city of Olean by the mayor and the day was proclaimed Martha Altmire Day in the town.

After the final game she coached in western New York — the Section VIClass Atitle win — Altmire was asked to stand alone at midcourt, where she received a standing ovation.

During a ceremony honoring Altmire at the school April 1, including an alumni game for which 50 of her former players and 20 of her former cheerleaders returned, the Olean High School gym floor was renamed Coach Altmire Court.

"It started to hit me then,"Altmire admitted. "I mean, naming the court after me — that's forever. That's a legacy. I never looked at it like that before."

During her coaching career, Altmire has sent about 150 players to college basketball. She has sent five to Division I schools and has nine playing college ball right now.

"Until kids come back after they've graduated, walk up to you and thank you for impacting their lives, you never really realize the positive affect you can have as a coach,"Altmire said.

"I've coached girls who have become psychologists, lawyers, doctors, coaches, head of recreation departments — it boggles the mind."

Altmire was the cheerleading coach at Olean in the late 1970s. The first cheerleader she ever coached is now a retired Army brigadier general.

"She went on to become the first female athletic director at West Point,"Altmire said. "She received the Master of the Sword title and with that was given a few coins from the U.S. Military Academy.

"The recipient goes on to give those coins to people who have meant a lot to her life. I'm proud to say I have one of those coins."

Altmire was inducted into the Cattaraugus County Hall of Fame in 2003. She won 19 league championships and seven Section VItitles during her career.

"Honestly, I was hoping to ride off quietly into the sunset,"Altmire said. "All of the stuff that's happened the past two months is hard to comprehend."

When next basketball season rolls around, Altmire insists she won't miss it.

"Oh, sure, it will be strange at first,"she admitted. "I'm going to enjoy retirement. Basketball will always be a part of me, though."