Rene Portland

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Rene Portland
Rene portland headshot lady lions basketball penn state university.png
Portland speaking at a pep rally in 2007
Biographical details
Born(1953-03-31)March 31, 1953
Broomall, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 2018(2018-07-22) (aged 65)
Tannersville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
1972–1975 Immaculata
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1976–1978 Saint Joseph's
1978–1980 Colorado
1980–2007 Penn State
Head coaching record
Overall693–265
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As player:
3× National champion (1973–1975)
As coach:
NCAA Regional—Final Four (2000)
Awards
Medal record
Women's Basketball
Head Coach for Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World University Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1999 Palma de Mallorca, Spain Team Competition
Head Coach for Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1997 Natal, Brazil Team Competition

Maureen Theresa Muth "Rene" Portland (March 31, 1953 – July 22, 2018) [1] was an American head coach in women's college basketball, known for her 27-year tenure with the Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team. Her career included 21 NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four appearance in 2000, one AIAW national tournament appearance (1977, St. Joseph's), five Big Ten Conference championships and eight conference tournament titles (the first six in the Atlantic 10).

Contents

Portland was one of a few women's basketball coaches to have won 600 or more games at a single school, with a career record of 606–236 at Penn State. Her notoriety grew when it was revealed that she had for decades discriminated against homosexual players on the Penn State women's basketball team. [2]

Early life

Portland was born and raised in Broomall, Pennsylvania, [3]

Coaching career

Portland was hired as head coach of the Penn State Lady Lions basketball program in 1980, following two seasons at St. Joseph's and two seasons at Colorado. [4] Portland was previously one of the star players at Immaculata College, one of the early powers in women's college basketball, where Portland helped lead the team to three national titles. [5] [6] Several of her teammates also went on to become prominent women's coaches, such as Theresa Grentz and Marianne Stanley.

Portland served 27 seasons as the Lady Lions head coach. She won over 600 games at Penn State, making her sixth in most wins in AIAW/NCAA Division I women's basketball. Although she had coached many Lady Lions teams to the NCAA tournament, she had been unable to win a national championship. Portland had a demonstrated commitment to charitable causes, participating in the first annual "Think Pink" day to raise funds for breast cancer research. [7]

On March 22, 2007, Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics announced Portland's resignation, effective immediately. [8] [9]

On April 23, 2007, the university announced Coquese Washington as her successor. [10]

Anti-lesbian controversy

Portland forbade lesbian athletes in her program, as she explained in a 1986 article in The Chicago Sun-Times:

One of the first things Penn State coach Rene Portland brings up during a recruiting visit with a prospective player and her parents is lesbian activity. "I will not have it in my program," Portland said. "I bring it up and the kids are so relieved and the parents are so relieved. But they would probably go without asking the question otherwise, which is really dumb."

—  The Chicago Sun-Times , June 16, 1986 [11]

The statement was made prior to adoption of Penn State's policy on nondiscrimination and harassment in 1991; [12] however, according to the 2009 documentary film Training Rules , [2] no action was taken against Portland's prohibition.

In 2006, former player Jennifer Harris accused Portland of removing her from the team because of her perceived sexual orientation. Harris filed a federal lawsuit against Portland, athletic director Tim Curley, and the university. An internal university review found that Portland created a "hostile, intimidating, and offensive environment" based on Harris's perceived sexual orientation. Portland was fined $10,000, required to attend diversity training sessions, and placed on "zero tolerance" for future violations of the nondiscrimination policy. [13]

Responding to the sanctions, Portland stated that "the process that was used to reach these conclusions was flawed." Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said that "consequences faced by Rene Portland are insulting and inadequate." [14]

In February 2007, the lawsuit was settled out of court—before Portland's resignation the following month—under confidential terms and described in a joint statement as "amicable". [15] Despite being forced out of the Penn State job, many of her fellow Big Ten coaches continued to support her. [16]

The documentary film Training Rules , [2] co-directed by Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker, explores incident further, featuring interviews with several players about their experience with Portland and the anti-homosexual environment she allegedly perpetuated during her tenure.

Under Portland's 27-year career as Penn State's women's basketball coach, which lasted from the 1980–81 season through 2006–07, 113 student-athletes appeared on the Penn State roster. [17] Seven players from Portland's final season remained on the squad when Coquese Washington became the next head coach. Hence, there were 106 players who concluded their time as Lady Lions under Portland.

Of these, 57 completed 4-year college careers at Penn State; however, the rest (49, or nearly half) stayed less than four seasons. [17] Approximately 46% of Portland's players left Penn State while they still had college eligibility remaining. The comparable attrition rate under Washington has been 21%. [17]

USA Basketball

In 1993, Portland served as an assistant coach to FIBA Junior World Championship head coach Jim Foster. The event was held in Seoul, South Korea August 1–8, 1993. The U.S. improved their record from the 1985 and 1989 events to 5–2, but that finish placed the team seventh overall. [18]

In 1997, Portland became the head coach of the U.S. team competing in the Junior World Championship. That event was held in Natal, Brazil July 5–13, 1997. After beating Japan in the opening game, the US played defending champion Australia in the second round. Despite having a 13-point lead at one time, the US let the lead slip away and lost 80–74. However, the US team then went on to win a four-point game against Cuba, and won easily against Russia and Spain to move to the medal rounds. In the semi-final the US team faced Slovakia, and won 90–77 to move the team into their first ever finals for a FIBA Junior World team. The final was against Australia who had beaten the U.S. in the second game. The US team had a three-point lead with three seconds to go, but Australia hit a three pointer to send the game to overtime. Australia scored first, the U.S. outscored the Australians 7–2 to take a small lead. The lead was down to two points with 30 seconds left in the game, but the US hit free throws to win 78–74, notching the first-ever gold medal for a Junior World Championship team from the US. [19]

Portland served as the head coach of the USA representative to the 1999 World University Games (also known as the Universiade). The event was held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The U.S. team won their opening two games easily, including a mismatch against South Africa with a final score of 140–32, but lost against Ukraine, 81–70. They earned a position in the medal rounds and defeated Lithuania in the quarterfinals. The US then took on undefeated Russia and won a close game 87–79, setting up the championship game between the U.S. and host Spain. After falling behind early, the U.S. team kept the game close, and got within five points with under two minutes to go, but Spain held on to win the gold medal. The U.S. team received the silver medal. [20]

Death

Portland died in Tannersville, Pennsylvania following a three-year battle with peritoneal cancer on July 22, 2018, aged 65. [21] [22]

Awards and honors

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker (2009). Training Rules (film). San Francisco, California: Woman Vision Productions.
  3. ↑ "Rene Portland, Penn State basketball coach accused of anti-gay discrimination, dies at 65". The Washington Post . July 24, 2018.
  4. ↑ Skaine 2001 , pp. 136–137
  5. ↑ Skaine 2001 , p. 136
  6. ↑ "Rene Portland". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  7. ↑ GoPSUsports.com. "THINK PINK Day". GoPSUsports.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Rene Portland Resigns As Penn State Women's Basketball Coach". GoPSUsports.com. The Pennsylvania State University. March 22, 2007. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Director of Athletics Tim Curley Press Conference". GoPSUsports.com. The Pennsylvania State University. March 22, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2007.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Coquese Washington named Penn State women". Penn State Live. The Pennsylvania State University. April 23, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  11. ↑ Figel, Bill (June 16, 1986). "Lesbians in world of athletics". The Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 8, 2005. Retrieved February 9, 2007. Alt URL
  12. ↑ "Policy AD42 STATEMENT ON NONDISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT". Penn State Policy Manual. The Pennsylvania State University. November 16, 1992. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  13. ↑ "University concludes investigation of claims against women's basketball coach". Penn State Live. The Pennsylvania State University. April 18, 2006. Archived from the original on April 21, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  14. ↑ Buzinski, Jim (April 18, 2006). "Anti-Gay Coach Reprimanded". Outsports.com. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Harris claim settled". Penn State Live. The Pennsylvania State University. February 5, 2007. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  16. ↑ Harrop, JoAnne (November 10, 2011). "Big Ten colleagues support Portland". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 31, 2005.
  17. 1 2 3 "2013-14 Penn State Lady Lion Yearbook". October 10, 2013. p. 156. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  18. ↑ "THIRD FIBA WOMEN'S U19/JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP -- 1993". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  19. ↑ "FOURTH FIBA WOMEN'S U19/JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP -- 1997". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  20. ↑ "NINETEENTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES -- 1999". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Former Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland dies at 65". Chicago Tribune. July 22, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Rene Portland, Longtime Penn State Basketball Coach, Dies at 65". The New York Times . July 24, 2018.
  23. 1 2 "Past Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coaches of the Year". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  24. ↑ Zeise, Paul (January 28, 2002). "Women's Basketball Notebook: Portland passes cracker test and gets two quality recruits". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 Skaine 2001 , p. 138

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