Former Penn State WBB Coach Rene Portland, a Former Immaculata Star, Has Passed Away

Note, a shorter edited version will be at the inquirer site and this will update with a second blog later today as reaction to the news is received.

By Mel Greenberg

FOR THE INQUIRER

Former Penn State women’s basketball coach Rene Portland, who built the Lady Lions into a national powerhouse in her 27 years in Happy Valley, passed away at her Tannersville home upstate in the Poconos Sunday morning after a three-year battle with cancer.

The 65-year-old Portland, born March 31, 1953, who grew up in suburban Broomall, Pa., was also one of the key players in the Immaculata “Mighty Macs” championship era of the 1970s under Hall of Famer Cathy Rush.

She recently began receiving hospice care when her condition worsened.

Portland’s passing comes less than a year after her induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame last November joining Rush and teammates Theresa Grentz and Marianne Stanley, who were previously honored.

That was also the last moment she was seen in the general public when she made her acceptance speech, at the time appearing to have come back strong from her first diagnosis of peritoneal cancer in 2015.

But several weeks later the cancer returned with a vengeance and she began to grow weaker.

However, Portland, whose maiden last name was Muth, in May managed to attend the Cabrini graduation of her adopted daughter DeLisa.

“Rene fought a courageous and determined fight against her cancer,” said former Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, herself a survivor of the disease and who was part of the crowd working the Cathy Rush summer camps as well as a competitor of Portland on the sidelines.

“She will be remembered as someone who gave her life to her family, her teams and her women. As a player, she was a fierce competitor at Immaculata and she carried that trait into her coaching career. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend who will be missed.”

A signature win for Portland came in 1991 in the way of an upset of the Dawn Staley-led Virginia team in Charlottesville, which led to Penn State’s first No. 1 ranking.

The sweetest moment came in 2000 when she guided the Lady Lions to the Women’s Final Four, their only appearance, at the then-named First Union Center (now Wells Fargo) here in Philadelphia in a group that included Rutgers, Tennessee and eventual champion Connecticut.

Patty Canterino, Immaculata’s vice president for student development and engagement, who was previously athletic director and Mighty Macs women’s basketball coach, sent this remembrance from 2000: “I remember in 2000 coach Portland called my office after they beat Iowa state before meeting Louisiana Tech in the Elite Eight that would send them here with a win and she wanted me to track down some nuns and get them to the final four game in Philly. 

“Coach Portland looked over and was so excited to see them there. Sister Mary of Lourdes was the president and her good friend Sister Core Immaculate were at the college when Coach Portland played. It has always been important for us to continue to share the story of what did for women’s basketball and for Immaculata. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Portland family.”

When Portland first was taken ill, family and friends kept her situation low key using a group messaging system on the internet to keep those close to her updated.

But recently, without going into great detail, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) sent a communique to its members containing an address to send Portland well wishes.

“Rene Portland was a pioneer of our game in the modern era,” said Danielle M. Donehew, the WBCA’s executive director, after hearing of Portland’s passing. “As a player on the legendary Mighty Macs teams of Immaculata College in the early 1970s, she helped establish a standard of excellence to which national championship teams since have aspired.

“As head coach at Penn State, she was recognized by her peers as a WBCA National Coach of the Year in 1991 and 2004. And as our association's president during the 1989-90 academic year, she united the WBCA community of coaches to pressure the University of Oklahoma administration into reversing its decision to discontinue its women's basketball program. Rene's contributions to our sport as a player and as a coach will never be forgotten."

At Penn State, however, her total time was not without controversy.

A player dismissed from the team sued, saying she was let go because of Portland’s perception of her sexual orientation.

An internal investigation led to a one-game suspension and a  $10,000 fine, though Portland disputed the findings. The case was settled confidentially.

Portland also made a public appearance in 2014 when the Immaculata championship era teams were inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Rush recalled Portland’s career, saying, “Rene Portland was the player every coach needs. She was a coach on the floor for our team from the time she started her first game.

“Rene brought an unbelievable understanding of the game to her teammates. No surprise she became a great coach.”

Recalling playing on the first of the Immaculata champions, won in the Midwest, Portland always noted the experience saying, “We flew out there on standby and came home first class after some donors helped pay the flight home.”

“It seems like only yesterday we were teammates at Immaculata College, (Immaculata University ), playing and winning three national championships. Truly, some games are worth playing for a lifetime,” said Grentz reacting to Portland’s passing.

“Rene always had that can do attitude and her steadfast love for her family will always be one of her greatest hallmarks. She fought a courageous battle with cancer and my heart breaks for the loss of my friend. Without question, she will be missed.”

Portland, who earned several all-American honors,, Grentz, and Stanley went on to great success as mentors with Stanley, now an assistant with the WNBA Washington Mystics, winning three national titles at Old Dominion, and Grentz winning a national title in a longtime stint at Rutgers with stops also at Saint Joseph’s, Illinois and Lafayette.

This has been a tough time for Stanley, recently losing Anne Donovan, one of her star ODU players, to a heart attack, and now the death of her beloved teammate.

Portland coached Donovan’s sister Mary at Penn State.

“Rene will always be remembered as as a pioneer, and a staunch advocate for promoting for our game,” Stanley said.

“As one of the original Immaculata Mighty Macs, she was a great teammate and known as a fierce competitor. She displayed that fighting spirit every day in her battle with cancer.

“Most importantly, Rene was a devoted wife & mother who will be greatly missed by her family and friends”.

Another Portland teammate was Judy Marra, who became the wife of future Saint Joseph’s men’s coach Phil Martelli.

“For the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about her every day,” Martelli said after learning the news. “A lot of things have been going through my mind about our lives together and what  we went through.

“We first met in 1967 in Villa Maria Academy and just became close friends from day one and we had a lot in common, we played sports together, went to high school together and then Immaculata — a lot of great memories were made there to share.

“And then we were both at each other’s weddings, and we shared as family at such a important time of your life from your teenage years - 13 to 23 when we got married - and to share them with one of my very, very best friends.

“I feel fortunate that way. And then obviously life takes you on different paths, your careers, your marriage, your children, and we kind of lost touch a little bit in some ways,” she continued.

“And then reaching out when she moved back from Indiana, and we had good talks, we had a great, great visit a couple of months ago, we talked about everything you could think of, life, death, children, family, parents, all the great times we had together, so i’m glad she’s not suffering, but it’s hard.

“I have all the wonderful memories I had with her and that’s what I take forward.”

On what became a humorous touch, Portland’s father, Lou Muth, who owned a hardware store during her collegiate career, helped contribute to the Mighty Macs fan lore, providing washboards, buckets and other items that served as musical instruments for the so-called band of nuns who taught at Immaculata.

“Rene did so much for the sport of women’s basketball as both a player and a coach,” said Villanova coach Harry Perretta.

“She played on those special teams at Immaculata that brought so much attention to the sport. She was also a highly successful coach at three different schools. Her teams played hard and were always well prepared. She showed up at one of our games last year at the University of Hartford and I was happy to spend a few minutes with her afterwards. I had a lot of respect for Rene and I will miss her. My condolences go out to her entire family.”

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey also spoke of Portland’s coaching proficiency and mourned her passing.

“It is a sad day once again as we lost another great coach way too young,” she said. “Rene was an outstanding x’s and o’s coach, and her inbound plays underneath the basketball were some of the best. In fact, many of us in coaching would use her inbound plays with our own teams.” 

Upon learning of Portland’s passing, her alma mater put  out a statement of condolence, “The Immaculata University community is saddened by the passing of Rene Muth Portland ’75 and sends condolences to her family and friends.

“As a star on all three Immaculata national championship basketball teams, #55 was instrumental in making the Mighty Macs an inspiring success story and a basketball powerhouse.”

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour noted, “The Penn State Athletics family extends our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Coach Portland.

“She made a significant impact on women’s basketball, Penn State Athletics and the State College and Lady Lion Basketball communities.”

Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, a contemporary of Portland, noted, “Rene has always been a great teacher of the game and winner. She forced you to be at your best.”

Portland’s coaching career began alongside Rush, assisting on the team that played in the AIAW national championship game, ironically, at Penn State in 1976.

Hall of Fame Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was on opposing sidelines from Portland in AIAW days at Cheyney and later in the Big Ten at Iowa besides playing non-conference after Stringer joined the Scarlet Knights in the mid-1990s.

“If you look at it, Rene Portland was a pioneer starting with her days playing at Immaculata to her coaching career, which included joining Rutgers at the Final Four with Penn State in 2000,” said Stringer, whose Rutgers squad was also part of those finals.

“She was a friend and a brilliant coach who I have to credit for being one of the first to recognize some of the truly exceptional teams I had when I was coaching at Cheyney. Rene had a deep love of her family and my thoughts and prayers are with them.”

After assisting at her alma mater, Portland stayed home to run her first program on Hawk Hill at Saint Joseph’s, leading the team to the finals of the AIAW tourney with a 23-5 record in 1977 when the field was still 16 teams.

"We were fortunate to attract Rene who was just out of immaculata as head coach.
She was a born leader and thus ready to be a head coach immediately,” said Don Di Julia, who recently retired as athletic director at Saint Joseph’s.

“She was successful on the national level as a player and thus knew the commitment, drive and passion necessary to achieve.

“Rene was engaging to all and represented sju with pride and distinction.
Her election into various halls of fame confirms she was not a spectator but an impact player.”

One of her Hawks stars was Hall of Famer Muffet (O’Brien) McGraw, who became a national personality in her own right at Notre Dame leading the Irish to NCAA title in 2001 and then repeating last spring in a thrilling finish won at the buzzer.

Upon hearing the news, former Mississippi and WNBA coach Van Chancellor sent his reaction, “It is with a heavy heart that I learn of the passing of Rene' Portland.  A person of class and someone I greatly admire as both a person and a coach.

“She instilled in her players a love for our game and a drive that served them as individuals after their time on the court.  Our game is better because of her contributions and those of us privileged to have enjoyed her company have lost her warm charming ways much too soon.”

Portland also coached several squads for USA Basketball, earning a gold medal with the 1997 Junior World Championship squad, now called the FIBA U19 World Cup.

"Rene Portland was a great ambassador for women’s basketball when the game was in its early stages," said Saint Joseph's head coach Cindy Griffin. "The support she garnered in her Penn State community was astounding. Penn State fans followed the Lady Lions because of Rene Portland's success on the court. She will be greatly missed."

Following two seasons with the Hawks, Portland was invited to interview at the University of Colorado, but prior to leaving she couldn’t envision anything better than her current job.

Allaying concern by Saint Joseph's officials, Portland said, “Don’t worry, I’m going to ask for the world.”

Two days later she returned, saying she took the job. “I asked them for the world and they gave it to me,” she related.

But her stay in the Rockies lasted just two years.

Trying to fill a vacancy, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, then also the athletic director, in what became his only hire, targeted Portland and thus began a 27-year life in Happy Valley until her resignation in March of 2007, as the Lady Lions rose to prominence.

During her time, the program moved out of old Rec Hall to the vast confines of the Bryce Jordan Center, which became considered one of the toughest home courts in women’s basketball.

Her Penn State record was 606-236 (.720), with both conference season and tourney titles in the Atlantic 10 and Big Ten. Her 31-year mark overall is 693-265 (.723) and when she won her 600th she was only the ninth coach to do so at that time.

She was Big Ten coach of the year four times and national coach of the year twice.

Portland is 11th in the coaching category part of the all-time 42-year Associated Press women’s poll history database with her teams at Saint Joseph’s and Penn State combined with 336 appearances, though Colorado, with most of her players, got ranked the year after she left to return to the East.

Reaction Sunday came in from Hall of Fame  Texas coach Jody Conradt, who is retired, and current Longhorns mentor Karen Aston.

“Rene dedicated her life as a player and a coach. She was one of many who helped build the foundation of the women’s game,” Conradt said, while Aston noted, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rene Portland today.  

“She will be forever be remembered and appreciated for her passion and the  contributions she made toward growing our sport.  She was a true pioneer of women’s basketball. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”

 

One of the players Portland coached at Penn State was her daughter Christine, one of four children besides DeLisa, John Jr., and Stephen with her husband John.

Several years later when Christine married and had her first child, Portland quipped to a writer, “Find out if I’m the first grandmother to coach in Division I.”

A previous time when Portland was coaching at Colorado, she was in the  final stages of her pregnancy with John Jr.

In a room prior to the tip, a referee asked her when she was due.

“Any minute,” Portland smiled as a look of horror came over the official’s face.

“Relax,” Portland said. “I’ve been saving a timeout for myself for the past month. Besides, this could be an interesting halftime show.”

By and large, most of Portland’s players have spoken of her in endearing terms.

“If I had to choose a college all over again, I would still choose Penn State, Downingtown’s Tina Nicholson said recently. “Rene had such an impact on me on and off the court.

“We didn’t always see eye to eye but as an adult I thank God for her! I love my coach, a great coach but an even better person. I text her about once a month to tease this great lady as my second mother.”

Adds Saint Francis, Loretto, athletic director Susan Robinson Fruchtl, one of four first team all-Americans, as well as a Wade National Player of the Year, under Portland, “I can still hear Rene say - ‘Remember who you are and what you represent.’

“She taught us to play for something bigger than ourselves. She taught us to play for each other, to represent those who have impacted our lives and to play for Penn State.”

Suzie McConnell-Serio, another Penn State standout of Portland’s, who was a two-time Olympian and WNBA all-star, reacted with a text, saying, “This is a very sad day and my condolences to the Portland family.  We all lost someone very special today.

 “Rene has touched so many lives and I am especially thankful for all she has done for me.  She was an amazing mother, person and coach. Once a Lady Lion, Always a Lady Lion and Rene always made you proud to be a Lady Lion.”

McConnell-Serio was an NCAA career assist leader for men or women and coached Duquesne and Pittsburgh in her native city.

Some other notable players under Portland at Penn State were Kelly Mazzante, the prolific three-point shooter, Tanisha Wright and Helen Darling.

Wright currently plays in the WNBA while Mazzante and Darling also played in the pro women’s league.

Recalled Auburn coach Terri Flournoy, who played for Portland from 1987-1991, “She demanded and expected nothing but the best from us and if we didn’t give it we would hear in a nice calm voice….. “Ladies get on the line” I never knew 5 words could be so painful.”

Longtime Lady Lions broadcaster Jerry Fisher sent a memory, “A great story of our friendship was when my wife was killed in an accident and my daughter was injured in the car crash, she was the first non family person to show up at Geisinger (Medical Center) to check on us. Great memories of many great times with her.”

While not many contemporaries began to know of Portland’s struggle with the illness until recently, there was wide reaction when the news of her passing became public.

‘So sad.  Rene helped me tremendously when my Dad passed while I was a player for her at the University of Colorado.  She was there for me! 😢 I loved playing for her,” said Gail Hook.

Debbie Williamson, coordinator of women’s officials for the Big East, American Athletic Conference, Ivy League, Atlantic 10, and several other conferences, played against Portland teams at Louisiana Tech in the early 1980s.

“I just remember Leon (Barmore) was always concerned playing them so if he was concerned I paid special attention to the scouting report,” she recalled.

“I remember flying into there and all the snow and it was scary because most of us had never seen snow.”

Cathy Bongiovi, now at Akron, who was Portland’s media rep at Penn State several seasons, commented on learning the news, “Rene Portland influenced many young women on and off the basketball court.

“I was lucky to work with her and the Lady Lions for four years that included so many wonderful memories. She treated her players and staff like family. Thanks, Coach, for taking me along for the ride. Once a Lady Lion, Always a Lady Lion!”

Barbara Jacobs, now had of women’s basketball for the American Athletic Conference, recalls coaching against Portland when Jacobs was head coach at Syracuse.

“Rene was always well prepared for every game. We spent so much time working on defense for her out of bounds plays,” Jacobs related. “They were so good and they scored just about every time they ran one.”

"When I think of Rene I really don't go to the athletic world right away,” said Dan Durkin, who was a Portland assistant at Penn State from 1985-93. “My first thoughts go to what a loving and caring daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother, she was.

“She always put her family first. Rene's mother, affectionately known as `Granny’ to most people, really taught her that virtue. And she certainly lived up to those teachings,” he continued.

“Rene had many wins and championships to her name and coached a lot of great ones, but her most prized possession was her family. Our thoughts, hearts, and prayers are with John, Christine, John-John, Stephen, and DeLisa as well as to the extended Portland and Muth families.

“RIP Rene GO MIGHTY MACS”

Portland is survived by her husband John, children Christine Portland Mori, John Jr., Stephen and DeLisa, seven grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Relatives & Friends are invited to her viewing Sunday July 29th 2018 3-7 PM at The D'Anjolell Memorial Home 2811 West Chester Pike Broomall, PA 19008 and Monday July 30th 2018 10:00-11:45 AM at St. Anastasia Church 3301 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073 followed by her Funeral Mass 12 Noon. Interment S.S. Peter & Paul Cemetery.