Penn State
women's basketball coach Rene Portland resigned Thursday,
ending a 27-year tenure in which she won 605 games but
battled allegations that she discriminated against
lesbian players. Portland resigned Wednesday night,
the university said in a statement Thursday morning.
''This was
obviously a difficult decision,'' Portland said in the
statement. ''I am very appreciative of the opportunity to
coach at Penn State, which has become a special place
for me and my family,'' she said. ''I am proud of what
we have been able to accomplish with the Lady Lions
program through the years.''
Portland had
built the team into a powerhouse, though the program had
slipped to subpar records in recent seasons.
And the coach had
a string of discrimination allegations lobbed against
her during her tenure. Most recently, Portland settled a
lawsuit in February by a former player, Jennifer
Harris, who claimed that Portland had a ''no-lesbian''
policy on her team.
Terms of the
settlement were not announced.
''I appreciate
what Rene has done for the women's basketball program,''
athletic director Tim Curley said in the statement. ''Rene
and her staff have worked very hard to produce teams
that were competitive nationally and within the Big
Ten.''
Portland, who was
hired by Penn State in 1980, compiled a 605-235
record with the Lady Lions, and earlier this season
became just the ninth women's basketball coach to win
600 games at one school.
Penn State played
in 21 NCAA tournaments under Portland and advanced to
the 2000 Final Four. Portland won five Big Ten championships
and two conference tournament titles during her
tenure.
But the program
had slipped of late. Penn State finished 14-15 this
season and 13-16 the year before.
Portland played
basketball at Immaculata College in a time before the
NCAA recognized women's sports. From 1972 to 1974 she was on
three national championship teams of the Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
A year after
graduating from Immaculata, Portland was named head coach at
Saint Joseph's, leading her first team to a 23-5
record and the AIAW national tournament. Portland
spent two seasons at Saint Joseph's and two at
Colorado, racking up an 87-29 record and leading all
four teams into postseason play.
In 1980, Portland
was hired by Joe Paterno to succeed Pat Meiser as head
coach at Penn State, the only head coach hired by Paterno
during his tenure as Penn State's athletics director.
(Genaro C. Armas, AP)
