[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 50 (Friday, April 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING COACH TERI MARIANI OF THE PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS AS SHE 
                         COACHES HER FINAL GAME

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DARLENE HOOLEY

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 21, 2005

  Ms. HOOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the long and 
successful career of Portland State University softball coach Teri 
Mariani, which will come to a close on Sunday, April 24, 2005, as she 
coaches her final games at PSU.
  It's been a long time, but I remember Teri from her days as an 
outstanding student and a fine athlete when I had the privilege to 
coach her in high school at St. Mary's Academy in the late '60s and 
early '70s. Back then, without the opportunities afforded by Title IX 
that are available today, the chance for young women to compete at any 
level were limited.
  Still, Teri managed to shine. I remember taking a team, including a 
then-sophomore Teri, to play basketball in the Portland Recreational 
League. Teri, always serious in the classroom, was just as driven to 
succeed on the court. But that's the sort of dedication to excellence 
that Teri maintained as during her years at Portland State.
  Since the 1970s, Teri has been a fixture on the Portland State 
campus--first as a stellar three-sport student-athlete, then as an 
administrator and, since 1977, as coach of the softball team.
  Teri will leave Portland State with the school record for the most 
victories in any sport, 631, and a winning record in 10 of her last 16 
seasons. Ranked 15th overall among all Division II coaches with 646 
wins, Coach Mariani also successfully led the Vikings during their 
transition to the Division I level in the 1998 season.
  During her career, the Vikings went to the NCAA playoffs nine times, 
and placed nationally four times, with a best finish of third in the 
nation in 1991. For her accomplishments, Teri was inducted into the 
Portland Metropolitan Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1986 and the 
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
  In addition to coaching softball, Teri has been Associate Athletic 
Director, Interim Athletic Director, and twice the department's Senior 
Woman Administrator. She has not only coached young women and helped 
them succeed on the field, but has been a mentor to them as they pursed 
their education. Hundreds of young women have had their lives impacted 
in a positive way by Teri Mariani, and while I am sad to see her long 
tenure as coach come to an end, her contributions to the sport and the 
university will be felt far into the future.

                          ____________________