[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 121 (Monday, July 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4825-S4826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING MARCIA PINDER

 Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have the 
following article printed in the Record.
  The material follows:

                 [From the Daily Coach, June 30, 2021]

                 Remembering a Florida Sideline Legend

       Some major names have stalked the sidelines of South 
     Florida's high school basketball gyms over the years, 
     including Frank Martin, Anthony Grant and Shakey Rodriguez. 
     But few have done it with the sustained success of Dillard 
     Women's Coach Marcia Pinder.
       She served 44 seasons on the bench, winning 996 career 
     games while guiding the Lady Panthers to 10 state titles, 
     according to the Miami Herald.
       Pinder died last week. She was 70.
       Beyond any of her in-game schemes or pre-game speeches, 
     Pinder was a trusted confidant to hundreds of teenaged girls 
     over the better part of five decades.
       ``She was a mentor, an advocate, a second mom to many of 
     her players,'' Florida Rep. Omari Hardy wrote on Facebook. 
     ``She taught generations of young women how to excel on and 
     off the court, and it was in that lasting, personal impact 
     that she took the greatest pride.''
       Pinder was named Florida Dairy Farmers Girls' Basketball 
     Coach of the Year five times over a six-year span beginning 
     in 2010 and received the prestigious Morgan Wootten Award for 
     Lifetime Achievement from the Naismith Basketball Hall of 
     Fame in 2017, according to the Herald.
       She was inducted into the National High School Athletic 
     Association Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014.
       Few high school coaches have won as many games as Pinder, 
     but based on the number of poignant tributes that flooded 
     social media following her death, it would seem safe to say 
     that not many have touched as many lives.
       ``The epitome of mentorship, love, discipline and 
     leadership,'' tweeted Ole Miss Women's Coach Yolett McCuin.
       ``She was more than just a Coach!'' Auburn Women's Coach 
     Johnnie Harris tweeted. ``She impacted the lives of many 
     people in many ways! She will always have a special place in 
     my heart!
       Pinder's legacy serves as yet another pivotal reminder to 
     us as leaders that as much as we agonize over Xs and Os, our 
     bottom line, promotions or firings, what we'll be remembered 
     for most is the way we uplift our players and employees.

[[Page S4826]]

       ``My biggest thrill,'' Pinder told the Herald in 2014, 
     ``comes from the girls getting into college and pursuing 
     their degrees. When you constantly see these players get to 
     college, it makes you feel good. You don't think about that 
     last loss or last win. Some of them have turned out to be 
     teachers and doctors. That is my Hall of Fame, right there.''
       May Coach Marcia Pinder rest in peace.

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