Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
OBITUARY Marty Adams, key figure in development of women's sports at PSU, dies at age 90 Martha "Marty" Adams, one of the pi- oneers of Penn State's women's athletics program, died Jan. 12 in State College. She was 90. Adams was among the handful of fac- ulty and administrators who were in- strumental in the creation and implementation of varsity women's ath- letics at Penn State. She worked with Della Durant, Lucille Magnusson, Bob Scannell and others to help put Penn State at the forefront of women's varsity athletics well before Title IX legislation in 1972. "Marty was a true Penn State treas- ure," athletic director Sandy Barbour said. "We are saddened by her passing but know that we've been positively im- pacted by her legacy and are better for her professional contributions and per- sonal friendships." From Waynesboro, Pa., Adams was a member of the Penn State staff from 1954 until her retirement in 1987, completing a distinguished career spanning nearly 35 years in teaching, coaching and athletic administration. She came to Penn State on a one-year appointment as the head of women's swimming, was retained and went on to serve in numerous roles before retiring as the director of the Student- Athlete Advisory Center in 1987. When Adams joined the Penn State staff, her duties were to instruct and co- ordinate activity programs for students. In 1959 she was named chairperson of FANTASTIC CUISINE EXCEP TIONAL ATMOSPHERE Voted Best Fine Dining V o o t e d B e s t F i n e D i n i n g College & Cato W ve Av . College & Cato carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 Corner of C Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave. carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 . College & Cato W. College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com RN RN RN RN ABLE ABLE TA T ve Av . College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com team is far from that goal. "The difference between being an average team and a great team is razor thin," he said. "It's making the choice to compete every day. It's making the choice to be present emotionally and mentally instead of just physically. It's getting [players] to understand that that's what great teams do. It's being consistent with that approach rather than just when things are good." The Nittany Lions opened their sea- son Feb. 17 against No. 1 TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The three-game set was the first part of an early-season schedule that has the team playing its first 11 games away from home. The Lions will face Xavier in Cary, N.C., then will head to the West Coast to face Pacific, UC Davis and Sacra- mento State. The home slate begins March 16 against Delaware, and the Lions will open their Big Ten season at Michigan on March 31. ■