Marcia French (1941-1998)
Marcia M. French, 56, one of the pioneers in intercollegiate athletics for women, died Sunday, May, 17, 1998 after an extended battle with ovarian cancer. In 33 years as a teacher, coach and administrator at Baldwin-Wallace College, she helped build a fledgling athletic program to a regional power with ten sports, capturing the Ohio Athletic Conference All-Sports trophy in five of the past seven years.
Born Marcia Belser and raised in Independence, Ohio, she came to Baldwin-Wallace as a student in 1959.
She graduated from B-W in 1963 and was a 1995 inductee into the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame. " We had a very organized intramural program and we also had what we called 'play days' when we would travel to meet a number of schools and play a variety of sports at a central site."
"In the beginning one of the main purposes of competition between schools was the interaction among the players," she said. " I remember when we used to have a social after the competition."
After graduation from B-W in 1963, French taught and coached in the Parma schools for two years before returning to B-W to teach and start an intercollegiate volleyball program in 1965. She received her master's degree from Kent State University in 1968.
"We started by playing just a few teams, such as Miami of Ohio, Bowling Green, Dayton, and Mount St. Joseph," she recalled. " We played in the first state volleyball tournament. Then we began playing in associations that sponsored state and national tournaments with large and small schools together. From that, the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) was formed. Then we moved on to NCAA sponsored affiliation and eventually the formation of women's athletics in the Ohio Athletic Conference."
In 27 seasons as volleyball coach, she compiled a record of 447-298, with two teams advancing to the NCAA Division III national playoff level. In 1992, after leading the Lady Yellow Jackets to a 28-12 record and a berth in the NCAA nationals, she was named Midwest Region Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
French also introduced intercollegiate softball to B-W in 1970. In 22 years, she guided her teams to success at the slow-pitch and again as the sport made its transition to fast-pitch in 1986. In 1992, B-W compiled a school-record 28 wins and earned a spot in the NCAA Division III national tournament.
She was named B-W's second athletic director of women in 1981. With her leadership, the women's athletic programs continued to grow. Golf became the tenth varsity sport for women this season.
"Marcie was a tireless cheerleader for her players and for women's athletics," said B-W Chancellor Neal Malicky. " In nearly four decades since Marcie began classes at B-W, things have changed dramatically in women's athletics. People here agree that if those changes involved Marcie French, they were all for the better."
She is survived by her parents, Howard and Marie Belser, a sister, Tina Pennington, and brother-in-law, Samuel Pennington, all in Medina.
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