Saint Joseph's University athletics mourns the loss of former women's basketball coach Rene Portland, who passed away on July 22.
Relatives & Friends are invited to her viewing Sunday, July 29 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at The D'Anjolell Memorial Home (2811 West Chester Pike Broomall, Pa. 19008) and Monday July 30 from 10:00-11:45 a.m. at St. Anastasia Church (3301 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, Pa. 19073), followed by her Funeral Mass at noon. Internment will be held at S.S. Peter & Paul Cemetery. Portland's obituary can be read here.
The third head coach in the history of the Saint Joseph's women's basketball program, Portland guided the Hawks for two seasons from 1976 to 1978. During her tenure, SJU posted a 47-9 overall record and made 22 appearances in the Associated Press Poll. Her teams also made regional AIAW Tournament appearances both seasons and advanced to the AIAW National Large College Basketball Championship in 1977.
Following her two seasons on Hawk Hill, Portland accepted the head coaching positon at Colorado. After a two-year stint with the Buffaloes, Portland headed to Penn State where she would accumulate more than 600 wins over a 27-year career from 1980 to 2007.
"Renie Portland was a great ambassador for women's basketball when the game was in its early stages," said Saint Joseph's head coach Cindy Griffin. "The support she garnered in her Penn State community was astounding. Penn State fans followed the Lady Lions because of Rene Portland's success on the court. She will be greatly missed."
Prior to coaching at Saint Joseph's, Portland was a standout player at Immaculata where she helped the Mighty Macs to three-straight national titles from 1973 to 1975. She served as an assistant under Cathy Rush before accepting the head coaching position at Hawk Hill.
Portland was enshrined in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the Mighty Macs (1972-74).
Portland is survived by her husband, John, four children and seven grandchildren.
