- Date Of Birth: March 31, 1953
- Date Of Death: July 22, 2018
- State: Pennsylvania
Maureen “Rene” PortlandMaureen “Rene” Portland, passed away on July 22, 2018 at her home, in Tannersville, PA. Born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania on March 31, 1953 to Margaret and Lou Muth. She leaves behind her loving husband of 42 years, John, her 4 children (Christine, John, Stephen and DeLisa) and 7 grandchildren (Mackenzie, Mallory, JP, Maya, Macy, Delaney, and Ellie). Rene was a graduate of Villa Maria and Immaculata College where she excelled in sports, allowing her to be a member of the Immaculata team that was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Rene transitioned from player to coach and quickly began her career as a coach at Immaculata. She became a head coach at Saint Joseph’s University, the University of Colorado and eventually landed at Penn State University. Rene’s tenure at Penn State spanned 27 years where her Lady Lion teams won seven Conference Championships and eight Conference Tournament titles. Rene also coached four first-team Kodak All-Americans, four conference players of the year and one Wade Trophy winner. Portland is the 20th-winningest Division I coach of all-time, a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, and a two-time WBCA National Coach of the Year. She completed her career with a 693-265 (.723) record in 31 years including a trip to the Final Four in Philadelphia in 2000. She was inducted in to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in and the Lady Lion program did not limit their efforts to basketball but made it a priority to give back to the community. Players and coaches were constantly involved with a variety of charitable organizations and spearheaded fundraising and awareness events. Aside from her philanthropic efforts, Rene was also an advocate for gender equality and the advancement of opportunities for women in sports and and her family would like to thank Dr. Christine Kim and the medical staff at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Rene is survived by her 3 sisters Marge (Kennedy), Pat (Clyde) and Kathy (Galligan) and 3 brothers, Lou, Thom and Bill Muth and their spouses. Also, her 14 nieces and nephews, 23 great nieces and nephews in the Muth family. She is also survived by her 4 sister-in laws, Mary Ann (Stulak), Bernadette (Oliver), Betsy (Welsh), Fran (Portland), 1 brother in law, Tom Portland and their spouses. Her 8 nieces and nephews, 8 great nieces and nephews in the Portland family.
