Fresno County Women's Chamber of Commerce Featured Speaker:
February 2007 -
Margie Wright-
California State University Fresno / Head Women's Softball Coach
Hometown: Warrensburg, Ill.
Last College: Illinois State, 1974
Position: Head Coach, 23rd year
School/Career: 1,006-317-1/20 years; 1,169-409-3/26 years
In her 22nd season as head coach of the Fresno State softball program, Margie Wright (Illinois State, 1974) has directed the Bulldogs to a national title (1998) while guiding the program to the NCAA Women's College World Series 10 times out of the program's 12 appearances. As the first NCAA Division I softball coach and 24th overall in NCAA Division I history, regardless of sport, to amass 1,000 Division I career victories and the first to tally 1,200 fastpitch wins, she owns an impressive 21-year school mark of 1,043-336-1 (.756) and a 27-year career record of 1,206-428-3 (.738). In the postseason, Wright is 70-42 (.625) with a NCAA title, three national runner-up finishes, three third-place showings and three fifth-place finishes at the NCAA Women's College World Series.
Having become the NCAA's all-time winningest softball coach in 2000, the eight-time conference coach of the year boasts 16 outright or shared conference titles, a WAC tournament championship, 10 regional championship crowns while leading Fresno State to 21 consecutive NCAA postseason appearances.
In addition, she has coached 51 All-Americans, 15 Academic All-Americans, four NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award winners, four Honda Awards Program softball finalists, four NCAA ERA statistical champions, seven professionals, 13 Olympians and two NCAA Top VIII Award winner. Under her tutelage the Bulldogs are averaging 45 wins a year while she has made Fresno State one of just four programs in Division I softball to make 10 or more trips to the WCWS.
With eight hall of fame inductions to her credit, her most recent induction was in the fall of 2006 where she was inducted into the Fresno County Women Lawyers Hall of Fame. In the spring of 2006, as a member of the Moline Sexton Ford women's major fastpitch team, they were inducted into the Illinois ASA Hall of Fame. Wright was inducted into the International Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame on Oct. 17, 2005. As the third softball individual to be inducted, Wright was selected for this prestigious honor by the Hall of Fame selection committee and the Foundation's Awards Committee.
While featured in USA Today (May 9, 2000) and showcased in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" (May 22, 2000) for her stellar accomplishments, Wright has been recently featured in two books -- She Can Coach! and Celebrating Women Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary.
A highly sought after public speaker who is nationally and internationally renowned as well as published author, Wright is only the third head coach of the Bulldogs' softball program and is the winningest coach overall at Fresno State. In the fall of 2001, Wright was honored by the California National Organization for Women for her tireless work and for her being instrumental in the advancement of women in the state of California. In addition, Wright was picked as a support runner for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay.
In the fall of 2000, Wright was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Hall of Fame. In the fall of 1999, she was inducted into the Illinois ASA Hall of Fame and the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. She was also recognized by the National Women's Political Caucus of Fresno County with the "Promises to Keep Award." In addition, Wright was honored by the United States Olympic Committee as the 1998 USOC National Coach of the Year in Softball. Personally inducted as a pitcher in 1979, she was again inducted into Illinois State University's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 as part of the 1973 ISU national runner-up team at the AIAW College World Series.
On the international level, Wright led the USA National Team to a gold medal as the head coach at the 1998 ISF World Championship. Team USA captured an unprecedented fourth world title in Fujinomiya City, Japan.
Prior to snagging gold in Japan, Wright took her coaching talents to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games where she served as an assistant coach who was responsible for the pitchers/catchers. Wright helped the first-ever United States' Olympic Softball Team capture the gold medal in the inaugural year of softball as a medal sport.
All under her tutelage and boasting the most representatives by any college or university, five Bulldogs joined Wright on the 1996 USA Olympic Softball Team and another represented Fresno State on the Puerto Rico team: Laura Berg, Kim Maher, Martha Noffsinger, Julie Smith and Shelly Stokes on Team USA, and Lisa Mize pitched for Team Puerto Rico. On the 2000 USA Softball Olympic gold medal team, three more Bulldogs were members of the USA Women's National Team with Berg knocking in the winning run and Stokes and Amanda Scott serving as alternates. For the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, two former Bulldogs captured gold (Berg and Lovie Jung) while Vanessa Czarnecki, a member of the Greece Olympic Softball Team, made history as part of the first Greek National Team.
With coaching honors stretching well beyond the city limits of Fresno, Wright had one of her busiest summers ever in 1995. Wright was named to the USA Olympic Softball Team as an assistant coach for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In her first official role as an Olympic coach, she helped the USA National Team to a gold medal at the Superball Classic '95 in Columbus, Ga. Prior to her Olympic announcement, Wright directed the USA Junior National Team to its second world title - only its second international championship title - in Normal, Ill.
In the summer of 1994, Wright helped coach the USA National Team to its third consecutive World Championship title in Newfoundland, Canada as well as directing the North squad to a silver medal at the '94 US Olympic Sports Festival. In 1993, Wright was selected as one of eight national team coaches for the quadriennium leading up to the 1996 Olympic Games.
Stretching beyond the U.S. borders, Wright served as an assistant coach of the 1991 USA Pan American gold-medal team. Wright also has served as a coaching consultant for three years for the Netherlands Antilles fastpitch team for men and women in both the Latin American and Pan American Games.
In August of 1989, Wright became the first softball coach to represent the United States Information Agency (USIA) in Czechoslovakia. Traveling to a communist country as a clinician, she conducted clinics in several cities for a variety of teams, including the country's national team.
Serving on the Babe Ruth Advisory Board and a master instructor for the NFCA Masters in Coaching Program, Wright served as a National Governing Body assistant at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival and continues to be heavily involved in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. From 1987-90, she served on the All-American Selection Committee, and in 1991 she served on the Wilson Sporting Goods Advisory Board.
Originally from Warrensburg, Ill., Wright is a 1974 graduate of Illinois State University, where she was a four-year letterwinner in softball and basketball as well as a three-year letterwinner in field hockey. As a junior, she guided the Redbirds to a second-place finish at the softball nationals and that team was inducted into Illinois State's Athletic Hall of Fame in September 1998. Upon graduation from ISU, she accepted the head softball coaching duties at Metamora (Ill.) High School, while taking on the head coaching duties in volleyball, track, basketball, and bowling. In 1975, the Amateur Softball Association also named her second team All-American. Wright then became an assistant softball coach and the head volleyball coach at Eastern Illinois University while teaching physical education.
Inducted into the Decatur Athletic Council Hall of Fame in 1997 and into Illinois State's Athletic Hall of Fame as a player (1979), Wright has played 34 years of softball, including 30 years in the ASA Major Women's Open Division and three years in the Women's Professional Softball League (1977-79). Wright pitched for the St. Louis Hummers (WPSL) and was selected as the 1977 International Pro Softball Association's Rookie of the Year.
Wright's Accolades
2006 WAC championship; recorded 1,200th career victory; led program to 25th straight NCAA Tournament appearance
2005 WAC championship; WAC Coach of the Year; led program to 24th straight NCAA postseason appearance
2004 WAC championship; 1,100th career victory
2003 Tallied 900th school win
2002 Winters Olympic Support Runner; WAC championship; First softball coach in NCAA Division I history to notch 1,000 Division I wins; 24th NCAA Division I head coach, regardless of sport, to post 1,000 Division I wins
2001 WAC championship WAC Coach of the Year Honored by CANOW Babe Ruth Advisory Board
2000 WAC championship NFCA Hall of Fame NCAA all-time winningest coach
1999 Fifth place at Women's College World Series; NCAA regional title; WAC championship; WAC tournament title; WAC Co-Coach of the Year West Region Coach of the Year Illinois ASA Hall of Fame Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame "Promises to Keep Award" National Women's Political Caucus of Fresno County
1998 NCAA Champions - Women's College World Series NCAA regional title WAC championship NFCA/Speedline National Coach of the Year West Region Coach of the Year WAC Coach of the Year USOC National Coach of the Year in Softball USA Softball head coach at ISF World Championship - gold medal Finalist for USA National Team head coach for 2000 Olympics 1973 Illinois State softball team inducted into ISU's Athletic Hall of Fame Top 10 Business Women of Fresno
1997 Third place at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title Inducted into Decatur (Ill.) Athletic Hall of Fame
1996 West Region Coach of the Year WAC Coach of the Year WAC Championship USA Olympic Assistant Softball Coach - gold medal
1995 USA Junior National Team Head Coach - gold medal USA National Team Assistant Coach at Superball Classic - gold medal USA Softball co-head coach for East Team at U.S. Olympic Festival
1994 Fifth place at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title USA National Team Assistant Coach at ISF World Championship - gold medal USA Softball head coach for North Team at U.S. Olympic Festival
1993 USA Softball head coach for West Team at U.S. Olympic Festival Selected as one of eight USA Softball National Team Coaches for the 1996 Quadrinium
1992 Third place at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title Big West Conference Championship
1991 Third place at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title Big West Conference Championship USA Team Assistant Coach at Pan American Games - gold medal
1990 National runner-up at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title West Region Coach of the Year Big West Coach of the Year Big West Conference Championship
1989 National runner-up at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title Big West Conference Championship First softball coach to represent USIA in Czechoslovakia as a clinician
1988 National runner-up at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title West Region Coach of the Year PCAA Coach of the Year PCAA Championship
1987 Fifth place at Women's College World Series NCAA regional title West Region Coach of the Year PCAA Coach of the Year PCAA Championship International consultant for Latin American and Pan American Games National Governing Body Assistant at U.S. Olympic Festival
1986 Northwest Region Coach of the Year NorPac Coach of the Year NorPac Championship International consultant for Latin American and Pan American Games
