Margaret "Gie" Parsons, who is in her 21st year at Clarion and her 29th overall, has vaulted the basketball program into national prominence during her tenure.
In 20 years, Parsons, who this past season won her 400th career game and her 300th game at Clarion, has a 300-254 (54.2 percent) record at Clarion and a 410-327 (55.6 percent) career mark in 28 years as a head coach. She coached her 500th game at Clarion in 2008 and led the Eagles to an 18-9 overall record and an 8-4 PSAC-West mark while being named PSAC-West "Coach of the Year" for the fourth time in her career (1991, '92, 2005) that season. She then guided Clarion to its 11th PSAC Playoff berth in 2009 while leading a young Golden Eagle team to a 12-16 overall mark that included wins in three of their final four regular-season contests.
The Russell Athletic/WBCA Region 2 "Coach of the Year" in 2005 after guiding Clarion to the NCAA D-II playoffs with a 23-7 overall mark a 10-2 PSAC-West record, Parsons was also the Converse District 2 "Coach of the Year" in 1991.
"Gie" led the Eagles on an unbelievable 5-year ride from 1991-95 that included a 117-33 (78%) overall mark, a 50-10 (83.3%) PSAC-West record, five straight PSAC-West crowns, three PSAC titles (1994, 93, 91), two East Region tiles (1994, 91), two trips to the NCAA D-II "Elite 8" and a No. 2 ranking in D-II in 1993-94.
Top years include 26-4 in 1994, 24-6 in 1993, 25-4 in 1992, 24-8 in 1991 and 23-7 in 2005. She has served on the WBCA Board of Directors since 2004 and was the 2008-09 national NCAA Division II Chair for Conference Captains.
Parsons came to Clarion from Thiel College where she turned a losing program into annual winners. In her third year she led her 1984 team to an 18-6 slate, then a 22-2 mark, the PAC and WKC Conference titles in 1985.Named PAC "Coach of the Year" in 1985, "Gie" led Thiel back to the PAC Title in '86 and was again voted "Coach of the Year." Her `87 squad was 18-6 and ranked 19th in D-III. In `88, Thiel won the PAC and qualified for the D-III Playoffs with a 19-4 record, again voted PAC "Coach of the Year."She was 110-73 in 8 years at Thiel, including an amazing 97-46 mark her final six seasons. In Feb. 2007, Gie was inducted into the Thiel College Athletic Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as head coach.
A native of Monroeville, Pa., she graduated from Gateway High in 1967 and was a player/coach her senior year. Parsons attended Slippery Rock University and played for two seasons. Earning her B.S. Degree in HPE in 1971, she taught at Lakeview High and coached from 1971-74 then went to Australia and taught and coached at Doveton Technical School from 1975-77.She also spent three years (1977-80) teaching and coaching in New Zealand. Playing internationally those six years, she was a starter for the New Zealand Club Championship teams from 1977-79.
In 1980-81 she returned to SRU as a women's basketball G.A., went to Thiel in 1981-82, and was hired at Clarion on August 18, 1989. Parsons has extensive contacts in basketball and has traveled to at least 48 states in the U.S., plus internationally.
|
