Char Morett-Curtiss’ Legacy
Legendary coach at Penn State retires after 36 seasons at the helm. Charlene Morett-Curtiss leaves behind a program that was a perennial contender and fresh off a run to the Final Four.
After 575 wins, Morett-Curtiss is stepping away from the game of field hockey. The seven-time Big Ten coach of the year leaves an enormous impact on Penn State athletics as she coached 43 NFHCA first team All-Americans.
Morett-Curtiss is the face of the Penn State field hockey program, and retires as the fifth-most winnest coach in Division 1 field hockey history. In 2011, Morett-Curtiss was inducted into the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.
Char was not only a remarkable head coach, but is considered one of the better players to ever lace them up for Penn State. Morett-Curtiss started her journey at Penn State as a student. She played for the Nittany Lions from 1971- 1975, and was a three time first time All-American.
The Blue and White has had a ton of success with Morett-Curtiss in charge, but were never able to secure that elusive National Championship. The Nittany Lions went to the NCAA tournament 28 times during her tenure and won seven Big Ten championships.
Prior to Morret-Curtiss’ arrival in 1987, the Nittany Lions only made the NCAA tournament five times. When the Darby, Pennsylvania native, took over from her former coach Gillian Rattray, Morett-Curtiss took the program to new heights and made them a constant contender.
Morett-Curtiss leaves after one of her most successful seasons at Penn State. The 2022 Penn State field hockey team finished with a 17-4 record and came up just short in the Final Four to the eventual National Champions, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
With Morett-Curtiss now leaving the program, but staying in an advisor role with athletics, Lisa Bervinchak Love takes over as the new head coach.
Bervinchak Love is being promoted from the assistant head coaching position, and is the sixth coach in program history.Like Morett-Curtiss, Bervinchak Love is a former player and has been a part of the program for an extended period of time
Coaches like Morett-Cutiss did not only demand excellence on the field, but also in the classroom. She helped build the Penn State brand. Her impact will be felt for years to come as Penn State next year will usher in a new field hockey complex.
Morett-Curtiss’ teams always had an identity. They played clean field hockey and rarely turned the ball over. The Blue and White always had a sense of professionalism when Morett-Curitts was on the sidelines.
With both Russ Rose and Morett-Curtiss leaving Penn State head coaching positions within two years, there is a changing of the guard happening in Happy Valley. The icons that shaped Penn State athletics are passing the baton to the next generation.
Aidan Torok is a third-year majoring in telecommunications and minoring in broadcast journalism and political science. To contact him, email ajt6051@psu.edu.
