Charlene Frances "Char" Morett-Curtiss (born December 5, 1957) is a

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

coach, and former player from the United States. She was a member of the Women's National Team that won the bronze medal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Playing career

Morett attended Lansdowne-Aldan High School, before applying to

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

to study physical education. A member of the Nittany Lions field hockey team under coach Gillian Rattray, she became the all-time leading scorer with 50 goals – a record which remained for 21 years. She is the only player from the program to have been selected three times for the

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

first team. Morett was also a member of the

United States women's national field hockey team The United States women's national field hockey team represents the United States in international field hockey. The team is currently coached by David Passmore. It made its first international appearance in 1920 when a touring team visited En ...

for the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

. Unable to compete in 1980 due to the US boycott of the Moscow games, she won a bronze medal with the team four years later in Los Angeles.

Honors

She was inducted into the

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

in 2011. As consolation for the 1980 boycott, she was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

many years later. Morett has twice been inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame, individually in 1989 and as part of the 1984 Olympic team in 2014.

Coaching career

After graduating in 1979, Morett became an assistant field hockey coach at

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

under coach Beth Anders. In 1984, she took up the position of head coach at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

. Morett returned to Pennsylvania State in 1987, succeeding her retiring former coach. She has since become the longest serving field hockey coach at the college, winning a total of nine conference titles – two in the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

and seven in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

. She retired in 2023 upon completing a 17-4 record in 2022 and advancing to the national semifinals.

References

* https://gopsusports.com/news/2023/2/15/legendary-penn-state-field-hockey-head-coach-char-morett-curtiss-announces-retirement.aspx

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morett, Charlene 1957 births Living people American female field hockey players Penn State Nittany Lions field hockey players Field hockey players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in field hockey Place of birth missing (living people) Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Old Dominion Monarchs field hockey coaches Boston College Eagles field hockey coaches Penn State Nittany Lions field hockey coaches Congressional Gold Medal recipients 20th-century American sportswomen

Playing career

Honors

Coaching career

See also

References

External links