Rene Portland, who as the coach of the Penn State women’s basketball team for 27 seasons won more than 600 games but was accused of discriminating against lesbian players, died on Sunday in Tannersville, Pa. She was 65.
Her death was confirmed by the D’Anjolell Memorial Home in Broomall, Pa. She had recently received a diagnosis of peritoneal cancer.
Portland, who won three national championships as a star player at Immaculata College (now University) in the mid-1970s, was hired to coach the Penn State Lady Lions in 1980 after successful stints as the coach at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and the University of Colorado.