Sliding Into History: The Legacy of USU Women's Softball Champions 1980 – 1981: USU Softball Players

With regards to the National Championship teams at USU, many players have changed the game for Women athletes in Cache Valley Utah, as well as nation-wide. Fern Gardner and Mary Lou Ramm were 2 influential athletes and/or coaches that benefitted the women’s athletics picture at Utah State. Fern Gardner was a 4-sport athlete at Utah State, and went on to play pitcher for the Utah Shamrocks, and play basketball for the Utah Lakers. She returned to Utah State and became a coach for basketball, softball, and volleyball. While attending USU, Gardner was the president of the Women’s Intramural Association, and received the Outstanding Physical Education award. While coaching at USU, she led the women’s basketball team to four straight regional titles as well as four straight trips to the Associated Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Championships from 1972-1975. She accumulated a record of 144-33 while coaching at USU. The bar was set by Fern Gardner and proved to the sports world that Utah State has what it takes to win at the highest level. They won at this level because of Mary Lou Ramm. Mary Lou Ramm was a pitcher for the two National Championship teams at USU in ’80-’81. She holds records at USU for complete games, wins, ERA, shutouts, and strikeouts. Not only did she was she named MVP of the championship and a member of the Olympic Sports Festival softball teams in ’86, ’89 and ’91, but she won Olympic Gold in 1990, and is the only woman to have her jersey retired at Utah State. Because of Gardner and Ramm and their example and devoted leadership, the way has been paved for women to make their own marks in women’s sports at USU, the national level, and eventually the international level.

By Ethan Thompson

Newspaper photograph of USU softball player Mary Lou Ramm.