The first head coach of the Michigan State women’s golf program, Mary Fossum, has passed away. She was 93.
Mary McMillin Fossum was the first and only head coach in the history of Spartan women’s golf from 1973 until her retirement in 1997.
Her coaching skills grew out of her own golfing history. As a native of Green Bay, Fossum won the Wisconsin women’s golf championship in 1945, 1946 and 1947. One of the many highlights of her career was her match-play victory over Mildred (Babe) Didrikson-Zaharias in the 1946 Women’s Western Amateur semifinals.
“We have lost one of the Spartan greats. Mary Fossum was our coach, a mentor, a mom, a friend and a pioneer,” said current Spartan women’s golf head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. “Mary helped pave the way for so many women to have experiences and opportunities in golf. She fought hard when Title IX came into effect in the early 1970’s so women could be student-athletes in college.
“Mar gave me the opportunity to be a student-athlete at Michigan State and then the chance to coach next to her and to learn from her. I have always been proud to continue the Spartan tradition of excellence in her honor. She was the first call we made after every Big Ten title, and she wore each of our seven championship rings proudly.”
On twitter, former MSU golfer and current LPGA Tour player Liz Nagel of DeWitt posted this message: “I will miss seeing you wear all of your Big Ten Championship rings on every finger & pull it off like no one else could. Will keep trying to make you proud & cherish being your Mary Fossum Invitation Champion. Thank you for paving the way for Spartan Women Golfers.”
Under Fossum’s guidance, the Spartans won an unprecedented five straight Big Ten titles from 1974-78 and played in six consecutive AIAW National Championships (1973-78). The Spartans regained the conference crown in 1982 and played in the 1982 and 1984 NCAA Championships. They added three Big Ten runners up finishes.
For 17 of her seasons as head coach of the Spartans, Fossum was part of a unique coaching pair as her husband, Bruce, coached the MSU men’s team for 25 seasons before his retirement in 1989. Bruce passed away in March 2014 at the age of 86.
Mary Fossum’s accomplishments led to her recognition as one of the country’s best collegiate golf coaches. She was honored as the first-ever NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1984 and was inducted into the Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988. In January of 1998, Fossum was honored by the College Golf Foundation with the Rolex/Gladys Palmer Meritorious Service Award for outstanding service and contributions to collegiate women’s golf. She was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
In 2007, the Big Ten named its award for the women’s golfer with the lowest stroke-average to par in a season the Mary Fossum Award. In 1999, Michigan State’s annual fall women’s golf tournament was renamed the Mary Fossum Invitational.
“Our hearts are saddened with the loss of Mary Fossum, an icon and legend here at Michigan State and in women’s golf,” MSU men’s golf coach Casey Lubahn said. “Everything our programs have been able to accomplish goes back to the foundation of excellence her and Bruce established while coaching as husband and wife. To this day, our men’s and women’s program operate as one big family – a testament to what they created.
“Mary’s accomplishments are staggering as a player, coach and pioneer in the women’s game. But most importantly, she was the matriarch to the first family of Spartan Golf and to both our programs. The Fossum legacy will forever continue and I feel so honored to continue the traditions they started.”
