Frostburg State University director of athletics Troy A. Dell has announced that Catherine "Cathy" Parson has been selected from a national search as the school’s head women’s basketball coach. Parson becomes the fourth head coach in the 50-year history of the women’s basketball team.
Parson returns to coaching after serving as the facility director for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission since 2009. She is currently pursuing her doctorate through Morgan State University.
"I am elated to return to the game I love," said Parson. "It will be a request granted to be at the helm of the Frostburg State Bobcats. I so look forward to building excellence."
Parson brings a vast coaching background to Frostburg that includes stops at Howard (2000-08), Richmond (1999-00), Providence (1985-88) and Christopher Newport (1988-98). In 1998, Parson also served as the interim head coach for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.
At Howard, Parson served as head coach and led the team to a pair of regular season Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships (2000 & 2001) and one tournament championship (2001). She was named the league’s Coach of the Year following both regular season titles and led the team to 129 wins in her eight seasons.
Parson served as the associate head coach at Richmond for the 1999-00 season, helping the squad to 12 wins and a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
In 1998, Parson left the college game for an opportunity in the professional ranks as she served as the interim head coach for the inaugural Washington Mystics team. While with the team, she scouted and prepared for games, served as the public relations liaison and participated in community outreach programs. She guided the Mystics to wins over Utah, Detroit and Los Angeles in their first season.
Parson received her first head coaching job at NCAA Division III Christopher Newport from 1988-98. She guided the Captains to 183 wins during her tenure, was twice named the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and she led CNU to six NCAA Tournaments with one Sweet 16 appearance.
She first joined the collegiate coaching ranks in 1985 as an assistant coach with Providence College. She assisted the team for three years (1985-88), helping the Friars to three Big East Tournament and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Parson earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from West Virginia University in 1984 and her master’s degree in adult education and training from the University of Phoenix in 2010.
She was a record-setting basketball player for WVU from 1979-83. She was the first woman to earn a scholarship in athletics at WVU and is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,128 points. She was selected as the team’s MVP three times, named an AIAW All-American and is WVU’s first women’s basketball player to have her jersey number retired.
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