Rattray, Gillian

Head Coach: Penn State
Elected: 2005

Biography:
Gillian Rattray helped Penn State win three straight national championships and compiled a record of 134-19-3 over 11 seasons as head coach. Fifteen of her players were US Lacrosse All-Americans, 11 were named to Brine/IWLCA All-America teams and 12 were members of international touring teams. She chaired the committee that helped create a team tournament for college athletes under the auspices of the USWLA. She helped lift the national profile of women's college lacrosse by winning the first three USWLA College Division National Championships (1978, 1979, 1980). In 1981, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) accepted women's lacrosse under its umbrella. She again helped focus attention on the sport by directing and hosting all three division championships in the first AIAW tournament at Penn State. With the demise of the AIAW, sponsorship became a part of the NCAA and Rattray's teams continued to enjoy national prominence with semifinal appearances in 1983 and 1985. Rattray’s teams were phenomenally successful during her career. She built a 20-game winning streak between 1978 and 1980 and qualified for six final fours. She coached 78 home games in Happy Valley and her teams were 69-8-1 in those games. She was twice been featured in Sports Illustrated and gained recognition from the Guiness Book of World Records as the first coach to win two national championships in separate sports in the same year. She has duplicated that feat with two hall of fame elections in 2005, having been inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame in January.

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