BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- At age 9, Terri McMahan rode her bike to Forest Crest Elementary School in Mountlake Terrace nearly every night during the spring and summer to watch the boys in her class play Little League baseball.

"I remember what it looked like, what it smelled like, what it tasted like," she said. "I remember straddling my bike, resting my arms on the handlebars, and watching every inning of every game."

"I remember playing pick-up games with those same boys. But when it came time to go to organized practices, put on team uniforms, travel to games and compete for championships, I was not welcome. There were no team sports for girls."

In the mid-1960s, opportunities for women in athletics and other activities were not even close to those for men.

In 1972, Title IX, the federal policy that protects against gender-based discrimination, was signed into law. That same year McMahan graduated from Mountlake Terrace High School and began attending Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University).

During her life, McMahan experienced, advocated for and helped others benefit from the changes made by Title IX as an athlete, coach, and administrator. While those changes seemed agonizingly slow as they were happening, they are nonetheless mind blowing after nearly 50 years.

In the early 1970s, McMahan was a top player on the Western women's volleyball team, which had only recently gained varsity status. She went on to achieve state high school hall of fame honors both as a coach (2009) and as a director of athletics (2016).

While possessing a low-key demeanor, McMahan was an intense competitor, hard worker and tough-minded leader.


Celebrating 40 years of Title IX at 2012 Seattle Storm game

Opportunities Slim In The Beginning

When McMahan entered Mountlake Terrace High in 1969, girls could play just tennis, followed by volleyball, in shortened back-to-back seasons that ended by mid-December. No other sports were offered until track and field in the spring, then the only girls activity that culminated with a state championship.

Girls wishing to play basketball had to take part in a league sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation. It was there for the first time they got an opportunity to play 5-on-5 basketball.
While at Mountlake Terrace High, McMahan was mentored by Margaret King, a fierce advocate for girls in sports. In those days, the female physical education instructor also coached all of the girls' sports. And that was what King did, directing tennis, volleyball and track and field.

McMahan says it was an incredibly fortunate circumstance to be around someone like King who had a vision for what girls could do, where they could be and, most importantly, where they should be.

Maggie Helped Pave The Way

"It was a much different world then," said McMahan. "I consider her (King) to have been 10 to 15 years ahead of her time. She was one of those people that you see in any kind of movement. She's out there, out front, making people uncomfortable, knocking down doors on behalf of all the people coming behind her."

"I owe her a great deal for instilling confidence and work ethic. She taught us what it meant to serve as an example to younger players, how to respond to mistakes, and how important it is to get up after being knocked down. She also stressed how important it is to remain humble with one's accomplishments. She was the first person to teach me about strategy and the importance of mental attitude and toughness relative to competition."


Terri McMahan and Margaret King

Decision To Become A Viking

How did McMahan end up attending Western?

It began with a letter she wrote in the ninth grade and sent to every public university in the state of Washington. In it, she asked what athletic opportunities there were for women and what the education program was for women wishing to become teachers and coaches.

She got only one personal response that covered each of her queries, and that was from Margaret Aitken, the chair of the Western women's physical education department.

"My connection to Western started with that letter," McMahan said. "I knew from then on that I wanted to play sports and that I wanted to teach and coach."

McMahan, who often could be seen in the hallways of Carver Gymnasium wearing a 'Dig Volleyball' T-shirt, was a setter on the Vikings' volleyball team when the program was just getting started. She was team captain as a junior and senior. McMahan also competed in tennis as a singles and doubles player.

Former Western Director of Athletics Lynda Goodrich, an icon as a coach and administrator for the Vikings, was McMahan's coach during her first three years in volleyball. 

"She was very competitive, worked as hard in practice as she did in matches and was a natural team leader," said Goodrich of McMahan.


1975 WWU Volleyball Team
Front Row (L-R):  Keri Worley, Anne Fisher, Charlene Strack, Sue Stearns and Marlee Nelson.
Back Row: Coach Rich Huntoon, Terri McMahan, Cheryl Hunt, Carolyn Price, Naomi Sakai, Patti Davies.

Personally responsible for every cent of her college education, McMahan depended on loans and jobs working in the athletics equipment cage and sweeping the tennis courts.

As a sophomore, she got a job as a resident aide at Mathes Hall, which handled her room and board. But a year later the position was paid just an hourly wage, forcing her to leave the job and the dorm. That made for a very difficult time in her life.

At one point, McMahan slept on the floor of a house that had four other Western student-athletes until the landlord found out. And another time, she remembers talking to Goodrich, who told her how to apply for an emergency loan so that she would not have to drop out of school.

$50 That Changed Her Life

One day in early April of 1974, McMahan was hitting tennis balls against the wall in Carver Gym when she noticed Wendie Harper leaning over the balcony. Harper had graduated the previous spring after being the Vikings' No. 1 tennis player for two years. She was on spring break from her first teaching job and had come back for a visit.

"Wendie came downstairs to talk and noticed the condition of my shoes," said McMahan. "They had no tread and the leather on top no longer attached to the sole. In other words, my feet were hanging out. I was a varsity tennis player who could not afford a pair of shoes. I'd already played about six matches in March and that's the way it was. It wasn't something I gave much thought to, but it struck a chord with Wendie. She asked me about life in general, whether I was making it or not, talked tennis with me for a while, told me about her teaching job and then gave me a check for $50 to buy a new pair of shoes. This was when you could buy a pair of shoes for $50! I was vehement in my resistance. I did not think it would be right to take her money to solve my issue."

"Her response was, 'I want to do this. It makes me feel good to do this and I know that when you have a chance to give back, you will do the same.'

"Wendie was right. I have purchased more than a few pair of shoes for athletes, picked up more than a few summer camp entry fees and contributed to a number of student-athlete scholarships over the years."

McMahan Prepared By "Dream Team" Of Professors

At Western, McMahan benefited from what she termed a "Dream Team" of professors that included Margaret Aitken, Chappelle Arnett, Roy Clumpner, Alta Hansen and Ralph Vernacchia. Arnett was particularly helpful.

"What an era of change we women in athletics lived through," McMahan said. "To have women like Chappelle and Margaret serve as living examples of long-deserved change within the department, while leading and instructing us through such new and exciting territory. That was something very special for students like me who were able to go on and assume leadership positions in athletics, positions we had not seen women hold while growing up."

"The summer before my senior year, Chappelle taught a one-week, 20-hour workshop on Title IX that was one of the most engaging sessions of my college years. She had a vision for future possibilities not only for playing and coaching sports but also for women in school and athletics administration, a future I could not imagine in my early 20s. Her influence turned out to be a defining moment in my life given my eventual career path.  

"Chappelle provided constant encouragement and convinced me that taking administrative courses and getting a principal's credential would provide the training and certification needed to pursue those opportunities when they came along. She was right!"

First Coaching Experiences

In the fall of 1976, McMahan coached the Everett Community College volleyball team to a 19-8 record before student teaching at Cascade High School in Everett during winter and spring quarters.

"At 21 years of age, I was shocked that they hired me," she said, "but a friend of mine, who coached basketball there, had recommended me and I think they may have been desperate!"

After graduating from Western in June of 1977 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and a coaching minor, McMahan directed Edmonds Community College to a 33-4 record and third place in the NWAC Northwest Region while working in a federally funded math resource room position at Mountlake Terrace High.

In 1978, McMahan was hired as a teacher and coach at Ferndale High School, 10 miles north of Western's campus.

Making the hire was assistant principal Dan Farrell. He had previously been at Sammamish High School, then far ahead of the curve relative to girls' sports programs. There he had worked with Cathy Benedetto, one of the historic women athletes and coaches of the period.

"How fortunate it was that I received a better look because of Cathy's influence on an assistant principal at Ferndale who went on to be an advocate for women's programs," said McMahan.

"He told me right off that he was committed to building a girls' sports program which was music to my ears. I believe having played at Western followed by two years of community college coaching gave me the edge for the job."

At Ferndale, McMahan coached volleyball from 1978 to 1992, transforming a program that had not won a match for two years into a Class 2A state champion in 1986 that finished a perfect 27-0.

Her Golden Eagles won five Northwest District One titles, nine Northwest League (NWL) championships and had an 85-match NWL winning streak from 1985 to 1990.


McMahan coaching at Ferndale High School

In 1987, McMahan was named Washington State Volleyball Coach of the Year and the Whatcom County Sports Awards Coach of the Year. Six times she received NWL Volleyball Coach of the Year honors.

At Ferndale, McMahan also coached softball for 13 years (1980-88, 1990-93), winning a league title and twice placing at state.

What many don't know is that McMahan was seriously thinking of leaving Ferndale after only her second year there. She was not happy with how things were going both as a teacher and as a coach.

Fortunately for all involved, it was at that time she read an article in The Washington Coach, a magazine published by the Washington State Coaches Association, titled, "You Can Bloom Where You Are Planted," by George Carberry Jr., a school district administrator at Marysville.

"It was about people who constantly look over the fence at greener pastures," said McMahan. "It hit me right between the eyes, stating that you need to buckle down so that you are part of the solution and not part of the problem. Basically it was a callout to get my act together and quit thinking I was so great. It was telling me to get busy and put my energy towards helping these kids get better, helping the faculty get better and helping the school get better."

"I was very fortunate to be working with a good group of young teachers and coaches. I learned first-hand that a committed group of people working toward a common goal can do great things. Five years later we were a national school of excellence. And one of the great influences in my life was by a guy I never met."

From Coach To Administrator

McMahan coached and taught at Ferndale for 15 years before being named the school's athletic director in 1993. In doing so, she became the first woman in that capacity north of Seattle.

When McMahan decided to step down from coaching, it was originally to recharge from her hectic schedule. That didn't last long.

"I was going to see what it was like to go home after school and not work camps, tournaments and clinics in the summer," she said. "That did not work out because I took the AD job over the summer. I also finished up a principal's credential and internship over the next couple of years while thinking about administrative possibilities. I loved teaching and coaching, but I began to think about trying something new versus staying in the same place for 30 years."

"To sum it up, I would say I loved my time at Ferndale but felt I would have more opportunity to be creative and implement a larger-scale vision in a multi-high school district."

McMahan Leaves For Edmonds

McMahan decided to try for the Edmonds School District Director of Athletics job and was successful.

"I felt very fortunate to get the Edmonds position because my observation was that central office athletics administrative jobs are like Supreme Court appointments," said McMahan. "There aren't very many and people stay for a long time!"

In 1997, she began a tenure that lasted 11 years, taking over for another Western graduate, Kim Wilson.

"I was able to jump into a system that was in great shape," said McMahan. "And I had the opportunity because of the foundation that Kim built, to grow it even more."
"Nobody does anything well without standing on a lot of shoulders and I think Kim had a lot of people stand on his shoulders."

McMahan Steps Down, Returns Two Years Later

In December of 2007, McMahan went on leave for the rest of the year and officially left Edmonds at the end of her contract on June 30, 2008. She made the decision because Betty Young, her life partner of 31 years and herself a pioneer in educating young women for careers in male-dominated trades, was terminally ill.

"While I do not wave a flag, I also do not hide who I am," McMahan said. "That took a long time, of course, having pretty much lived a double life while at Ferndale. But things are much different today than they were when I began teaching in 1978."

"I learned over the years that it is hard to hate someone whose story you know and I needed to be more forthright with mine. There were people in my life both at work and in my life outside of work who gave me the confidence to be who I am and for that I am grateful."

Two years later, McMahan accepted the Director of Athletics position with Highline Public Schools where the athletics program, league and district were thought to be among the worst in the state.

"There were significant issues," said McMahan, "but the school board and the superintendent were on record as saying they were going to work towards fixing the program and treating athletics like it should be treated."

That the position offered a challenge made it even more appealing to McMahan, and the success realized even more rewarding.

Following seven years (2010-17) of improving the program, McMahan opted to retire.


Honoring 2017 Highline Public School Scholar-Athletes

Accomplishments Galore

McMahan's 22-year career in athletic administration was one of vision, transformation and success, including unique and innovative projects beyond the normal AD job description.

At all three of her positions, she started sports medicine/athletic training programs, establishing student athletic training programs at Edmonds and Highline. She also began district wide strength and conditioning programs with a creative pilot project at Lynnwood High School drawing accolades through a feature layout in Bigger Faster Stronger, a national magazine.

She revived and revamped failing middle school sports programs at Edmonds and Highline by convincing superintendents and school boards to approve comprehensive proposals at a time when programs around the state were being reduced or cut.

McMahan established scholar-athlete, coach and community recognition programs at Edmonds and Highline that currently have garnered nearly one million dollars in scholarship awards.

She volunteered to serve as project manager for multiple FieldTurf conversions in the Edmonds School District while concurrently establishing municipal and youth sport funding partners that yielded hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital partnership funds. She also successfully advocated for two FieldTurf conversion projects in the Highline District.

Most notably, McMahan has served as a mentor to girls and women throughout her career in addition to being known as a mentor to male and female athletic directors and coaches.
"I've been able to surround myself with good people," said McMahan of those accomplishments. "I love building things from scratch, love being on a team and I've had all of those opportunities over the years and I value them greatly."

Honors And Summation

McMahan assumed leadership roles in each league and WIAA District she served including a stint on the WIAA Executive Board.

Besides Hall of Fame honors, her professional awards as an athletics administrator include National Association of Sport and Physical Education Northwest Region AD of the Year in 2009, Washington State AD of the Year in 2008, WIAA District Three AD of the Year and South Puget Sound League AD of the Year in 2015, Seamount League AD of the Year in 2012, WIAA District One AD and Western Conference AD of the Year in 2003 and 2008, Washington State Athletic Administrators Outstanding Service Award in 2002 and the WIAA District One Elmer Clarkson Award in 2001.

"It has been my honor to be an educator," McMahan said. "All I ever wanted to do was teach and coach. To have lived through the historic strides realized for women's sports along the way has been an indelible experience. There is little doubt in my mind that I would not have become a director of athletics had it not been for the monumental shift realized over the past 40-plus years. I owe a great deal to the courage and resilience of the women who paved the way as well as the men who understood equity and supported those of us who sought careers in athletics and athletics administration."

Written by Paul Madison who served 48 years as sports information director at WWU from 1966 to 2015. He is now in his fourth year as the school's Athletics Historian.