Mary Lou Mulflur To Retire After 2024-25 Season
September 06, 2024 | Women's Golf
Mary Lou Mulflur, who has been a part of the Washington women's golf team for nearly five decades, announced today that the 2024-25 season, her 42nd as the program's head coach will be her last. She will retire at the conclusion of the coming season.
Mulflur, who was among the first golfers ever to earn a scholarship at Washington and who earned four letters as a Husky, took over the program in 1983, two years after the retirement of her coach and mentor Edean Ihlenfeldt, who founded the program in 1974.
"Mary Lou is synonymous with Washington women's golf, and has been a key member of this athletic department for decades," said Pat Chun, UW Director of Athletics. "Her contributions to UW Athletics will long be remembered. On behalf of everyone in the department, we wish her a long and enjoyable retirement, and congratulate and thank her for everything she's done for the Huskies."
In her lengthy résumé as a golfer and coach, the Huskies' 2016 NCAA Championship stands out as the highlight of Mulflur's long tenure at Washington. That year, after finishing fourth in stroke play, Washington beat Virginia, UCLA and Stanford to earn the program's first national title.
"It is with profound gratitude that I announce my retirement from the University of Washington at the conclusion of the 2024-25 academic year," Mulflur said. "I have been so incredibly fortunate to have competed for Washington and to have been the head coach since December 1, 1983.
"But this day is not about me, "she continued. "It is about this amazing institution and more importantly, the incredible student-athletes that represent Washington every day. The young women that I have had the privilege of being around during my career have given me so much more than I could ever give them. Yes, winning the 2016 National Championship is certainly the highlight of my career. However, the relationships that I have established, and still maintain, over all this time is what I will treasure the most. Watching those student-athletes grow into women with families and children is so incredibly gratifying and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything. Go Dawgs!"
In her 41 seasons at UW to date, Mulflur's teams have earned an NCAA Tournament berth all but once, and have advanced to the finals 14 times. She was named national coach of the year in both 2015 and 2016, and earned Pac-10/Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times.
Mulflur, who was inducted into Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Hall of Fame in 2013, grew up in Portland, Ore., where her father was the sports editor of a newspaper. After leading Grant High School to the state title – twice earning the state's individual medalist honors – she came to UW for college. She's also been inducted to both the Grant High School and the Portland Interscholastic League Halls of Fame.
At Washington, she won three individual tournament championships, and continued to play in both pro and amateur events long after her college career ended. Mulflur earned the NCGA Founders Award for her service to the sport, in 2010, and has played a number of roles in the WGCA and the NCAA. She was also on the advisory board for the longtime local LPGA event in Seattle, the SAFECO Classic.
Currently the UW athletic department's longest-tenured employee, Mulflur will coach the Huskies through the end of the 2024-25 season before retiring. Washington begins the 2024-25 season Sept. 16-17, at the Leadership & Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash.
Mulflur, who was among the first golfers ever to earn a scholarship at Washington and who earned four letters as a Husky, took over the program in 1983, two years after the retirement of her coach and mentor Edean Ihlenfeldt, who founded the program in 1974.
"Mary Lou is synonymous with Washington women's golf, and has been a key member of this athletic department for decades," said Pat Chun, UW Director of Athletics. "Her contributions to UW Athletics will long be remembered. On behalf of everyone in the department, we wish her a long and enjoyable retirement, and congratulate and thank her for everything she's done for the Huskies."
In her lengthy résumé as a golfer and coach, the Huskies' 2016 NCAA Championship stands out as the highlight of Mulflur's long tenure at Washington. That year, after finishing fourth in stroke play, Washington beat Virginia, UCLA and Stanford to earn the program's first national title.
"It is with profound gratitude that I announce my retirement from the University of Washington at the conclusion of the 2024-25 academic year," Mulflur said. "I have been so incredibly fortunate to have competed for Washington and to have been the head coach since December 1, 1983.
"But this day is not about me, "she continued. "It is about this amazing institution and more importantly, the incredible student-athletes that represent Washington every day. The young women that I have had the privilege of being around during my career have given me so much more than I could ever give them. Yes, winning the 2016 National Championship is certainly the highlight of my career. However, the relationships that I have established, and still maintain, over all this time is what I will treasure the most. Watching those student-athletes grow into women with families and children is so incredibly gratifying and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything. Go Dawgs!"
In her 41 seasons at UW to date, Mulflur's teams have earned an NCAA Tournament berth all but once, and have advanced to the finals 14 times. She was named national coach of the year in both 2015 and 2016, and earned Pac-10/Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times.
Mulflur, who was inducted into Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Hall of Fame in 2013, grew up in Portland, Ore., where her father was the sports editor of a newspaper. After leading Grant High School to the state title – twice earning the state's individual medalist honors – she came to UW for college. She's also been inducted to both the Grant High School and the Portland Interscholastic League Halls of Fame.
At Washington, she won three individual tournament championships, and continued to play in both pro and amateur events long after her college career ended. Mulflur earned the NCGA Founders Award for her service to the sport, in 2010, and has played a number of roles in the WGCA and the NCAA. She was also on the advisory board for the longtime local LPGA event in Seattle, the SAFECO Classic.
Currently the UW athletic department's longest-tenured employee, Mulflur will coach the Huskies through the end of the 2024-25 season before retiring. Washington begins the 2024-25 season Sept. 16-17, at the Leadership & Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash.
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