The California State University Board of Trustees Committee on Institutional Advancement voted unanimously today to approve Fresno State’s proposal to rename the university’s softball stadium Margie Wright Diamond in honor of the NCAA’s all-time winningest Division I softball coach.
Wright, who led Fresno State to its first-ever team national championship in 1998, was a driving force behind the construction of the 3,288-seat Bulldog Diamond in 1996. Wright spoke at the committee meeting and posed for photos with CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White.
“Margie Wright is a trailblazer and one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of Fresno State,” said University President Joseph I. Castro. “She mentored hundreds of student-athletes during her career, and many became leaders throughout the Central Valley and beyond. The renaming of Bulldog Diamond to Margie Wright Diamond is a well-deserved tribute to her extraordinary service at Fresno State.”
Wright retired in 2012 after amassing 1,294 wins in 27 seasons with the Bulldogs, including 10 Women’s College World Series appearances and 17 conference titles. Overall, she collected 1,457 wins in 33 years during her coaching career.
Wright’s resume also includes a stint as U.S. Olympic coach and National Coach of the Year honors. Under her direction, Fresno State was ranked in the national top 25 polls for 27 consecutive years while the Red Wave fan base led the nation in average attendance 13 times.
Off the field, Wright’s passions included advocating for the Central California Blood Bank and the Marjaree Mason Center, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. After retiring from Fresno State, Wright returned to her home state of Illinois, where she remains a highly sought softball clinician and motivational speaker.
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