MORGANTOWN — Martha Thorn, one of the pioneers for women’s sports at WVU, died Sunday. She was 83.
“We are deeply saddened to hear that Martha Thorn — the first coach of WVU women’s tennis — has passed away at the age of 83,” WVU said in a statement. “Martha was one of the great pioneers of women’s sports at West Virginia and her influence is still present today. We will miss her greatly.”
Thorn earned her master’s degree at WVU in 1963, and after coaching and teaching at the high school level for the latter part of the 1960s, returned to Morgantown as a faculty member at the university as director of intramural sports, and a graduate assistant for the School of Physical Education.
A native of Hinton, Thorn helped begin women’s sports programs at WVU following the Title XI’s enactment in 1972. Along with Kittie Blakemore — who passed away in July 2020 — and Dr. Wincie Ann Carruth, Thorn assisted in beginning the women’s gymnastics, basketball and tennis programs in 1973, and at the same time, was hired to head the tennis team.
On a limited budget of about $1,000, Thorn handled tennis, and Blakemore coached basketball, beginning in 1972-73. Volleyball, swimming, track and field and softball started during the 1974-75 sports calendar. At the same time, Thorn continued to work as a faculty member.
Todd Gregg, a lifelong Star City resident and current Star City councilman, grew up as friends with two of Thorn’s children, John and Susan. Gregg said Thorn treated him like he was one of her own, but recalls a funny story from when he was a physical education major at WVU in the mid-1980s.
“Part of the curriculum was to take a class about the technique of coaching what sport you wanted to coach,” Gregg said. “Well I signed up for women’s tennis. We had to attend practice and some matches, and on the first day I show up, all the other students were sitting on the bleachers. First thing I noticed was I was the only male. She takes roll and afterward, sends people where they want to go. She yells at me to come here and told me, ‘I know you have no interest in coaching women’s tennis. You’re only here because of all the girls.’
“I just shrugged my shoulders and she said she had her eyes on me.”
Gregg has kept in touch with the family, and in recent years, visited Thorn at her home and while she was attending a rehab facility. By the same token, Gregg said Thorn always made it a point to stay in contact with her former players.
For 27 years, Thorn led the Mountaineers to a 273-180-1 record before her retirement in November 2000.
“She always ran a great program and is not just a legend at WVU but in West Virginia,” Gregg said. “Budgets were a lot different back then and recruiting was a lot harder. She managed to pull out over 250 wins in her career and she was just an amazing lady. Proud to call her my friend.”
Thorn is a 2006 inductee to the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Hall of Fame. WVU also named the Martha Thorn Invitational in her honor, as was a team award given annually for a player who “best exemplified effort, dedication and consistency.”
Thorn is survived by her husband, Gordon R. Thorn, of Morgantown, and her three children, Sarah Thorn Staley, John Hunter Thorn and Susan Thorn Peradotti, their spouses and five grandchildren.
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