Ep207: Teresa Mullen, Competitiveness of Playing
Softball & Volleyball Senior Games Gold Medals
April 2, 2026
Teresa Mullen, now 75 years old, is a long time athlete with a passion for playing, coaching, officiating, and watching women’s sports. Teresa started playing softball with her cousins at a very young age in a farm field with a wooden bat and 12 inch mush ball. When she was growing up there were very few opportunities for females to participate in any sports. For example, at her small high school only basketball and track were offered for girls.
After going to a two-year college, she played on a competitive, company softball league and later played in volleyball leagues. Soon she knew she also wanted to coach in order to pass on all her technical and training knowledge to young ladies eager to learn. She began by coaching softball, then added basketball and volleyball. Next Teresa passed her officiating exams for basketball, softball, and volleyball at the high school level. Teresa still coaches, officiates, and still plays softball and volleyball in the National Senior Games held every two years. She finally won the elusive gold medal several years ago in both softball and volleyball!
In the episode Teresa talks about her history as a long-time athlete, Title IX, coaching and officiating, why she prefers to play on women’s teams, changes she has seen in women’s sports, flag football, half-court basketball, managing the limitations of getting older, and the joy of watching young female athletes take advantages of all the opportunities now available. Teresa loves watching her daughter (a former college softball player) coach her twins in basketball and softball.
National Senior Games Association
Find your sport to play as an adult using resources from Play Gap
Phones lead to not being able to think straight.
Olivia Miles, formerly a Notre Dame basketball player
Suzie McConnell-Serio. Played for the Cleveland Rockers from 1998-2000
Cleveland Rockers, WNBA team 1997-2003
Softball palyer, Joyce Scoglietti on Hear Her Sports
What’s next for the WNBA after reaching a historic CBA deal?, Sabreena Merchant, NYT, 3.19.2026
From Fifty women’s sports facts for the 50th anniversary of Title IX:
—>The University of Chicago created national headlines in 1972 by offering the Gertrude Dudley Scholarship, the first “nationally advertised” four-year athletic scholarship for women. The scholarship was named after the administrator who came to the university in 1898 and created organized sports for women.
—>Before Title IX, the NCAA didn’t hold championships for women’s sports and didn’t offer women athletic scholarships. There were 170,000 men playing college sports; women accounted for only about one-sixth of that, with 30,000 women participating in university athletics.
powder puff sports 🤦🏻♀️