Portage High School gym named for former coach Renee Turpa
The boys’ gymnasium at Portage High School East has been renamed in honor of former girls basketball coach Renee Turpa.
“Coach (Renee) Turpa was a pioneer in the early days of women’s sports during the Title IX era,” Portage Township School Board President Andy Maletta said.
“No one is more deserving of this honor at Portage High School. Your lasting legacy will live on forever,” he said.
The gymnasium is the newest facility named in honor of a former coach or educator.
“It’s a truly incredible honor. It’s hard to imagine my name being mentioned among my mentors,” Turpa said.
“Portage has really given me a lot,” she says.
That includes her husband, Pete, whom she met on the first day of her first year as a teacher, at a staff meeting.
She also gave a lot to her athletes, noting that some became doctors, lawyers and business owners in Portage.
“It’s so great to see the great things they’ve accomplished. It’s because of Portage schools and sports that they did it,” Turpa said.
Turpa’s record at PHS includes more wins than that of any other basketball coach. She is now an assistant coach at Marquette High School in Michigan City, in addition to being the group sales coordinator for Valparaiso University athletics and the women’s basketball/volleyball color analyst for ESPN home broadcasts.
Superintendent Amanda Alaniz called her a pioneer in women’s sports.
Turpa is a board member of the National High School Basketball Coaches Association and the National Organization of Coaching Association Directors, as well as an assistant director of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. She is involved in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Indiana Girls Sports Association.
Turpa earned six varsity letters at Ball State University, in women’s basketball, women’s golf and softball.
“Naming the gymnasium in honor of Coach Turpa is a fitting tribute to his lasting legacy at Portage High School,” Alaniz said. “Her influence as an educator, coach and mentor has shaped generations of students and will continue to inspire all who walk through the doors and onto the field.”
Turpa taught special education at PHS for 32 years, where she authored the adapted physical education curriculum. She was the first woman inducted into the National High School Basketball Coaches Association Court of Honor, Alaniz said.
The board voted on the resolution Monday. Turpa will be honored during halftime of the men’s basketball game on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. Former players, colleagues and supporters are invited to a reception with Turpa that day at 6 p.m. in the PHS South cafeteria. Use the Q door.
At the meeting, board member Matt Ramian praised the Portage basketball program. The eighth graders were undefeated two years in a row, and the varsity team was undefeated.
“They’re on another level. They’re doing really well,” he said. “It’s just good to see a program thriving and coming back to life.”
Ramiam said he hopes the new PHS football coach will revamp the program and turn it around.
The new football coach attended the PHS boys basketball game a few days before.
“This support is important,” Alaniz said, as coaches show their support for other teams and the community.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
