UND Womens Athletics Coach and Assistant Professor

Warcup, Patricia (1931-2009)

Patricia Ann Warcup was born May 8, 1931, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She graduated from Grand Forks Central High School in 1950. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from University of North Dakota in 1956, and a master’s degree in education in 1958. Her master’s thesis was titled “A Comparison of the Health Knowledge and Health Interests of University of North Dakota Freshmen.” Following graduation, she worked towards a Ph.D. at Indiana University (Bloomington), completing all but her dissertation.

Warcup was a physical education instructor and coach at La Puente High School (California), Western Montana College, and Sacramento State College before returning to UND in 1965. She initiated and coached the first UND women’s basketball team (1965-1970), and the first softball team (1967-1970). Softball became a varsity sport in 1977, after which Warcup had her second tenure as coach, from 1977 to 1982.

Warcup also served as the women’s athletic director (1968-1970 and 1971-1973). In addition to founding several women's sports teams, she also played a significant role in the formation of the Minn-Kota Intercollegiate Sports Conference, one of the first conferences for women’s sports in the nation. She was also an assistant professor in the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation department from 1965 until her retirement in 1992. In October of that year, she was inducted into the UND Athletic Hall of Fame.

While at UND, Pat Warcup was involved with many local and regional organizations. She was the first vice-president of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, vice-president of Phi Sigma Alpha, and was also very active in the Minn-Kota Intercollegiate Sports Conference. On a national level, Warcup was involved with the United States Tennis Association, National Association for Physical Education of College Women, Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, and the National Education Association.

Patricia Warcup died March 27, 2009, in Grand Forks.

University of North Dakota - Athletics
University of North Dakota - Faculty