Fossum served as head coach to the MSU women’s golf team from the beginning in 1973 until her retirement 24 years later in 1997.

MSU’s annual fall women’s golf tournament was renamed the Mary Fossum Invitational in 1999.

“The first thought was shock, because (current MSU head coach) Stacy (Slobodnik-Stoll) didn’t tell me about it,” Fossum said about the news of the renaming. “She had this plaque for me when the announcement was made. She cries a lot, I cry a lot – it was just wonderful because it’s something that will go on for a long time and I appreciate that so much.”

Another shock came in April 2007 when the Big Ten Conference office announced the creation of the Mary Fossum Award, a fully endowed scholarship which is to be given each year to the student athlete with the lowest stroke average.

Having coached for so many years, Fossum has a hard time recalling just one memorable moment – as there are too many.

“You think of the first year that we started when (former MSU player) Bonnie Lauer won the national tournament – what a great way for us to get off,” Fossum said. “Just a really great start. There have been so many individuals who have done so much for our program and helped us along the way.”

Things have changed since that first season in 1973 when Fossum said players piled into vans and station wagons to travel to their tournaments and when most players were from Michigan, Ohio or Indiana.

“Look at the facilities we have over there,” she said. “Something like that wasn’t even in our fondest dreams back then. All of the things that the athletes have today just amazes me – it’s wonderful.”

It’s those exact facilities and advancements at MSU that Fossum attributes to the success of MSU athletes across the board.

“Michigan State is in the limelight for not just football, basketball, hockey, but also for golf,” she said. “Golf has done a tremendous job in spreading the good word (for MSU).”

Having Slobodnik-Stoll – who played under Fossum while at MSU before returning as an assistant in 1995 – take over the coaching position upon her retirement is something Fossum is thrilled about.

“Having Stacy coaching now is memorable to me, I’m the first coach, she’s the second,” she said. “I hope she stays here as long as I did.”

Although her time as head coach has passed, Fossum will continue to harbor a love for Spartan golf, and all the people who helped make her experience what it was.

“The things I miss most are working with the young people as well as the coaches,” she said. “We were so close in all the years of traveling to different schools, you just miss those people.”