In today's sports world, it is rare to find a two-sport athlete, and even rarer is an athlete who competes in three or more, much less eight. However, this feat was accomplished by Mary S. Bauer, who competed in and excelled at eight sports during her playing career at Boston University, which spanned the three years from 1935-1937.
An outstanding all-around athlete, she participated in basketball, volleyball, baseball, field hockey, crew, badminton, tennis and lacrosse. Her greatest achievements came on the hardwood, where she was a three-year starter, and capped her career by leading her squad to the 1937 interclass tournament championship.
As a result of her extensive involvement and success in University athletics, she earned the distinction of "Tuegras" — a term for those few who had risen to the top in their point system. However, her achievements were not limited to the athletic playing fields, as she held a number of leadership positions in the Student Government Association.
Following graduation, she taught and coached in the Scituate school system, guiding her teams to the same level of success that she enjoyed as a player. During one stretch of her 38-year tennis-coaching career, her team won 326 of 332 matches. In addition, she also served as the field hockey coach for 31 years and the basketball coach for 28 years.
