EAST STROUDSBURG – The East Stroudsburg University campus mourns the loss of Kathy Flores '77, a former standout javelin thrower, guard and member of the Athletic Hall of Fame, who passed away on October 21, 2021.
Flores was a two-time Eastern Champion in the javelin throw as she won the event at the Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women meet in 1976 at Penn State and 1977 at ESU. At the time in 1977, Flores set the school record with a throw of 148-0. Her mark still ranks third in program history to this day.
Flores was inducted into the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 and she was a two-year letterwinner at guard for the Warriors.
A 2016 U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame inductee, Coach Flores spent the last eight seasons at the helm of the Brown program following an illustrious playing and coaching career across the country. She was the third female inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame.
Prior to her time on College Hill, Flores served as the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team from 2002-10, the first female and first woman of color to coach a national team. She was named the International Rugby Board's 2003 International Women's Personality of the Year for her contributions to the game as a player and administrator.
After graduating from the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in 1977, Flores began her rugby career on the club team at Florida State University as a graduate student. From there, Flores competed on the United States National Team and the Berkeley All-Blues.
Following her illustrious career, Flores retired as a player in 1998. The 1991 U.S. Women's Team was inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame in 2017. Individually, Flores was named a 2016 YWCA Woman of Achievement award winner, a 2006 Rugby Football Union Pioneer of the Women's Game, and honorable mention on the list of the ten Greatest North American Rugby Players.
Joan and Paul Sorensen have established the Kathy Flores Head Coaching Chair for Women's Rugby at Brown University. The Kathy Flores Coaching Chair recognizes and honors Kathy for her contributions as a pioneering coach and educator.
