SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame
Phyllis McGinley served as a member of Cortland’s physical education department faculty from 1962 until her retirement in December 1992. She oversaw women’s athletics as the acting chair of the former Women’s Physical Education Department from 1981-83 and directed Cortland’s Summer Sports School from 1979-90.
From 1962-81, McGinley was an assistant professor of physical education specializing in aquatics and elementary and secondary methods. From 1984-92, she coordinated student teaching and elementary methods. McGinley returned to the College as an associate professor emerita and lecturer emerita in the department from 2003-05.
Many Cortland student-athletes have considered McGinley to be a mentor over the years. “There are few who have not come under Phyllis’s ‘touch’ while at Cortland and her sincere interest and follow through with support and assistance,” said C-Club Hall of Fame member Sandy Morley ’77. “Her house is always open to her students who need a room, her time is always available to those who need her advice, her guidance is always freely given to those who face decisions and need a guiding ear. Phyllis has a special warmth and charm which never goes unnoticed by those either who were in her classes or those who now are raising families of their own while balancing their professional lives.”
Active within the New York State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYSAHPERD), McGinley served on the organization’s executive committee and was president of its Southway Zone. She also assisted the organization as a National Aquatics Council member.
A native of Urbana, Ill., McGinley earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1952 and a master’s degree from Cortland in 1968. She worked in Fort Riley, Kan., and Champaign, Ill., from 1952-58 and was a teacher at Cortland Junior-Senior High School from 1959-61.
UPDATE: McGinley passed away on Feb. 15, 2022, at age 91.
