The following is an excerpt from a Del Mar Times – Solana Beach Sun – Carmel Valley News article, “Former Cathedral Catholic softball coach Mauro made players better and made them better people.”

Margaret Mauro, former Cathedral softball coach, will be inducted into San Diego High School Coaching Legends Hall of Fame

She was a no-nonsense coach who demanded the best of herself and her players.

And for 41 years, it worked for Margaret Mauro.

When she retired after the 2019 school year, Mauro was the winningest softball coach in the history of the San Diego Section with a 770-334-13 record to go along with 24 league championships, nine CIF titles and seven other appearances in the championship game.

“I didn’t pull any punches,” said Mauro, who started her career at USDHS as an English teacher and transitioned into administration when the school moved to Carmel Valley and was renamed. “My players knew where the stood.

“There were times I had to use my outside voice to get their attention.

“There were times I didn’t say anything.”

On Nov. 3, Mauro and 11 others will be celebrated as San Diego High School Coaching Legends and Bob Breitbard Meritorious honorees at the 22nd annual Induction Dinner at the Scottish Rite Center in Mission Valley.

“I loved playing for Margaret,” said Megan Faraimo, who won 75 games as a pitcher at Cathedral Catholic, was the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2018, and is a three-time All-American at UCLA heading into her senior season.

“She challenged us.

“She wanted to make us better as people as well as players.

“She instilled a passion for the game. She wanted us to focus, always give our best.

“I had a hard time in high school, but she was always there for me, there every step of the way.

“She helped me mentally prepare for not only what was at hand, but for the future.

“Then, my senior year, she gave me more responsibility.

“People say I’m a great leader now, but my leadership skills come from the lessons I learned from Margaret Mauro.”

Mauro played basketball and softball at St. Anthony High in Long Beach.

She thought about playing basketball at San Diego State, but instead chose to attend the University of San Diego, where she didn’t play.

At age 21, just after her college graduation, Mauro was hired to coach softball and girls basketball at USDHS.

“At first, it was kind of a ‘what-the-heck-am-I-doing’ situation,” Mauro said. “I was coaching and teaching English, so it was a challenge.”

Mauro became the English Department chair, moved into administration in 2000 and later became an assistant principal … all while coaching softball.

“We won our first CIF championship in ’82, that’s when I thought I might stick around,” Mauro said. “People ask if I have a favorite team.

“That’s hard to say, but you never forget your first championship.”

Poway softball coach Jim Bennett and Jon Moore of Torrey Pines had some epic battles with Mauro and Cathedral Catholic.

“Margaret always had quality players,” said Bennett, who has 376 career wins, ranking fifth in the San Diego Section. “But she never screwed up a good team.

“She was crafty, a standup person … and educator first. That’s why I enjoyed competing against her.

“She embraced it when the CIF went from enrollment-based playoffs to competitive balance.

“She enjoyed playing with the big boys.”

Bennett remembers a pair of epic games against Cathedral Catholic in 2015, one a 1-0 Poway win in the Open Division championship game.

Moore remembers losing a CIF playoff game to the Dons in Faraimo’s junior year in 2016.

“We lost 3-2 in eight innings, not like I have total recall of that game,” said Moore, who ranks No. 2 in the San Diego Section with 491 wins.

“Margaret’s teams were always well prepared. You had to be on your game to stay with her.

“She was knowledgeable, respectful, classy and tough. She didn’t bend her standards.

“The rules were there for one reason … to be followed.

“And I loved playing at Cathedral because the field was immaculate.”

In retirement, Mauro is playing as much golf as she can, sometimes three times a week.

She’s also coaching a team of 6-year-olds for a former player.

The team’s name is Green Eggs and Slam.

“Wins are important, absolutely,” Mauro said. “But it was also about how you treat people, about the interactions with your players, about singing in the vans on road trips.

“I loved the strategy of the game, working two or three batters ahead, whether we were on offense or defense.

“I loved exchanging information with my players.

“I miss the people, the interaction with the kids.

“But after hitting thousands of ground balls, thousands of fly balls, throwing batting practice to anyone who wanted to hit, it was time.

“Softball is an outdoor sport, so the elements — rain, cold, win, heat — can wear you out.”

Mauro said it was also about respecting your opponents, never taking anyone lightly, knowing when to step on the gas and when to back off.

“In the end, I hope I made my kids better players,” Mauro said. “But I also hope I made them better people.”

Continue with the rest of the article at Del Mar Times – Solana Beach Sun – Carmel Valley News.