Ex-Portland State Coach Marion Pericin Dies At 65

Marion Pericin, a former Portland State basketball coach whose fast-break attack boosted the school from small college to NCAA major university competition, has died. He was 65.

Pericin had surgery to remove a brain tumor on Oct. 6. He died early Wednesday.

His teams at Portland State in the 1960s were high scoring, frequently surpassing the 100-point mark, while attracting many capacity or near-capacity crowds to the school.

He posted a 101-85 record over seven seasons, starting in 1965-66.

Pericin, who grew up in the Seattle area, was a quick aggressive guard at Gonzaga University in the 1950s for coaches Bill Underwood and Hank Anderson.

He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Gonzaga.

After military service, Pericin returned to Gonzaga as an Anderson assistant before taking the Portland State position.

Pericin was active on the Portland sports scene and was instrumental in the formation of the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was employed by Converse Shoes for some time after leaving Portland State.

At the time of his death, Pericin was director of national sales for Red Lion Inns and had held that position for more than a dozen years.

Pericin traveled extensively for Red Lion and was widely known in collegiate sports circles throughout the nation.

He is survived by his wife, Lettie Ann, at the home, three sons and two daughters.

, DataTimes