Legendary coach passes away at 84

Constable led seven Tigers to individual national championships and was inducted into the United States Squash Hall of Fame in 2000. At the helm of the program since its inception in 1971, Constable never once endured a losing season, finishing with a 117-16 coaching record before her retirement in 1991.

Constable was instrumental in making squash one of Princeton’s inaugural women’s varsity sports during the 1971-72 academic year, along with basketball, crew, field hockey, swimming and tennis.

“She really formed the basis for Princeton squash and created a tradition with great integrity,” now-head squash coach Gail Ramsay said.

In her very first season at the helm, Constable led the Tigers to a second-place finish at the Howe Cup. Princeton would go on to win the Cup in eight of the next nine seasons and 12 total under Constable’s leadership.

The Cup held special significance for Constable, as she was instrumental in establishing its collegiate division before her arrival at Princeton. In fact, the award was named after her family. Mother Margaret A. Howe was a three-time U.S. champion who gave birth to twins Betty and Peggy, and the two younger Howes went on to win seven championships themselves.

“She was a tough coach with expectations, but she was also a great teacher,” Ramsay said. “She really coached with the same passion she played with.”

The Constable-led Tigers also won two Ivy League championships — in 1989 and 1991 — and garnered 39 All-Ivy selections. It was during Constable’s 20-year reign that Princeton enjoyed the height of its squash dominance, reeling off a dual-match winning streak of 40 matches from 1976 to 1983 — twice as long as the program’s next-longest run.

Also a member of the College Squash Association Hall of Fame, Constable mentored three intercollegiate champions — Nancy Gengler ’80, Demer Holleran ’89 and Wendy Zaharko ’74 — during her time at Princeton.

“Betty was one of first true female teachers in the sport,” Ramsay said. “All her players would say that she was very competitive — never compromising integrity and sportsmanship — but really believed her players were capable of winning.”

For all her success at the helm of the women’s squash team at Princeton, Constable’s on-court record was perhaps even more impressive. The left-handed Constable was a five-time U.S. Women’s Squash Racquets Association singles champion, winning the title in 1950 before claiming four in a row from 1956 to 1959. She ultimately retired with an undefeated record.

“She really was a trailblazer for women in sport,” Ramsay said. “Squash had been a male-dominated sport, and she took it upon herself to get involved [and show] that women were capable.”

Constable’s influence at Princeton was felt even after her departure, as she was instrumental in Ramsay’s hiring in 1996.

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“I think she was definitely the one who got me to apply and encouraged the administration to hire me,” Ramsay said, “so obviously her impact on me has been great.”

A memorial service will be held for Constable at 2 p.m. on Sept. 28 in the University Chapel.