Maturin loss a big blow to many

The death of former New Iberia Senior High coach Charlsie Maturin was a big blow to the many people who worked with her and benefited from her teaching and coaching during her time in the Iberia Parish school system.

Maturin coached volleyball, girls’ basketball and softball at NISH from 1973-80, then coached at Anderson Middle, New Iberia Freshman High, Loreauville High and Belle Place Middle during her career as an educator.

“She was very easygoing where Miss Romero (former NISH coach Margaret Romero) was stricter,” said Maggie Daniels, who played basketball and volleyball at NISH under Romero and Maturin. “She was our assistant coach and well liked.

“To me softball was her sport. She was deep down really into it. She was the assistant coach for volleyball and basketball but softball was her passion.”

Maturin’s accomplishments were many. She was head coach of the NISH state champion softball team in 1976. She was an assistant coach on the NISH state champion girls basketball team in 1980 and she was the first woman in the state to coach a high school boys’ basketball team while at Loreauville.

“Miss Maturin was always the person we could run to for protection from Miss Romero,” said Mel Davis, another NISH graduate who played volleyball and basketball for the Lady Jackets. “She made us feel like we were her children and we could always share our problems with her and she’d always give us good advice.”

Maturin was inducted into the NISH Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017, the New Iberia Recreation Department Softball Hall of Fame in 2013 and was a 2017 inductee in the USSSA Softball Fall of Fame.

Also in her career she was a volleyball referee and was the assignment secretary for the Iberia Volleyball Association. Maturin umpired Little League baseball and softball, umpired high school softball and was assignment secretary for the Iberia Softball Association. 

As a high school student, Maturin was a member of New Iberia’s 1969 state champion volleyball team.