“My mama never met a stranger,” said Charlsie Maturin Buteau, namesake daughter of the legendary athlete and coach, Charlsie Maturin. “The girls she coached, the people she came into contact with throughout her life, they all became her family.”

Buteau has so many sweet memories of her mother, and some pretty fierce ones as well. “Mama was a huge advocate for girls’ sports, and for girls having equality with the boys. If the boys had a good field to practice on, the girls should as well. If the boys had a brick dugout, the girls should have that too.”

Charlsie Mautrin was a lifelong athlete, a tomboy growing up, and a dedicated coach for basketball, volleyball and softball throughout her career. In 1973, she started building the girls’ softball program at New Iberia Senior High. By 1976, she took the team to the state championship, and she is the only coach to win that title in NISH history. 

As the coach of that championship team, she received a ring; a cherished object that her daughter has. “She wore that ring every day, she was so proud of that team. You can tell it is worn down, but it is a sentimental treasure I’ll always have,” said daughter Charlsie.

As an advocate, she was resourceful. In the ’70s and ’80s, girls’ sports were just coming into the spotlight. She fought to raise awareness of female athletic ability, and the need for equality. She built the NISH softball field with leftovers from other schools. The fencing that surrounds it was from another school, the lighting as well, all so her girls could have an equal playing field as the boys did, a proper diamond to shine on.

Stephanie Comeaux, who played on that 1976 championship team, said Charlsie as a coach was tough on the team, but also a very good friend and mentor. “I knew her before she coached me, I’d competed against her. We all respected her. She pushed us hard, and we played hard for her,” said Comeaux. “She also had a great sense of humor. We had so much fun with her.”

Charlsie Maturin also worked as an umpire for youth sports, and offered her sage advice to children she came into contact with as such. If a player was struggling, she would offer encouragement and a tip or two to improve a stance, a throw, a few words to a coach after the game. 

She was also the first woman coach of the boys’ basketball team at Loreauville High, where she also coached softball. She brought that team to the state championship as well. She coached volleyball, basketball and softball at Anderson Middle, volleyball and basketball at New Iberia Freshman High, and ended her coaching career at Belle Place Middle, coaching volleyball, basketball and softball.

Charlsie Maturin has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: the New Iberia Recreation Department Softball Hall of Fame, The New Iberia Senior High Athletics Hall of Fame, and the United States Specialty Sports Association Hall of Fame. After her retirement from coaching, she opened the Pelican Driving School. Her daughter said she was very proud to continue teaching and mentoring young people, and that the rapport she had with everyone she met continued. 

“Mama was an open book — she said what she had to say, did what she had to do; there were no surprises with her,”  Charlsie said.

The 1976 softball team held a reunion in 2015, and Stephanie Comeaux relished the chance to reconnect with teammates and coach. “When we had the reunion, it was like we’d been together yesterday. It seemed like time never lapsed. I have great memories of Charlsie and her family. I even babysat for her kids, cleaned house for her. I miss her a lot. One thing though, she always gave me the car on empty when I had to drive her kids around,” Comeaux said, laughing.

Charlsie Maturin will always be remembered, not just for her athletic and coaching achievements, but more for her kindness, friendship and passion.