A teacher and coach at Grand Rapids Central Christian, Mary was a pioneer in girls’ athletics and very instrumental in the establishment of several girls’ sports at our school. An excellent athlete in her own right, Mary played on the girls basketball team at Unity Christian High when that was the only sport offered for girls. She went on to play on the Calvin College womens basketball team for four seasons.

Mary coached girls basketball teams at Grand Rapids Central Christian for 16 seasons, with an average winning percentage just under 75%, with 161 wins and only 56 losses. In 1973, the first year that Michigan had a tournament for girls basketball, her team finished as runners-up in the state championship game. Her teams won 6 district and 2 regional championships, and 2 of her teams made it to the state semi-final game. Coach Afman had fellow Hall of Fame inductees Karen Langeland and Kathy DeBoer on two of her teams.

Coach Afman was truly a pioneer in developing girls athletics at Grand Rapids Christian and in the Grand Rapids community. She was instrumental in the beginnings of volleyball, swimming, softball, and girls track as formal sports in high school. Those beginnings were often in the form of “sports days” and triangular or quadrangular meets that later evolved into league play. Coach Afman was honored by the Grand Rapids Press in August of 2000 in an article in which she was cited for her leadership in the development of girls basketball in the state of Michigan.

“The Lord is the stronghold, the strength of my life.” Psalm 27:1