The Winding Road to Title IX
Title 9 is concerned with athletic opportunities, while big-time football is concerned with marketing and university relations. Title nine is about benefits to student-athletes. Football is about benefits to the institution.
In June 1968, Homer Babbage, the president of the University of Connecticut, gave a talk about the National Association of collegiate athletic directors in which he insisted that the only justification for college athletics was their value for participants. Babbidge Warned that the need to gratify spectators, the need for revenues, and the craving for institutional recognition risks violating the basic principle is wrong.
The Road traveled to title ix and the 1980’s
The road to signing Title IX for women athletes from 1893-1980 was a difficult lt path to travel. The Beatle’s song “A Long and Winding Road” could have been written to describe Longhorn women’s path to the top.
Louisa May Alcott’s comment, “I am not afraid of Storms for I am learning how to sail my ship,” captures the essence of Longhorn women from 1896 to the present.
In the Beginning
In 1896 Stanford and Cal Berkley women’s basketball teams competed for the first intercollegiate championship. In 1900 the Olympics added women’s golf, tennis, and croquet.
In 1900 “Ideson and Whitis coed Longhorn teams played four 10-minute quarters. Whitis one 3-2. (talk about a defensive battle). This set into motion the emergence of basketball as a popular sport for women at UT. Click on the link in red font for more information.
Anna Hiss, from 1921-1957, did her part to build a sports platform for women, but by the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Don Draper’s of the world had stereotyped women. It would take women athletes to dispel the image of a woman’s primary role as the “weaker sex.”
Click on link in red font for more information.
1921-1957- ANNA HISS (squarespace.com)
For 36 years, from 1921-1957, Anna Hiss was the primary pioneer for women’s rights to excel. Her story is told in detail at the link 1921-1957- ANNA HISS (squarespace.com)
“Mad Men” product Advertising stereotyped women
Here are four of the many ads that “Mad Men” used to portray of women.
Betty Thompson
The first AIAW (Association For Intercollegiate Athletics for Women ) Delegate Assembly was held in Overland Park, Kansas, from November 4th through the 6th of 1973.
From 1962-1974 Betty Thompson’s passion, drive, vision, and strong will were guided by her comments to those who would listen.
“ nor hell has a fury like a woman scorned” fought against these women steretypes
Betty built a strong foundation for women’s sports at Texas prior to President Nixon signing Title IX in 1972. Bett’s first two hires were Rodney Page for women’s basketball and Pat Patterson for women’s swimming.
Rodney shares his thoughts on Betty at the link
RODNEY PAGE TRIBUTE TO BETTY THOMPSON (squarespace.com)
Donna Lopiano
In 1976 Betty Thompson was instrumental in hiring the first women’s Athletic Director – Donna Lopiano. The link to Donna’s podcast, text, and photos is at DONNA LOPIANO SEE LINK (squarespace.com)
It was Donna’s ability to hire great coaches in all sports and Jody Conradt’s ability to recruit and make sound coaching decisions that made women’s sports at Texas in the 1980s one of the best in the nation.
Chris Plonsky and Jody Conradt
In 1976 Lopiano hired Jody Conradt to coach both volleyball and basketball, with Chris Plonsky returning to Texas in 1993. Both were Longhorn visionaries and landscape builders whose influence on Longhorn women’s sports can not be understated. There is no University that has two leaders that accomplished more to forward the spirit of Title IX than Jody Conradt and Chris Plonsky. Their bios are included in the link LONGHORN ATHLETIC DIRECTORS (squarespace.com) ,
The link to Coach Conradt as a basketball coach is at:
