50 YEARS OF TITLE IX

History of Title IX:

Denison Athletics is proud to celebrate 50 Years of Women’s Varsity Athletics.

On June 23, 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is enacted by Congress, and signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The thirty-seven (37) word Amendment stated, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

When President Richard Nixon signed those words of the Education Amendments of 1972 into law that June, doors once closed were opened, creating transformational opportunities in education — and athletics — to women across the country.

Since then, women's college sports have transformed dramatically. More than 218,000 female student-athletes across all NCAA divisions took part in athletics at the collegiate level as of December 2021, making up 44 percent of all NCAA student-athletes. Compare that to fewer than 30,000 women at the college level in 1971, representing just 15 percent of the student-athlete population.

June 23, 2022, will be the 50th anniversary of Title IX, and Denison University Athletics asks you to join us in our year-long celebration as we recognize and pay tribute to the impact the women of this university have had on the athletic department. A commemoration of the rich history of women’s sports at Denison University will take place throughout the year with a digital campaign highlighting our female pioneers, former student-athletes, current student-athletes and coaches each month, in addition to other feature events titled "Nine For IX". For Denison Athletics, this recognition includes interactive opportunities for fans and community members, ways to get involved and give back, as well as celebrations and events throughout the year. Stay up to date here with all elements of this celebration.

This site will be updated throughout the year as we shine the spotlight on the influential women that helped shape this department and why honoring their legacy by continuing to create opportunities for women is so important to Denison. We encourage you to bookmark and check out our 50 Years of Title IX celebration page and join us in celebrating the contributions of the incredible women of Denison University.

To learn more about the History of Title IX in Athletics: Click Here
To learn more about Title IX in the NCAA: Click Here

History of Women in Sports at Denison:

1910 - Shepardson Athletic Association
1922 - Women's Athletic Association
1954 - Women's Recreation Association - "Sport Days" - five dates against outside competition
1969 - Women moved to Livingston Fieldhouse - built in 1949
1962 - First intercollegiate teams - no championships
1972-73 - First intercollegiate basketball team - finished with 0-5 record
1979 - Denison sponsors the first intercollegiate women's soccer program in Ohio
1980 - Janet Shock Beardsley (Women's Golf) - first woman inducted into the Varsity D Hall of Fame
1990 - Denison combines men's and women's athletic departments
1992 - Steffie Wright Crowther (Women's Tennis) - first woman participating on a women's athletic team inducted into Hall of Fame
1994 - Denison sends its first basketball team to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
1997 - Four full-time head female coaches
1998 - Denison adds varsity softball
1989-99 - Women win five conference championships - Record amount of conference titles for a year. No team finished lower than fourth.
2001 - Denison wins first NCAA national title in women's swimming
2006 - Denison adds varsity women's golf
2011 - Denison hires Nan Carney-DeBord as first female Athletic Director
2019 - Denison adds varsity women's fencing
2021 - Denison adds varsity women's squash

Women's Sports At Denison

Denison University currently sponsors 14 women's varsity athletic teams and most recently added women's fencing (2019) and squash (2020).

Nine For IX

Beginning on July 9, 2022, Denison Athletics will host nine events/campaigns to honor our current and former student-athletes and coaches, and to celebrate the impact of Title IX on athletics that continues to this day.

Nine for IX Events

1. Kickoff Event (June 2, 2022)	2. 50 Years of Title IX (9th of every month)	3. Mural Unveiling (September 30, 2022 - October 2, 2022)
Denison University's Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nan Carney-DeBord, speaks on a panel and presents on "Title IX Changes in Athletics."	Media Blasts of female pioneers, former student-athletes, current student-athletes and coaches highlighting their impact on Denison Athletics and their thoughts on Title IX's impact on their lives. July 9: Pioneers Paving the Way August 9: Pioneers Moving us Forward September 9: 1970's October 9: 1980's November 9: 1990's December 9: 2000's January 9: 2010's February 9: 2020's March 9: NCAA Champions April 9: Current Coaches May 9: Current Student-Athletes	Unveiling of mural featuring past and present Denison female student-athletes during Big Red Weekend. (Created by current Big Red junior field hockey player Kate Hinshaw) Mural Website: https://www.50yearsoftitleixatdenison.com/ Photo Gallery: https://denisonathleticsphotos.smugmug.com/Title-IX-Mural-Unveiling/
4. Speaker Series #1 (Date TBA)	5. Speaker Series #2 (Date TBA)	6. Speaker Series #3 (Date TBA)
Speaker Series Topic #1: Mental Health (the goal of the Speaker Series is to acknowledge the women that have come before us, to hear their stories and understand their struggles, to pay it forward and continue to push)	Speaker Series Topic #2: Eating Disorders	Speaker Series Topic #3: Networking/Career Paths
7. Community Day (Date TBA)	8. DIII Week (April, 2023)	9. Media Thank You (Date TBA)
All kids and families from the Granville area are invited to come out and support the Big Red and help us honor our female role models (Date TBA)	Service Opportunity TBA	Please enjoy this special "Thank You" message from some of Denison's current female student-athletes