Ohio Valley Conference

June 23, 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, which was signed into law in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It states:

“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 education program or activity.”

The OVC established women’s championships in the sports of basketball, tennis and track in 1977 with cross country and volleyball added over the next four years. Those sports were initially governed by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), but the overall strength of women's programs in the league was demonstrated by the automatic bids the OVC instantly received when the NCAA became the governing body in 1982. The conference added women’s golf and softball in 1994, women's soccer in 1998 and recently added beach volleyball in 2020. 

Over the next year, the Ohio Valley Conference and its member institutions will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, with content populating on this website.  Additionally information on the celebration can also be found on the NCAA's website: ncaa.org/titleix50.

TITLE IX PIONEERS FEATURES
• Title IX Pioneer Luncheon Story/Gallery
• Lin Dunn, Austin Peay
• Betty Wiseman, Belmont
• Dr. Gail Richard, Eastern Illinois
• Bre Watts, Lindenwood
• Karen Aston, Little Rock
• Deanie Brown, Morehead State
• Margaret Simmons, Murray State
• Cindy Gannon, Southeast Missouri
• Rosemarie Archangel, SIUE
• Patricia Marcum, Southern Indiana
• Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice, Tennessee State
• Marynell Meadors, Tennessee Tech
• Bettye Giles, UT Martin







HOW TITLE IX HAS IMPACTED ME FEATURES
• Lindsey Carlson, Eastern Illinois
• Derek Burton, SIUE
• Olivia Taylor, Tennessee Tech
• Addy Blackwell, Southern Indiana
• Katie Zingg, Lindenwood
• Samantha Quigley Smith, SIUE
• Kim Rosamond, Tennessee Tech
• Hannah Haitchcock, Southern Indiana
• Tara Archibald, Eastern Illinois
• Mandy Thatcher, Tennessee Tech

TITLE IX PANEL DISCUSSION
OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche sat down with authors Andrew Maraniss ("Inaugural Ballers") and Mary Ellen Pethel ("Title IX, Pat Summitt, and Tennessee's Trailblazers: 50 Years, 50 Stories") to discuss their books and the 50th anniversary of Title IX.