On this date June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Education Amendments Act, also known as "Title IX". The landmark legislation states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education receiving federal financial assistance."
The University of the South, which started admitting women in the fall of 1969, immediately began offering athletics for women students in the fall of 1972. Tennis was the first varsity sport offered for women. By the end of the 1970's the University offered six women's sports.
As we enter the 50th year of women's athletics at the University of the South, Sewanee sponsors 13 sports for women: basketball, cheerleading, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
The University's current Director of Athletics, John Shackelford noted that, "Sewanee currently offers 24 varsity athletic teams in which our young men and women student-athletes participate, compete, train, learn and grow as an integral part of their educational experience. To witness so many talented, hardworking and competitive young women of this era having access to those opportunities is an amazing tribute to those who helped with the passage of Title IX 50 years ago, and the many women that paved the way for this generation of college student-athletes."
"The impact that Title IX made on women's athletics cannot be overstated, but let's also remember that Title IX helped to reshape the classroom, too," added Acting Vice-Chancellor Nancy Berner. "In 1972, there were nine women on the faculty at Sewanee. 20 years after the passage of Title IX, when I arrived on campus in 1992, that number had tripled. I was one of 26 women faculty members. Today, there are 110 women on the University faculty, just under 50%."
When Sewanee began admitting women, a total of 103 entered Sewanee during the fall of 1969. By 1971, women made up 16% of the college, and 10 years later, 43% or the student body were women. Today, women comprise 51% of the student body.
In celebration of both 50 years of Title IX and women's athletics at the University of the South, the Department of Athletics will spotlight each of the program's 13 sports throughout the 2022-23 academic year.
| Month of Spotlight | Sport | First Year of Competition |
| July | Women's Tennis | 1972-73 |
| August | Volleyball | 1975 |
| September | Field Hockey | 1975 |
| October | Women's Basketball | 1975-76 |
| November | Women's Cross Country | 1979 |
| Cheerleading | ||
| December | Women's Swimming & Diving | 1984-85 |
| Synchronized Swimming | Program ran from 1976-81 | |
| January | Women's Soccer | 1988 (as NCAA sanctioned sport)
Played in spring from 1982-88 |
| February | Women's Track & Field | 1983-84 |
| March | Equestrian | 1996 |
| April | Softball | 1999 |
| May | Women's Golf | 1995 |
| June | Women's Lacrosse | 2008 |
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Source: https://sewaneetigers.com/news/2022/6/23/general-sewanee-athletics-celebrate-50-years-of-title-ix.aspx
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