The month of June marks an important anniversary in Sports, as 50 years ago Title IX was past i in the United States.
The federal law changed women’s sports forever, including in the Ozarks, where some of the country’s top girl’s and women’s programs reside.
Those programs have been led by trailblazing women along the way.
These days, the Missouri State Lady Bears and Drury Lady Panthers are among the best and most popular teams in the Ozarks.
“In women’s basketball the crowd is just getting bigger and better,” Former Missouri State Lady Bears coach (1987-02) Cheryl Burnett said.
Burnett knows those big crowds firsthand, from when she led the Lady Bears to a pair of Final Fours in 1992 and 2001, but years before that she played the sport herself.
“My freshman year in high school was 1972, so that’s the year Title IX was started,” she said.
By the time Burnett was a senior, her team played a full schedule all because of Title IX. The law was passed on June 23, 1972, and it banned sex-based discrimination in education and athletics.
Prior to Title IX, girls had little to no support.
“We had to just beg for everything that we could get, and a lot of it came out of my pocket,” said Missouri State Hall of Fame coach Reba Sims.
Sims coached three sports (basketball, field hockey, and softball) at Missouri State from 1969-79, and when Title IX passed a few years into her tenure, “It opened the door,” said Sims.
Girls’ sports began getting money, resources, and support including scholarships.
“I got the first full-ride scholarship of any woman at the University of Kansas,” Burnett said.
However, not everything changed overnight.
“In 1985 we had a girl’s gym and a boy’s gym, we had a girl’s bus and a boy’s bus,” Drury Athletic Director and former Missouri State Lady Bears and Drury Lady Panthers coach Nyla Milleson said.
Over the past 50 years, women’s sports have continued to grow.
“The challenges back in the day whether it was uniforms and what we wore, how we traveled, what court or how many times we were kicked off by the men’s teams. To now, where there are so many support staff and so many things in place now to celebrate,” said Burnett.
“I’m very proud of the things that we have been able to accomplish, but it’s like everything else in life you never want to get comfortable and complacent,” Milleson said.
“There’s still more to happen, but we’ve come a long way,” added Burnett.
Women’s sports have come a long way, including a historic 2022.
In the first six months of 2022, the U.S. Women’s National Team was given the same pay as the men, and the Women’s College World Series set a tournament attendance record.
“I think now is a crucial time and more than anything it’s because there’s a lot of awareness to it with it being the 50 years,” said Milleson.
With awareness comes action.
“I think resources have to continue to be at the forefront,” Milleson added.
As some look forward to the next 50 years, these women look back on how Title IX changed their lives forever.
“If it wouldn’t have happened there’s no way I would be standing here. Someone had the vision that we’ve got to make changes,” said Milleson.
“Every opportunity that I’ve had is because of Title IX,” Burnett said.
