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Jan Trombly came to Old Dominion to play basketball for the famed Lady Monarchs when they were the premier women’s basketball program in the nation. ODU won back-to-back national championships in 1979 and 1980. The best players in the game flocked to ODU, creating a legacy that today, over 40 years later, is still talked about. How did a small commuter college in southeastern Virginia become the dominant women’s basketball program in the nation? ODU was among the first to offer female athletic scholarships under the auspices of legislation known as Title IX. The mandate, passed in 1972, requires educational institutions which receive federal funding, to prohibit sex-based discrimination.
After Title IX, high schools and colleges had to reverse historical practices of ignoring female athletics and create new programs and practices to ensure equity.
Open Channel looks at how the landmark legislation Title IX quite literally changed the game for women’s athletics.
This episode of Open Channel was produced with the help of WHRV Intern Nya Muir.
Open Channel on WHRV FM explores the layered history and current activity of the Hampton Roads region. Check out the archives.
