Young women today take many of their athletic opportunities for granted and yet only 25 years ago things were very different. Sue Brown had a hand in directing the changes while serving as the first woman chair of the Committee on Athletics. In this article she shares her memories of those years.

This Silver Anniversary Celebration included exhibit displays, memorabilia displays, pictures, and resolutions. The Master of Ceremonies was Dr. Donna Lopiano, Executive Director of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Others included on the program, as speakers were Dr. Frank Gornic, President of the COA Board, Joanne A. Fortunato, State Commissioner, Sue Brown, retired Athletic/Admissions Administrator and Sports Hall of Fame member, Linda Garrison, retired Division Dean/Athletic Director, Marilyn Williams, retired Physical Education coordinator, and Jill Angel, former student-athlete, member of the Sports Hall of Fame, and Chief of the California Highway Patrol. Additionally, there were numerous awards presented by the various associations represented at the convention.

In attendance, along with the conference participants were approximately 15 women who have been involved in women’s athletics during the past 25 years and some for at least 40 years. It was an “old home day” for many who came long distances to help in this special celebration and to be recognized for their contribution in the success of athletics for women in the state.

As one of the speakers for the Celebration “Bruncheon,” I have been asked by Sharon Donoff to share some of the history of the growth of women’s athletics in California Community Colleges.

When I graduated from college the only thing I thought about doing was having a career as a high school physical education teacher and my coursework at both San Jose and Occidental focused on teaching at the secondary level. I was excited to get a job at Corona Del Mar high School where I taught for two years. Girl’s sports at the high school level were conducted much differently in those early years. The best players were not always put together on a team and frequently teams of various skill levels were all mixed together. “Sports Days” were the norm. If we went to Anaheim High School to play basketball, when we got there each girl would receive a color coded piece of paper that represented the team on which she would play. Each team would be made up of girls from all the various schools participating in the day. Amazing!

When I was offered the opportunity to teach at Orange Coast College I almost turned it down. I thought that I had already reached my ultimate goal. Although I had had many leadership experiences during high school and college, no one had ever suggested that I might pursue a career as a college teacher and surely not as a college administrator. In fact, I had a high school vice-principal suggest that I might not be college “material”. I took the position, however, because it represented an opportunity to coach.

As the “team sports coach” at Orange Coast College in 1964, I coached basketball, volleyball, field hockey and softball. Students would enroll in the “Team Sports” class and participate for the entire semester. We had two sports per semester. Although most athletes played all four sports, they did not have to. We practiced two hours, two days a week and had games on those same days. We had 5 or 6 contests in each league with some kind of playoff at the end. So, the bottom line was that you practiced about 6 times and then started playing games. There was always punch and cookies after the game.

Most of the students came from the recreation background and had limited knowledge of the game. For me, that lasted about two years before I realized that being the “team sports coach” was too frustrating. I became the swimming coach, which was also a two-day per week experience, but at least you had one sport to coach during a semester. Additionally, I had competed in swimming between the ages of 10 and 14 with the Huntington Beach Swim Club and had a better understanding of the skills necessary for students to succeed in this sport.

During those early years, there were four organizations administering women’s athletics in the State. These organizations were run by the coaches of the various sports and divided into “conferences” by sport. There were no women athletic director’s to my knowledge at that time, although generally there was a “leader” from most colleges that voluntarily did the paper work that was required for the college to participate.

Title 9 was implemented in 1972 and most of the colleges began the process of updating their programs to meet these challenges. Interestingly, there were both men and women who resisted the changes feeling that both programs would suffer. The primary pressure from women athletes was coming from those who had had successful experiences outside of their schools and mostly in tennis, swimming and softball where there were opportunities for competition outside of the school setting where women could excel. The women coaches had a “recreation” philosophy which basically defined women’s athletics as an opportunity for participation where winning was only an aside and not the goal. The organizations at that time were beginning to change from the WRA (Women’s Recreation Association) to WAA (Women’s Athletic Association) and finally the SCCCIAC (Southern California Community College Intercollegiate Athletic Council). By this time, we did have a few “Women’s Athletic Directors” and more and more colleges were pressuring administrations to create such positions.

As Vice-President of the southern women’s organization (SCCCIAC) in 1975 and President in 1976, I became a representative to a newly formed “ad Hoc Committee” for the purpose of developing a strategy for a statewide program of intercollegiate athletics for women. The Ad Hoc Committee, organized under the purview of the Committee on Athletics, was composed of men and women athletic directors, coaches, and administrators from northern and southern California. It made its first presentation to the State Athletic Committee in April 1975 requesting a separate committee composed of women to administer a State Program. Fortunately for all of us, this proposal was rejected in favor of establishing a single program for men and women with one committee composed of an equal representation of men and women. In implementing this concept, an expanded committee was established, the “Interim Committee on Women’s Athletics”. This committee completely reviewed and rewrote the structure, function and rules for competition in the state. The proposal was subsequently approved at all levels and was implemented in the fall of 1977-78. Prior to this time, the COA had been composed primarily of college presidents, most of whom were men. And, I need to share with you that some of the Presidents were reluctant to relinquish control to men and women who were administrators, athletic directors and coaches rather than having Presidents (CEO’s) in control.

In 1977, I was appointed as a member of the “Committee on Athletics” for a three-year term. In that role I was a representative to the sport of women’s softball, a member of numerous committees, and the chairperson of the Play-Off Committee. I also became the Division Dean/Athletic Administrator for Health and Physical Education at Orange Coast during that same year.

In 1980 I was asked to chair the Committee on Athletics a position I enjoyed for four years. An interesting aside is that those who were looking for a change from the male president leadership that had been in place for so many years promoted the interest in my being appointed the chair. I will share with you that I was petrified when I received a phone call from the Executive Director of the California Community and Junior College Association. Lloyd Messersmith called me and said, “the Board of Governors of the CCJCA would like you to chair the Committee on Athletics . . . but, if you don’t want to do it, it’s O.K. and we have someone else in mind”. I guess he shouldn’t have said that last part because it was just what I needed to say yes. As a result they were stuck with me and my tenure as the chair lasted for four years.

For those who don’t know the structure, the Commission on Athletics falls under the auspices of the Community College League of California who officially appoint their Commission leaders. It was during the time that I chaired the COA that it’s name was changed to the “Commission on Athletics” and the CCJCA became the California Association of Community Colleges. This organization is now known as the California League of Community Colleges. Changing these titles was accomplished through a collaborative process, organized by the Board, with participation from all of its committee chairs, Board members, and staff.

The following things and more occurred during the time I was involved as a member of the Commission and during the time I chaired the Commission.

1. The development of the position and hiring of a Commissioner of Athletics. Walt Rilliet from Skyline College was hired in that position and has since retired. He was honored at this convention by being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame. Walt left his full-time teaching position to continue to be involved at the State level in a program he helped develop and in which he believed strongly.
   
2. The complete rewrite of the State Athletic Code. Six of the members of the COA met in the office of the President of Golden West College and literally threw up the old Code into the air and watched where it fell. It was a process those involved were very proud of and the results were extremely important to the success of the statewide program.
   
3. The restructuring of the statewide play-off program. Since there had never been state championships for community college women, and the cost of this new program was potentially doubled for colleges, it was necessary to develop fair and equitable playoffs for all sports, men’s and women’s.
   
4. The development of due process procedures. Much of what had occurred prior to this time had a historical perspective that didn’t always make much sense. Many times the COA took actions because “it had always been done that way”. We had to provide procedures for things to change in an orderly and appropriate fashion.
   
5. The development of a Scholar Athlete and Sports Hall of Fame awards. I have to give Walt Rilliet credit for this idea and he and I, along with his secretary, wrote the beginnings of the code language that would provide for these awards. This program has expanded considerably and many men and women athletes as well as coaches and administrators have been selected for this award.
   
6. The beginnings of product sponsorship. We have gone from trying to get someone to donate $1,000.00 for a state playoff to large sponsorships that have significantly assisted in enhancing the play-offs for all sports.
   
   

In my humble opinion, all of what occurred during those years and since that time is due in large part to the vision of a few people who were willing to put aside their fears and most of their spare time, to develop a program of athletics for men and women that met the intent of Title 9 and the needs and interests of the California community college athlete, and those responsible for coaching and administering the programs.

It is also of interest and hopefully worth sharing that at the time we were involved in developing one program for men and women in the California community colleges, the four-year colleges and universities were on an entirely different path. It was during this time that the AIAW was developed to administer athletics for women. This association did not last long and currently the NCAA, NAIA, etc; administer all men’s and women’s four-year athletic programs. At the inception of the AIAW, several of us had the opportunity to talk with the women who were in the four-year colleges. We suggested that they look at what we had accomplished in the California community colleges but the central issue was concern that women would be subsumed under the control of men. They didn’t “trust” that, with the right leadership, a fair and equitable program with solid representation by women and men could be developed and be sustained.

It is hard to believe that only 25 years ago women’s athletics was just beginning to thrive. We have come so very far since that time. To watch our professional women athletics, our Olympic athletes, and our youth league girls, is truly exciting. Girls can now look forward to the chance of a scholarship, just like their male counter parts providing a motivation for success as both a student and athlete that has only existed a short time. The only question yet to be answered and one that never will is just how high, how fast, and how far can women go to reach their ultimate potential. At least now the opportunity exists for them to try.

In 1987 I had the opportunity to become the Administrative Dean of Admissions and Records at OCC. It was difficult to leave the athletic arena, especially with as much of myself involved in its development. It was, however, a good move for me, I loved working with students in a different capacity and could still be a support to student athletes. I retired in 1995 and, although I miss being involved, I can look back and say I had a wonderful career, met and made friends with many people throughout the state, believe that I have made a difference in the lives of many people, and am thoroughly enjoying my retirement.