BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas A&M Title IX pioneers Vicki Brown Sobecki and Brenda Goldsmith Hocott will be recognized as SEC Trailblazers in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference's 50th anniversary of Title IX celebration, the league office announced.
Brown Sobecki and Goldsmith Hocott are part of a distinguished group of individuals from all 14 SEC member institutions to be honored during the 2022 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, March 2-6, in Nashville, Tenn.Â
The SEC Trailblazers contributed to the advancement of women and the growth of women's athletics at their universities and within the Southeastern Conference. Each trailblazer will be honored on court during half-time of their team's first game of the tournament, as well as with the full group of honorees on semifinal Saturday.
Brown Sobecki blazed a trail for Women's Athletics at Texas A&M University as the first female to receive an official athletics scholarship as a swimmer, and was the first female inductee in the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame. Brown-Sobecki continued as a women's athletics pioneer after graduation when she became the first female member of the board of directors of the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association and later served as the first female president of the Lettermen's Association.
Goldsmith Hocott was at ground zero of the birth of Women's Athletics at Texas A&M University when she became the first female student-athlete awarded an athletics scholarship. One of the nation's top junior golfers entering Texas A&M, Goldsmith's scholarship was originally funded by a private donor and she represented the Aggies as an individual. Other firsts for the trailblazing Goldsmith Hocott include being Texas A&M's first female letterwinner and first female representative at a National Championship.Â
The SEC will have a year-long celebration of the golden anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation enacted half a century ago that has had a dramatic and lasting impact on opportunities for women in collegiate athletics.
Under the banner of "50th Anniversary of Title IX: Creating Opportunities," the SEC's celebration will include recognitions at Conference championship events, commemoration of achievements through online and social media channels, commemorative memorabilia and a collaboration with the SEC Network highlighting the advancement of women's sports.
Below is the list of the SEC Trailblazers:
Sarah Patterson, Alabama
Marie Robbins, Alabama
Bev Lewis, Arkansas
Linda Bedford-Jackson, Arkansas
Dr. Jane Moore, Auburn (deceased)
Meredith Jenkins, Auburn (deceased)
Susan Nunnelly, Auburn
Jeremy Foley, Florida
Ann Marie Rogers, Florida
Liz Murphy, Georgia (deceased)Â
Carla Williams, Georgia
Bernadette Locke-Mattox, Kentucky
Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky
D-D Breaux, LSU
Joyce Walker, LSU
Samye Johnson, Mississippi State
Ann Carr, Mississippi State
Jean Cerra, Missouri
Joann Rutherford, Missouri
Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Ole Miss
Lynnette Johnson , Ole Miss
Dawn Ellerbe, South Carolina
Sheila Foster, South Carolina
Pat Summitt, Tennessee (deceased)
Joan Cronan, Tennessee
Vicki Brown Sobecki, Texas A&M
Brenda Goldsmith Hocott, Texas A&M
Sharon Shields, Vanderbilt
Teresa Lawrence Phillips, Vanderbilt
Brown Sobecki and Goldsmith Hocott are part of a distinguished group of individuals from all 14 SEC member institutions to be honored during the 2022 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, March 2-6, in Nashville, Tenn.Â
The SEC Trailblazers contributed to the advancement of women and the growth of women's athletics at their universities and within the Southeastern Conference. Each trailblazer will be honored on court during half-time of their team's first game of the tournament, as well as with the full group of honorees on semifinal Saturday.
Brown Sobecki blazed a trail for Women's Athletics at Texas A&M University as the first female to receive an official athletics scholarship as a swimmer, and was the first female inductee in the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame. Brown-Sobecki continued as a women's athletics pioneer after graduation when she became the first female member of the board of directors of the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association and later served as the first female president of the Lettermen's Association.
Goldsmith Hocott was at ground zero of the birth of Women's Athletics at Texas A&M University when she became the first female student-athlete awarded an athletics scholarship. One of the nation's top junior golfers entering Texas A&M, Goldsmith's scholarship was originally funded by a private donor and she represented the Aggies as an individual. Other firsts for the trailblazing Goldsmith Hocott include being Texas A&M's first female letterwinner and first female representative at a National Championship.Â
The SEC will have a year-long celebration of the golden anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation enacted half a century ago that has had a dramatic and lasting impact on opportunities for women in collegiate athletics.
Under the banner of "50th Anniversary of Title IX: Creating Opportunities," the SEC's celebration will include recognitions at Conference championship events, commemoration of achievements through online and social media channels, commemorative memorabilia and a collaboration with the SEC Network highlighting the advancement of women's sports.
Below is the list of the SEC Trailblazers:
Sarah Patterson, Alabama
Marie Robbins, Alabama
Bev Lewis, Arkansas
Linda Bedford-Jackson, Arkansas
Dr. Jane Moore, Auburn (deceased)
Meredith Jenkins, Auburn (deceased)
Susan Nunnelly, Auburn
Jeremy Foley, Florida
Ann Marie Rogers, Florida
Liz Murphy, Georgia (deceased)Â
Carla Williams, Georgia
Bernadette Locke-Mattox, Kentucky
Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky
D-D Breaux, LSU
Joyce Walker, LSU
Samye Johnson, Mississippi State
Ann Carr, Mississippi State
Jean Cerra, Missouri
Joann Rutherford, Missouri
Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Ole Miss
Lynnette Johnson , Ole Miss
Dawn Ellerbe, South Carolina
Sheila Foster, South Carolina
Pat Summitt, Tennessee (deceased)
Joan Cronan, Tennessee
Vicki Brown Sobecki, Texas A&M
Brenda Goldsmith Hocott, Texas A&M
Sharon Shields, Vanderbilt
Teresa Lawrence Phillips, Vanderbilt