How it All Began
a year-by-year journey of the growth of women's athletics at Texas A&M
This article was originally published in 1999 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of women's athletics at Texas A&M.
Texas A&M University was established in 1876 as the first public university in the state, and was open to men only at that time. Female relatives of faculty and staff were allowed to take classes over the years, but it was 1964 before a degree was conferred on a woman. Open enrollment for women came about in 1969, resulting in women making up 1,000 of the 13,000 enrolled students.
Intercollegiate athletics for women was not offered during these early years.
Dr. Mildred (Mickey) Little joined the faculty of Health and Physical Education (now Kinesiology) in 1971. It was her dream to see the women at Texas A&M be able to compete in intercollegiate athletics. The following year, Kay Don joined the faculty. Together with female students anxious to compete, the Women's Sports Association (WSA) was founded. This (1972) was also the year that Title IX of the Education Amendments Act was enacted.
During the 1972-73 academic year, nine sports were sponsored by the WSA--softball, volleyball, bowling, badminton, tennis, track and field, cross country, gymnastics, and swimming. Basketball was added in 1973. Dr. Little and Ms. Don taught in the Health and Physical Education Department and, in addition to those responsibilities, worked with the athletics teams…receiving no compensation.
The first funding for the entire women's athletic program was reportedly $300 from the Texas A&M Bookstore. Student-athletes and the WSA provided the funds needed for tournament registration fees, gas for travel, lodging, meals and shoes.
Facilities for practice and competition in the beginning included G. Rollie White, DeWare Field House, P.L. Downs Natatorium and Cain Pools, and the track at Kyle Field. Practice areas for the field events were located on the present site of the Clayton Williams Center. Volleyball practiced and hosted its matches in Deware Field House. All competition was under the auspices of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) and its state affiliate, the Texas Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (TAIAW).
In 1972, one of the first sports that competed on a national level and represented Texas A&M was the swimming team. Five swimmers ended up qualifying for the AIAW National Championships--unfortunately only one, Jean Collins, was able to compete, as funds were not available to send the others.
In 1973, 153 women represented Texas A&M in 10 sports. Funding was still desperate as there were only minimal funds (around $200) received from the TAMU Bookstore. Bake sales, car washes and other fund-raising events were sponsored by the WSA to provide assistance while athletes continued to purchase their own uniforms, shoes and other equipment.
Though the beginnings were rough, 1973 also had its bright spots. This was the first season that softball competed. Dr. Little was the coach, and the games were played at Bryan’s Travis Softball Park, while practices were held on the Simpson Drill Field.
This was also the year that a petition was circulated requesting the Athletic Council and the Southwest Conference (SWC) to create a fully-funded program of intercollegiate athletics for women within the existing Athletic Department.
Even with this time of "discontent in the ranks," women continued to represent Texas A&M in athletic competition. In 1974, eight swimmers qualified for the AIAW National Championships with three receiving All-America honors. Women were invited to join the track team for the first time in practice at Kyle Field, which eventually led to the first hosted track and field meet for women in the spring of 1975. Competition included athletes from Baylor, Sam Houston, TCU and West Texas State (now West Texas A&M). The softball team continued to improve and finished second in the TAIAW tournament that same year.
The 1974-75 season was the first year for a woman to receive funding as a student-athlete. An outstanding golfer, Brenda Goldsmith, was given funding by the university (from a private donor) to compete and represent Texas A&M.
Later that year, a report to the President of the University recommended that women's athletics be sanctioned by the University.
Finally, in a decision on June 15, 1975, the Athletic Council made women's athletics part of the Athletic Department. Kay Don was named Interim Director of Women's Athletics for the 1975-76 year, and the following year she was named Assistant Athletic Director for Women. Don continued to coach basketball but ceased to be a member of the Department of Health and Physical Education faculty. In 1975, Kitty Holley was added to the coaching staff as head women's golf coach on a part-time basis.
In 1975-76, athletic scholarships were first made available to women in gymnastics, swimming, tennis, softball, golf, volleyball, basketball and track and field. These scholarships ranged from $50-$300 per semester. Ten full scholarships were used to support 53 of the 120 women competing at the varsity level. All competition continued to be through TAIAW and AIAW. The Athletic Department Lettermen's Association awarded letters to female athletes for the first time during this year. 1976 also became the first time a female was appointed to the Athletic Council--Dr. Little became the first woman to serve and held that position for nine years.
Once the women's program became a part of the Athletic Department, many changes occurred. One of the most significant was the budget. For the first time, the women's program had one: $91,000, which was used for coaches’ salaries, uniforms, equipment and travel expenses. The sports included within this budget were gymnastics, track and field, cross-country, swimming, tennis, softball, golf, volleyball and basketball.
Volleyball, cross-country and tennis were immediately successful in the mid- and late 70s. Texas A&M had its first female Olympian developed during that time period, as Linda Cornelius Waltman was named an All-America pentathlete in 1978 and 1979. The following year, she was named to the 1980 Olympic Team and would become the first female inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985.
During the late '70s and early '80s, the softball team started adding its name to Texas A&M athletic history. The Aggies played in two especially memorable games--a 24-inning game against Texas Woman's University in 1978, and a 29-inning affair against UCLA in 1981. In the UCLA game, Lori Stoll, another future Hall of Famer, pitched the entire 29 innings. The softball team finished the 1981 season with a trip to the Women's College World Series, and then in 1982, the team became AIAW National Champions. This was the first national championship for Texas A&M since 1939 (football). But this first title for the softball team would be just one of three national championships that it would bring to the University.
The early 1980s was also a time of success for Coach Kitty Holley and the golf team. They won the last TAIAW championship in 1982 and the Southwest Conference title in 1985. This was significant because it was the first SWC title for Texas A&M--men or women--in 25 years.
Do-It-Yourself Athletics
It would probably be appropriate to describe the early days of women's athletics at Texas A&M University as a "do-it-yourself" program. According to Mickey Stratton, who coached the first women gymnasts in 1970 and 1971, equipment was a major issue. There were no uneven bars for the women, so he took a set of men's parallel bars and rebuilt them to be used by the women. Other equipment was either borrowed or purchased from manufacturers following meets. Equipment for other teams was also a challenge. Things like batting machines and other equipment to assist with practices were not available for several years.
Finding uniforms for competition was a problem. There was no budget for athletics, and funds from the A&M Bookstore were limited. During the first year, the women made numbers from athletic tape for the back of their physical education uniforms for competition and used their own clothes for practice. Another example of "do-it-yourself" aspects of the program includes Coach Holley's skills as a seamstress; in addition to coaching golf, she made uniforms for the golf team until 1985.
Most of the student-athletes provided some of their own equipment and practice gear. For instance, swimmers bought their own goggles. Kelly Krauskopf, who played basketball from 1980-83, remembers that their travel bags were so worn that duct tape was needed to hold them together. The team was embarrassed and decided to go shopping to buy their own bags. Blue was the only color available in the quantity needed, but they bought them anyway so they would all have the same bag.
The early days for many of the sports meant finding places for practice and to host competitions, both on campus and in the Bryan/College Station area.
Softball played at Travis Park in Bryan, Bee Creek Park in College Station and Penberthy Intramural Complex on campus until the Aggie Softball Complex was completed in 1996. Central Park softball complex, Bee Creek and Penberthy were all used for tournaments.
Deware Field House was home for volleyball practice and competition. Coaches and players removed the archery goals used by physical education classes and set up nets before every practice and match. Fans were recruited to keep score on a blackboard until flip scorecards were available.
All track practice and competition was at Kyle Field, while practice and competition for field events took place where the Clayton Williams Center now exists.
Soccer games and practice were held near the polo field at the front of the campus, an area affectionately known as "Fire Ant Hill". Simpson Drill Field served as the host site for many soccer tournaments.
Gymnastics also shared its space with physical education classes and, at one time, hosted a state meet at Bryan High School.
Practice areas in G. Rollie White Coliseum were at a premium. The third floor gym and the "sweat box" were frequently used by both basketball and volleyball.
Travel presented its own set of problems. In the earliest years, athletes traveled in their own cars or in those of their parents. Those same parents frequently paid for the gas. Lodging for out-of-town competition was often provided by parents, friends or a combination of the two. Sleeping bags and pillows were as important travel gear as shoes, uniforms, and other equipment. Athletes provided or purchased their own food on the road. Later money was provided at a rather low rate. One former athlete related receiving $2 for food at a 7-11 store.
One of the first major gifts to the University were two passenger vans donated by Jocko and Go Go Roberts in 1985. These were of great help for team travel and were used primarily by basketball and volleyball. The coaches and trainers were the drivers which meant long days and nights for the staff. The vans were a primary means of travel until the basketball team crashed into each other on an icy road on the way to Dallas in February 1987. After that incident, the Athletic Department was more aware of the dangers of this type of travel and initiated charter bus and commercial air travel at a much more frequent rate for the teams.
Treatment and rehabilitation for athletic injuries began during the time of volleyball coach Laura Kitzmiller (Kitz). She and Billy Pickard arranged for women to use the small training facility in Cain Hall at specific times. During that time, Kitz demonstrated to a student, Jen Nixon, the skills needed to become an athletic trainer. As soon as Jen completed Basic First Aid and Emergency Care and Transportation, she was allowed to travel with some of the teams.
Attracting fans was difficult. For many years the women's basketball games were played immediately prior to the men's games. The number of people in the stands would increase as time for the men's game neared. By halftime the crowd would be large enough to provide encouragement for the women. Cindy Gough remembers the January 23, 1978 game against Texas, which preceded the men's game in G. Rollie White. As the crowd increased in numbers so did the intensity of play. The Aggies won that game. This was a huge win because Texas won its next 183 games against Southwest Conference opponents, including all conference games and a National Championship. The next Aggie win over Texas would not occur until January 20, 1992, in Austin.
Tickets were not sold at women's athletic events until 1984-85. Lynn Hickey, who was basketball coach during that time, remembers getting the ticket operation set up prior to the game and then getting the ticket box and putting it in the trunk of her car after the contest until she came back to work the next morning. She also related an incident at a volleyball game that year when special assistance was called for out of the stands. A&M was playing the University of Texas, and the students were lined up from the front of G. Rollie White all the way across the street to Rudder Tower. Hickey, who was also Assistant Athletic Director for Women, went to the stands asking Wally Groff and John David Crow for keys to open up two more ticket windows. Not only did the gentlemen assist with the keys, but they also manned the ticket booths and accommodated the crowd's entry to the contest. From that time on, the ticket office and administration responded to event management and the needs of women's athletic contests.
Even though there were some tough times and women's athletics had to prove themselves and their worth, none of these issues were really deterrents or obstacles that kept the women athletes from wanting to compete and represent Texas A&M Athletics. As Bernie Ponzio, who played on the first softball and volleyball teams put it: "We played for the love of the sport. It drew us close to one another. The conditions didn't matter."
You've Come a Long Way
Women's athletics at Texas A&M has definitely come a long way since the first days of competition in 1972. The women have gone from being known as Maggies, to Lady Aggies, and are now referred to simply as Aggies, which is what they wanted back in 1975. But some things just take time.
The decade of the 1980s was a time for growth, in numbers and budget, as the Aggies won three national championships in softball (AIAW and NCAA) and a conference championship in golf. Individual conference championships were achieved in track and field, and the volleyball team was involved in postseason play.
In 1984, Lynn Hickey became the second Assistant Athletic Director for Women and head women's basketball coach. A significant move at this time was naming Tedi Zalesky-Ellison to be the Academic Advisor for all female student-athletes. She worked with the students in developing schedules, establishing study hall, identifying tutors and working with faculty to assist the students in achieving academic goals. It was also during this decade that there was an increase in the number of students working with athletes in the role of student trainers and managers.
Representative of another major move in the late 1980s, the female student-athletes began moving from Mosher dormitory to modular dorms on the north side of campus, in addition to gaining dining privileges at Cain Hall. Hickey, who for several years was the only female staff member that was allowed to eat at Cain Hall, remembered walking back from lunch one day with newly appointed Athletic Director John David Crow who asked, "Why don't the girls eat at Cain?" Lynn replied that she did not know why, but that it was a great idea! Soon after, the women were using Cain Hall as an academic area and eating at the training table.
The Lady Aggie Maroon Club was founded in 1986 to develop a base of fan support for women's athletics and to provide financial assistance. For the first time, marketing of women's sports and season ticket sales occurred about the same time. Through the efforts of Maroon Club members, businesses became involved as sponsors for women's sports.
As the '90s rolled in, the women were totally integrated into the academic support system, the training room, the strength and conditioning facility, the training table at Cain Hall and the 12th Man Foundation, which helps fund scholarships and operating funds for the entire A&M athletic program.
The Aggies roared into the last decade of the 20th Century, as evidenced in both records and facilities. Softball, basketball, volleyball, golf, soccer, track and field, cross-country, swimming and diving and tennis all advanced to postseason competition. Soccer and golf won Big 12 championships. Basketball and volleyball advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
