Title IX: Let 'em Play

On June 23, 1972, President Nixon signed an educational amendment to prevent sex discrimination in educational institutions. Although sports were not specifically mentioned, the amendment would permanently alter the course of women’s athletics. It became known as Title IX. The Big Ten Network and the University of Illinois take a look back at the early years of women’s collegiate athletics in a new documentary. Dr. Karol Kahrs, Illinois’s first women’s athletic director, tells the story of the tumultuous first years after the amendment was signed. Illinois Soccer Coach Janet Rayfield remembers the great impact Title IX had on her life. Rayfield was on the first women’s soccer team at the University of North Carolina and won two national championships. Illinois Women’s Volleyball coach Kevin Hambly discusses how the law created a new world for his athletes. Today’s female players have coaches, uniforms and scholarships all because of title IX.The documentary is produced by Tim Hartin and Alison Davis Wood for the Office of Public Affairs and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. Associate producers are Kaitlin and Kevin Southworth.