University of Florida Athletics issued the following announcement on Sept. 21.
A salute this big can’t be contained in a single event.
A season-long celebration of 50 years of Florida women’s athletics kicks off this weekend.
Florida women’s athletics have long been a source of pride for the University of Florida, with the competitions of more than 2,700 female student-athletes claiming 165 national or conference championships.
Just prior to Saturday’s Florida-Tennessee football game, three from first-ever Florida women’s teams in 1972-73 – Sue Halfacre (swimming), Cherrietta Prince (track & field) and Nancy Thayer (gymnastics) – lead the Ben Hill Griffin crowd as honorary Ms. Two-Bits.
Some Gator women who claimed conference or NCAA team championships are back to celebrate 10 or 25-year title anniversaries in a halftime Parade of Champions.
The celebration continues throughout the 2021-22 campaign. A home competition date for each of UF’s sports (men and women) is designated as a Florida’s 50th Anniversary event. All Gator teams will wear a special 50th anniversary t-shirt during the course of the 2021-22 campaign, starting this weekend with soccer, volleyball and football. Check Gators social accounts and FloridaGators.com for upcoming celebration dates.
The Start
In March of 1972, a proposal written by Dr. Ruth Alexander (Chair of the Department of Physical Education for Women), Donna Deutsch (tennis coach), Linda Hall Thornton (tennis coach) and Mimi Ryan (golf coach) requesting a women’s program of intercollegiate athletics was approved by the Faculty Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. The effective date for the proposal was set for the 1972-73 school year -- the first official year for University of Florida women’s athletics.
This marked an important moment in history, as Title IX was not yet implemented, and would not follow until three months later, and no other school in the Southeastern Conference had yet to accomplish funding a women's program.
The initial sports offered were golf, gymnastics, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field/cross country. Basketball, softball and volleyball were elevated to varsity status in the 1974-75 season. Florida fielded a slow-pitch softball team from 1975-83. When women's intercollegiate sports transitioned from AIAW to NCAA play in 1982, fast-pitch softball was sanctioned by the NCAA, thus signaling the end of UF slow-pitch softball. Florida added fast-pitch softball team for the 1997 season. Volleyball was offered at UF from 1974-78 and was reinstated to varsity status for the 1984 season. Soccer opened play at UF in the fall of 1995. Lacrosse’s first season was in 2010.
Florida funds the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA for each of its 11 women's sports, totaling 115 scholarships for the 2021-22 season.
Original source can be found here.
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