History of Women’s Athletics at Grinnell

Stop by and see the new Special Collections and Archives exhibit about the history of women’s athletics at Grinnell College. The exhibit is located on the lower level of Burling Library in Burling Gallery.

Just fifty years ago, even though informal women’s athletic teams existed, they received very little support from Grinnell College. It isn’t until the early 1970s that women’s athletics were legitimatized on campus due to the passage of the federal law called Title IX. This law mandates that no one can be excluded from participating in educational programs on the basis of sex. As a result, Grinnell was required to provide funding and resources to make an equally extensive athletics program for women on campus. Now our division III athletics program has expanded to be an amazing source of community for all student-athletes regardless of gender. This exhibit displays artifacts that track the creation and evolution of an athletic program for women seeking an education and an opportunity to compete in athletics at Grinnell College.

The exhibit was curated by Madeleine Breunig ’20 and Elaine Thut ’20.