Athletics Department | 6/21/2022 1:33:00 PM

Thursday, June 23 is the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which was a federal civil rights law that states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
The landmark legislation opened the doors for girls to compete in athletics. This week, to celebrate the anniversary of Title IX, MSUM Athletics is running essays from three female athletes – two from the past and one current Dragon – to talk about the impact this law had on their participation in sports.
The first essay is from MSUM Hall of Famer Mary Ann Donnay, who was a three-sport athlete for the Dragons in the 1970s. She was inducted into the MSUM Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 and the NSIC Hall of Fame in 2001.
 
Title IX: The Impact
By Mary Ann Donnay
My first experience at organized sports happened when I was 10 years old. I played on our 4H Co-ed Softball team in Glencoe, Minn. The team was composed of kids ages 10-18. We practiced once a week and played in a single day tourney against other 4-H teams from nearby towns. That experience got me hooked on sports. 
 
 I attended parochial school through seventh grade and we didn't have Physical Education class or girls' sports (just recess, which was my favorite subject) so my next opportunity to compete in organized sports didn't come until 1970 when I was in eighth grade. GAA (Girls' Athletic Association) was the first time I was introduced to the myriad of sports that boys enjoyed.  GAA included a taste of soccer, flag football, volleyball, basketball, floor hockey, swimming, softball and track relays. We met once a week to play these sports and build confidence and friendships. It was fun and a great introduction to competition, but I wanted and needed more; I wanted to continue to play.
 
Luckily, while growing up in Glencoe, I was fortunate to have a physical education teacher who was young and ready to be a trailblazer for girls' sports in our school. Jan Willand coached both girls basketball and track teams. In 1971, our basketball team played a 10-game schedule in the fall. We had to play in the fall because the boys had the winter season of basketball, and it was not possible for us to share the gym space with them in the winter. Our team finished the season 9-1 that fall and was able to play in a District "playday" in the middle of the season against other nearby towns. This same year, the 30-second clock was first introduced to the game of girls basketball. Also, in 1971 we fielded a track team. The season consisted of five track meets. New events were added this year including the ¾ mile run and the 70 yd hurdles.  The 50 yd dash was eliminated. It was assumed that a mile run or 100 yard hurdles were too strenuous for the girls.  Only two sports were offered for girls at our school in 1971, Basketball and Track and Field.
 
1972 -- track and field was one of the fastest growing sports for girls in Minnesota and the first girls state track meet was held in St. Cloud in May of 1972. At that meet, 458 female athletes competed and 108 schools were represented. It was also in that year, the ¾ mile run was changed to a mile run and the softball throw and 880-yd sprint medley relay was added for girls.
Fall 1972- Our Glencoe girls basketball team went 14-0 but had no chance of going to any type of postseason tournament. That was just for the boys' teams.
 
1972 also ushered in some big changes for girls sports due to the passage of Title IX. Legislation passed in June of 1972, required that any federally funded institution (including schools and colleges) provide equal opportunity in education and sports (to name a few) to all members no matter their gender, race, economic status, ethnicity, and more. A historic day for many girls and women. Because of Title IX many more people were able to realize their dreams, pursue their passions and improve their circumstances, their communities and the future. It took some time for the effects of Title IX to spread across the U.S. but it grew with each passing year.
 
In 1973, my senior year, our basketball team again finished with a 14-0 record. Although there was no state tournament in Minnesota yet for girls basketball, the fall of 1974 introduced the first fall State of Minnesota playoffs for girls basketball.  That year, Glencoe, my hometown, went undefeated and won the first ever State Girls Basketball playoff.
 
My love for sports continued when I enrolled at Moorhead State University in the Fall of 1974. I wanted a way to get in shape for basketball so I was encouraged to try field hockey. I knew nothing about the sport and neither did most of my teammates, but I grew to love the sport during my four-year tenure. I participated in basketball in the winter and track and field in the spring at MSU.  I am so thankful that I was able to be a 3-sport athlete. I cherish the opportunities and friendships made at MSU.  A few fond memories I have of my sports days at MSUM are traveling with the NDSU and Concordia athletes on the same bus to Regional Track meets in Kansas and the opportunity to compete at National Track and Field Championships in Corvalis, Ore.
 
Because of my participation in sports, I learned to compete, to develop confidence and to help others reach their goals. I knew that I wanted to become a physical education teacher even as a high school student. I wanted to give as many girls as possible a chance to participate. I am proud to say that I coached and taught for 40 years and encouraged many students, girls and boys alike, to be multisport athletes. Each sport has a unique life skill to teach but the core values are still grit, character, leadership, teamwork and a good work ethic. I am certainly blessed to have had the chance to compete in sports as a young person and to this day I still live a very active lifestyle.  I compete in Track and Field in the state Senior Games, play pickleball, golf, bicycle and cross country ski; anything to stay active and enjoy the great outdoors.