2023 www.statesman.com. Seconds into the conversation, Lopiano realized: Uh-oh. Being a part of a team. Conradt had coaching stints at Sam Houston State and Texas-Arlington before taking the Texas job. The next season, on Dec. 14, 1986, we'd lose to the Lady Vols 85-78 in Austin. It was always bigger than us. She loved competing. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, Jody Conradt, University of Texas embody the shaping, struggles and success of Title IX, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach. Jody Conradt arrived at the University of Texas in 1976 and quickly established the Longhorns as an unstoppable force on the national scene. Two years after relinquishing the AD role, Conradt coached Texas to the 2003 Final Four. The program offered no scholarships. This is a carousel. They saw her photo on the wall of heralded players. Her time at UT also included coaching the sport's first undefeated national champion. Being a teacher or, if I went to Brownwood, I might see a nurse.. (512) 475-7085 There was a connection, a camaraderie, a feeling that we were all in this together and weve got to make do. Director of Development, Strategic Initiatives Texas womens varsity athletics began in the mid-1970s with 90 athletes competing in eight sports. Its fun to watch.. Solomon: DeMeco Ryans the right coach at the right time, 3 pressing questions facing new Astros GM Dana Brown, Jabari Smith Jr. growing up in NBA with an assist from his father, Poor parent behavior is driving high school sports refs away. During her illustrious career, Conradt has coached countless players who have been Olympians, earned All-America honors, and National Player of the Year acclaim. It was designed by New Jersey-based artist Brian Hanlon, the official sculptor for the Naismith Hall of Fame. Her friends and players also knew a loving, gentle - yes, gentle - kind and compassionate soul who loved to laugh and entertain friends at her house. By 1986, both teams had become dominant forces in their respective leagues. Conradt, 71, who coached at UT from 1976 to 2007 and won the 1986 national title, will become the second female to have a statue on UT's campus, joining congresswoman and civil rights leader Barbara Jordan. During a Texas Exes meet and greet at Barton Creek Country Club, Lopiano was approached by UT Regent Ed Clark, who bluntly wondered how long it would take for a Longhorn womens team to win a national title. Former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt is expected to attend the dedication, which will include a video message from former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and recognition of the 40th anniversary Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination in educational programs -- including sports. As only the second woman ever inducted into the Springfield, Mass. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. When you grew up in a small town, you only saw women doing one of two things, Conradt says. Chris and his wonderful spouse, Dr. Robin Ward, faculty member at Rice University, daily share the impact higher education has on young women. Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth, SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school girls' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 10 Irish lose top scorer Miles to knee injury. Texas president Bill Powers called Conradt a "truly historic" figure. Angela Jackson was a four-year starter eventual all-conference player for us and graduated in 1998 with a journalism degree. Providing financial support to student-athletes pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees after their eligibility has expired, this fund exists to assist those who are determined to succeed academically. Texas, perhaps more than any university in the country, has grappled with, shaped and ultimately led the implementing of Title IX. Sharp did not respond to a request for an interview. Column: Isnt it time we heard from Georgia coach Kirby Smart? I think we all did. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame Museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." All Ive ever known was to rise up and move forward, no matter what the challenge may be, no matter the difficulty or pain.. Jody Conradt was nurtured by the small-town, West Texas values of Goldthwaite (pop. Oops. Thats how it was in those days, Conradt says. Conradt personifies Title IX. She was one of the very earliest supporters (of Texas Womens Athletics), said Chris Plonsky, chief of staff for Texas Athletics. She had a hunger. #1 On Your Birthday We were at our states' preeminent public institutions. Conradt's classroom eventually became a multipurpose arena at her beloved University of Texas, after serving as women's basketball coach at Sam Houston State (1969-73) and coach/women's athletics director at UT-Arlington (1973-76). After coaching at Sam Houston State and serving as coach/womens athletics director at UT-Arlington, Conradts classroom became a 16,000-seat arena at The University of Texas at Austin. All of that has happened, I think, as a result of Title IX.. Self-Morgan, who has coached Westlake and Duncanville to multiple high school state championships, does not recall Page complaining about racial discrimination. Pages first team at Texas finished its club-based schedule with a 7-11 record. It was not easy for a man of color to coach at Texas, he said. Then the coaches at Tennessee and Texas, Pat Summitt, left, and Jody Conradt alternated annual games between home courts starting in 1982 in a successful attempt to expand the popularity of women's basketball. She saw a chance to wake up a "sleeping giant" in the early days of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that bans sex discrimination in educational programs -- including sports. Conradt to receive Giant Steps Award from National Consortium for Academics and Sports [Jan. 28, 2008] Under Rice, Conradt learned the value of fundamentals. It was a labor of love., Page has spent the majority of his life educating young people. Conradt has been the That was Pat - always thinking about our game. Two years passed, in fact, before it dawned on the NCAAs legal counsel to inquire whether Title IX encompassed athletics and other extracurricular activities. At 67, Page reflects on a period that challenged him in so many ways. UT plans statue for former women's basketball coach Conradt. On the morning she was to depart for Washington, D.C., Lopiano got a phone call from second-year UT President Lorene Rogers, the first and still only female president in the schools history. Before camp registration, we toured campus with her three daughters and her mother, showing them where she had studied, stayed in the dorm and played basketball. When he came to Texas in 1996, the upper Midwesttransplant wouldn't have imagined heading a program that would give him four state championships. She didnt even know the school had what was called an extramural womens basketball team until she wandered into Rena Marrs McLean gym, heard the thump of a basketball and was invited to join in. WebConradt's classroom eventually became a multipurpose arena at her beloved University of Texas, after serving as women's basketball coach at Sam Houston State (1969-73) and coach/women's athletics director at UT-Arlington (1973-76). Her aspirations were to teach. The statue will be unveiled at an invitation-only ceremony Friday. When Texas developed its womens basketball team, the Longhorns were already several steps behind the states established programs Wayland Baptist, Stephen F. Austin, Baylor, Rice, Temple Junior College. Page lived in a one-bedroom off-campus apartment and walked to work. Fortunately she is native to a state which takes pride in its passion, independence and can-do attitude. No doubt prodded by the specter of Title IX, Texas in 1975 hired Lopiano. That's one of the reasons it will be so difficult to fathom a basketball season without Pat Summitt. And I think you should be athletic director because, if you dont take the role, theyre likely to combine the departments and well lose everything weve built. , Problem was, Conradt wanted to keep coaching. So whenever we went on road trips, we had a different roommate for each game. Lopiano deduced that it was Stephen F. Austins Sue Gunter or UT-Arlingtons Conradt. Royal told Lopiano to get a copy of the budget from his assistant. Flanked by about 20 family members including wife Sheila, his spouse of 39 years, Page waved at the appreciative crowd, his eyes glistening from the spotlight aimed Her love was basketball. Fortunately, she resided in a state that prides itself on passion, opportunity and can-do attitude. "This is not about me. Ford had met in the White House with a concerned Royal, Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler and Arkansas coach Frank Broyles. Born: May 13, 1941. And let's face it, that's pretty big. The University of Texas is a better institution of higher learning. Jody Conradt came to the University of Texas just a couple of years after [Title IX], said former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a taped statement. I realized that was a way for me to teach and be a part of sports, as opposed to being in a classroom, she says. She enrolled at Baylor to pursue a teaching degree. After two seasons shed stopped coaching volleyball, with basketball well en route to powerhouse status, although Conradt says she never envisioned the scope of what was to come: womens basketball often outdrawing the men in the Erwin Center, with Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards as courtside regulars. She says it was stressful time, but the lawsuit that forced the addition of three sports proved necessary. Ultimately she reached out to Texas club rowing coach with contact information for an Austin attorney. Fortunately, she resided in a state that prides itself on passion, opportunity and can-do attitude. After he was removed as basketball coach by Donna Lopiano, UTs first director of womens athletics department, he spent three more years at the Forty Acres as a physical education teacher. Doors will open at 8:00 AM. WebJ ody Conradt, the powerhouse women's basketball coach at the University of Texas -Austin (UT), has won more college women's basketball games than any other coach in Its more welcoming, considerably more diverse.. It will be on permanent display in the Frank Erwin Center by the Longhorns' exhibition game against Incarnate Word on Oct. 30. When Texas director of womens athletics Christine Plonsky invited Page two weeks to return for Sundays celebration, it was the first time anyone from the university had notified him in 40 years. Jody Conradt has reached the pinnacle of athletic success and has been honored by multiple halls of fame. Opportunity, she says. He received an embrace from Conradt. That is Title IX impact, alive, well and continuing. Or that in her 31 seasons at Texas, her teams aggregate graduation rate would be 99%. - Texas talent: Meet some of the most influential and pioneering female athletes in history, - As Title IX turns 50, University of Texas exes reflected on common bond of championships, - Jody Conradt, University of Texas embody the shaping, struggles and success of Title IX, - How pro path for female athletes has changed since Title IX, and where it needs to improve, - 50 years of Title IX: Meet the next generation of star female athletes from D-FW. Even then, I knew. "We changed the world.". Afterward, we enjoyed some food and drinks with old coaching buddies at Scholz Garten, the oldest and one of the most beloved sports bars in Austin. It did not establish a womens athletic department until 1973 or formalize womens varsity sports until the 1973-74 school year. We played in the now-defunct Southwest Conference, Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference. Conradt was a high school teacher and assistant girls basketball coach under legendary Waco Midway school administrator M.T. But at Texas expectations are elevated regardless of endeavor or gender, as was illustrated to Lopiano twice in her first month on the Forty Acres. 1 as 15 ranked teams lose, TCU coach Pebley to step down at end of season, Iowa's Clark hits 3 at buzzer to beat No. All of the funding for womens sports came from the university presidents office. Coach Page focused on developing player relationships, said Swindell, a state champion in the triple jump from Houston before she played at Texas. We started with a blank slate, with a brand-new law that everybody was excited about, and figured it out.. The states best coach in the mid-1970s? At the end of the day, the counselors would play pickup, and I can remember being impressed with the wiry, hard-nosed guard with the thick Tennessee drawl. Increased paths for women athletes and women in general would be forged, but, at Texas, Lopiano knew where to start. As director of the division of recreational sports, she chaired the committee that established a department for womens intercollegiate athletics at the university. I was part of the grounds crew, a grass-roots effort that I hope no one ever minimizes, he said. 2 Indiana, No. Seven-time APSE award winner; 2016 National Headliner Award; 2018 Celeste Williams Texas Sportswriter of the Year; 2021 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Conradt is known as a pioneer, but also a durable, dynamic and ethical leader who gave credibility to her sport during 31 years as head coach with the Longhorns. Her love was basketball. The laws contentious path to acceptance and understanding nationally largely mirrors what happened at Texas, but UT today stands as a shining example of Title IX. AUSTIN - Jody Conradt, the Hall of Fame women's basketball coach who won 900 games in her 38-year career, will be honored by Texas with a statue in her Your Account; Logout; Login; Create Account; Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. She reminded me: "It's for our game." Summitt joined Conradt on the stage, flashed the "Hook'em Horns" sign and sang "The Eyes of Texas" with the crowd. WebAUSTIN Addie Jo Conradt and her Goldthwaite High basketball teammates didnt realize how good they had it, relatively. The AIAW attorney asked Lopiano if she could obtain a copy of Texas mens athletic budget. Her aspirations were to teach. Gunter, figuring on a longer tournament stay, didnt bring Stephen F. Austin until the day of the second-round game. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He has two daughters in college. Striving for excellence. "Of all the blockbuster statistics that paint the picture of Jody Conradt's storied career, the only number you really need to remember is 99. From 1992-2001, Conradt served UT in a dual role as basketball coach and womens athletics director, and she currently serves as a special assistant to womens athletics. Like most women, shed spent her life prying open, inch-by-inch, one of the few doors of opportunity afforded her. Years later, Coach Conradt joined Dean Her love was basketball. Always improving. Conradt coached Texas from 1976 to 2007, and finished with a career record of 900-307. 1986 InducteeAthletics. "Even though Jody was a fierce competitor on the court, she was a true friend to me off the court as well. At Texas, and thanks to Title IX, resources wouldnt be nearly so bare, though the struggle for respect and visibility would be ongoing. Lopianos departure represented a crossroad for Texas womens athletics and for Conradt personally. Texas actually was behind somewhat compared to some smaller in-state schools (Wayland Baptist College, for example) and even at UT System component where I was employed (UT Arlington). Jody Conradt, after her 900th coaching victory, has seen the impact of Title IX grow and continue. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Houston rap royalty Bun B on returning to Rodeo for another Takeover, Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen as soon as next week, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban. Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? The following season, we would travel to Knoxville to play in front of 24,563 fans, setting a Guinness World Record for women's basketball attendance. Many are in C-suites. Even then, after briefly teaching junior high in Houston and returning to Waco to be an assistant coach at Midway High and earn her masters at Baylor, opportunities were scarce. WebJody Conradts childhood revolved around community, family, friends and sports in the small West Texas town of Goldthwaite. In 38 years as a collegiate head coach, Conradts players won 900 games. Forty years have passed since Page coached at Texas. By the end of the year everybody had roomed with every teammate at least once.. My initial salary at Texas made headlines in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 8 ejected after UK-Florida scuffle at SEC tourney, Auriemma critical of 'selfish' Huskies after finale, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, S. Carolina stays No. Her annual athletic budget was $1,200 and her $12,000 salary derived not from coaching, but teaching seven activities classes. Clearly, for us, it wasn't about the money. 2 Indiana, No. She is among names such as the late Pat Summitt, Jody Conradt and C. Vivian Stringer. The Conradt statue weighs 600 pounds and depicts her flashing the well-known "Hook'em Horns" hand signal. She was always the consummate student. Coaching? Moving forward as an individual to support the greater good of a team. All seating is General Admission. Former Texas coach Jody Conradt led the Longhorns to the 1986 NCAA title and a perfect 34-0 season. In 38 years as a collegiate head coach, Conradt's student-athletes won 900 games and, more important, nearly every one of them graduated. We were happy to come away with a victory, but more importantly, I remember marveling at how hard their marketing department had worked to pull off such an amazing feat and how excited we were to be a part of history. Longhorn womens sports became a national powerhouse by the early 1980s. Mens sports owned and controlled their own financial pie, largely funded by football. So far back that we have been called pioneers," Summitt said. Once we settled in at our respective institutions in our respective shades of orange, I think we both realized the opportunity before us. She retired from coaching in 2007, but remains active as special assistant in administration to Chris Del Conte, who in 2017, his first year as athletic director, combined the mens and womens programs as one department, making Texas the last NCAA Division I school to do so. Rogers asked Lopiano to have a courtesy meeting with Tower and to emphasize that she was testifying as an expert witness, not representing the views of UT. The Title IX Educational Amendment was beginning to reshape opportunities for women in collegiate sports. Rice. Report: Houston is the No. Page said the most influential figure during his time at Texas was the late Betty Thompson, a pioneer in womens athletics. in physical education at Baylor University. The university was a different place back then and Im a better man than I was 44 years ago, he said. This was years before I became the coach at Texas and around the time she'd taken the helm at Tennessee. I don't know of anyone who deserves this honor more.". 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