A crowd of 9,627 fans cheered as the Indiana University women's basketball team, sporting its classic cream-and-crimson uniforms, took the court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for its second-round NCAA Tournament game in March. IU's roster featured domestic and international scholarship players who had been playing hoops since they were children.
Fifty years ago, such a scene was almost unimaginable for women who wanted to play basketball -- or any sport -- at IU and colleges across the country.
When IU started a varsity women's basketball program for the 1971-72 academic year, players were recruited with fliers posted around campus announcing tryouts.