Title IX radically altered the sports landscape, but not all at once and not without resistance. In the early years of the statute, the “forgotten heroes” challenged bias and championed equality—and the impact is still felt today. Read more about Title IX’s pioneers to remember here.
When Florida sophomore Talitha Diggs dashed across the finish line in 50.98 seconds on March 12 at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, she didn’t simply win the 400-meter title. She captured a piece of history.
Thirty-nine years earlier, her mother, Joetta Clark, took home the NCAA indoor crown in the 800 meters, her first of nine overall titles during her storied career at Tennessee in the 1980s.