Sept. 17, 2008
WILMINGTON, NC – This year, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) will honor Dr. Christine Grant, University of Iowa, as its Legacy Award recipient. She will be presented the award at the 2008 Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Awards Luncheon, sponsored by NIKE, Oct. 12, at the NACWAA National Convention in Atlanta, GA at the CNN Omni Hotel.
“We are very excited to honor Christine as the recipient of the NACWAA Legacy Award for 2008,” said Jennifer Alley, Executive Director.
Dr. Christine Grant served for 27 years as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women at the University of Iowa (1973-2000) where she held the rank of Associate Professor of Health and Sports Studies, a position she occupied from 1973 until 2005. During her tenure as athletics director, she also served as President of NACWAA, President of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, a member of the United States Olympic Committee, an International Institute for Sport Ethics Fellow, a member of the Board of Directors of the USA Field Hockey Foundation and has served on numerous NCAA committees and task forces, including most recently, the Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee.
Dr. Grant has been recognized as a National Administrator of the Year by NACWAA and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. She was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 2008. She has also received numerous awards for her leadership in the development of women’s sports such as the NCAA’s Gerald R. Ford Award (2007), the University of Iowa Hancher-Finkbine Medallion (2003) and Distinguished Achievement Award (2001); the R. Tait McKenzie Award from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (2000), the NCAA Honda Award of Merit (1998), the Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Jean King Contribution Award (1995) and the Ontario Sports Award for Outstanding Contributions to Canadian Amateur Sport (1970).
Recognized as one of the foremost national experts on gender equity in sport, Dr. Grant has testified about Title IX and gender equity before three Congressional committees, served as a consultant to the U.S. Office for Civil Rights Department of Health, Education and Welfare Title IX Task Force and as an expert witness in fifteen court cases related to Title IX compliance and gender equity. Dr. Grant has been instrumental in the development of the NCAA Division I Certification program, still participates in the training of NCAA staff and has served on five NCAA Certification Peer Review teams.
After leaving her native Scotland in 1961 where she had been teaching physical education and coaching at the high school level, she taught P.E. and coached in Canada for 10 years. Grant earned a master’s degree in physical education and a Ph.D. in Athletic Administration from the University of Iowa.
The Legacy Award is presented to a NACWAA member who has made significant contributions on a national level to the betterment of intercollegiate athletics. This individual is dedicated to diversity and gender equity, to the NACWAA Foundation, to educational and professional development programs offered by the association and, most importantly, to advancing women in athletics administration. Dr. Christine Grant has dedicated her career to providing young women competitive playing opportunities as well as enhancing career opportunities in coaching and administration.