Christine Grant
Encyclopedia
Christine Grant is a former athlete and athletic director at the University of Iowa
. She was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
in 2006.
Task Force. She was a founding member of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and served in a variety of leadership roles with that organization. She also has held several positions with the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), including the presidency from 1987-89. Grant has spoken and published widely and has held numerous leadership positions as an advocate of gender equity in sports. She served as the president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) from 1980 to 1981. She received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious Billie Jean King Award presented by the Women’s Sports Foundation, two honorary doctorates, and induction into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame and the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
In 2007, she became the fourth recipient of the NCAA President's Gerald R. Ford Award. The Gerald R. Ford Award, named in recognition of former President Gerald Ford, honors individuals who have provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of his or her career. That same year she was named one of the most 100 influential sports educators in America by the Institute of International Sport.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. She was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame is a sports history museum located at the Roy G. Karro Building in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. The museum pays tribute to the most legendary and influential Iowa Hawkeye sports heroes. Opened in September 2002, The building is located at the northwest...
in 2006.
Early life and education
Christine Grant was born in May 1936 in Bo’ness, Scotland, to Donald Annan and Jean (Orr) Grant. In 1956 Grant received her Diploma of Physical Education at Dunfermline College in Aberdeen, Scotland. After graduating she was a high school teacher and coach in Graeme, Scotland (1956–1961), and field hockey coach and umpire at the high school, collegiate, national and international levels in British Columbia (1961–1964), Ottawa (1964–1965), and Toronto(1965–1971). Grant moved to Iowa City, Iowa, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in physical education at the University of Iowa. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1969, and continued her graduate work, earning a master’s degree in physical education in 1970, and a Ph.D. in physical education with an emphasis in administration in 1974.Athletic Director of The University of Iowa Department of Women's Athletics
Christine Grant began her tenure as the only athletic director of the Department of Women’s Athletics at the University of Iowa in 1973, holding the position until her retirement in 2000. Under her direction, Iowa's athletics department grew to include 12 NCAA championship sports that won a combined 27 Big Ten Conference titles. Throughout her career, Grant was honored by NACWAA, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, the Women's Sports Foundation and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport. Grant also served as associate professor within the Department of Physical Education for Women (1973–2006).Historical Significance and Honors
Grant is best known for her fight for gender equity in athletics. She testified before Congress several times and served as a consultant for the Civil Rights Title IXTitle IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
Task Force. She was a founding member of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and served in a variety of leadership roles with that organization. She also has held several positions with the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), including the presidency from 1987-89. Grant has spoken and published widely and has held numerous leadership positions as an advocate of gender equity in sports. She served as the president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) from 1980 to 1981. She received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious Billie Jean King Award presented by the Women’s Sports Foundation, two honorary doctorates, and induction into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame and the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
In 2007, she became the fourth recipient of the NCAA President's Gerald R. Ford Award. The Gerald R. Ford Award, named in recognition of former President Gerald Ford, honors individuals who have provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of his or her career. That same year she was named one of the most 100 influential sports educators in America by the Institute of International Sport.