50-Year Anniversary of Florida Women’s Athletics Starts This Weekend
Mary Howard
9/21/2021
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A salute this big can’t be contained in a single event.
A season-long celebration of 50 years of Florida women’s athletics kicks off this weekend.
Florida women’s athletics have long been a source of pride for the University of Florida, with the competitions of more than 2,700 female student-athletes claiming 165 national or conference championships.
Just prior to Saturday’s Florida-Tennessee football game, three from first-ever Florida women’s teams in 1972-73 – Sue Halfacre (swimming), Cherrietta Prince (track & field) and Nancy Thayer (gymnastics) – lead the Ben Hill Griffin crowd as honorary Ms. Two-Bits.
Some Gator women who claimed conference or NCAA team championships are back to celebrate 10 or 25-year title anniversaries in a halftime Parade of Champions.
The celebration continues throughout the 2021-22 campaign. A home competition date for each of UF’s sports (men and women) is designated as a Florida’s 50th Anniversary event. All Gator teams will wear a special 50th anniversary t-shirt during the course of the 2021-22 campaign, starting this weekend with soccer, volleyball and football. Some sports have set their 50th Anniversary dates:
- Men’s Basketball: vs Florida State (Nov. 14, 2021)
- Women’s Basketball: vs Grambling State (Nov. 19, 2021)
- Football: vs Tennessee (Sept. 25, 2021)
- Women’s Golf: Vystar Gator Invitational practice round (March 4, 2022)
- Gymnastics: vs LSU (Feb. 11, 2022)
- Lacrosse: vs Kennesaw State (Feb. 12, 2022)
- Soccer: vs Kentucky (Sept. 23, 2021)
- Softball: vs Jacksonville (Feb. 16, 2022)
- Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving: vs Auburn (Jan. 22, 2022)
- Men’s Tennis: vs UCF (Jan. 22, 2022)
- Women’s Tennis: vs Southern Mississippi and North Florida (Jan. 22, 2022)
- Men’s & Women’s Track and Field: SEC Indoors (Feb. 24-26, 2022)
- Volleyball: vs Mississippi State (Sept. 24, 2021)
Check Gators social accounts and FloridaGators.com for upcoming celebration dates.
The first University of Florida women's athletic staff (1972-73) - front row (from left): Catie Ball (swimming & diving), Janice Thompson (track & field), Mimi Ryan (golf). Back row: Dr. Ruth Alexander (athletic director), Sue Widdon (tennis), Linda Bittner (gymnastics)
The Start
In March of 1972, a proposal written by Dr. Ruth Alexander (Chair of the Department of Physical Education for Women), Donna Deutsch (tennis coach), Linda Hall Thornton (tennis coach) and Mimi Ryan (golf coach) requesting a women’s program of intercollegiate athletics was approved by the Faculty Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. The effective date for the proposal was set for the 1972-73 school year -- the first official year for University of Florida women’s athletics.
This marked an important moment in history, as Title IX was not yet implemented, and would not follow until three months later, and no other school in the Southeastern Conference had yet to accomplish funding a women's program.
The initial sports offered were golf, gymnastics, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field/cross country. Basketball, softball and volleyball were elevated to varsity status in the 1974-75 season. Florida fielded a slow-pitch softball team from 1975-83. When women's intercollegiate sports transitioned from AIAW to NCAA play in 1982, fast-pitch softball was sanctioned by the NCAA, thus signaling the end of UF slow-pitch softball. Florida added fast-pitch softball team for the 1997 season. Volleyball was offered at UF from 1974-78 and was reinstated to varsity status for the 1984 season. Soccer opened play at UF in the fall of 1995. Lacrosse’s first season was in 2010.
Florida funds the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA for each of its 11 women's sports, totaling 115 scholarships for the 2021-22 season.
Success Celebrated
Florida women’s program have found success in the conference, national and international stages.
179
Individual National Titles (NCAA & AIAW) by 107 Gators
159 individual NCAA titles is No. 4 among nation’s programs.
Three Gators claimed 2017 Honda Awards - Kelly Barnhill (left - softball), Belinda Woolcock (tennis) and Alex McMurtry (gymnastics).
20
with 25 Honda Awards as sport’s top female collegiate athlete of season. The total is No. 3 among nation’s programs.
Tracy Caulkins twice (1982, 1984) received Broderick Cup (award’s previous name) as top overall female collegiate athlete.
Everything School: Florida Honda Award winners have come in a national-high eight different sports.
Gallery: Honda Award Winners
145
Conference Team Titles.
Florida’s 135 Southeastern Conference title leads the league.
10
conference titles for Gator lacrosse.
23
Southeastern Conference Women's All-Sports trophies claimed by Florida - a league high.
6
Claimed seven SEC Overall Female Athlete of the Year (sharing the league’s high for women’s honors.
82
Gators with 111 SEC Athlete of Year in 11 sports.
Gallery: SEC Female Athletes of Year
64
Olympic medals (29 golds, 14 silver and 21 bronze).
92
Olympians for Gator women since 1976.
Half of the U.S.'s 1992 Olympic gold medal 4x100 freestyle relay team were Gators - Nicole Haislett (left) and Dara Torres (right with arm raised). Photo: George Long-USA TODAY NETWORK
Gallery: Florida Women Olympic Medalists
92
CoSIDA Academic All-America honors earned by 63 UF female student-athletes.
Seven named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year for their sport
Gallery: CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of Year
