By ANN MEYERS DRYSDALE, For The Associated Press
(Editor’s Note: Ann Meyers Drysdale was the first woman to receive an athletic scholarship at UCLA. The Hall of Famer, longtime TV basketball analyst mother of three kids shares how Title IX has help shape her life and career, and what needs to be done over the next 50 years for the law to continue to have a positive impact on young girls and women.)
I am one of 11 children, with five sisters and five brothers. I was a 1972 sophomore in high school in La Habra, California, playing seven sports when Title IX was passed. A law of 37 words that became the calling card for girls and women in sports.
I knew nothing about what Title IX was, or how important it would be for my future.
Heading into 1973, I was so wrapped up with school activities, thinking about boys, learning to drive, hearing about Vietnam War, ERA, Civil Rights, and watching my older sister Patty play sports to understand what Title IX would mean for me.
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But in the 50 years Title IX has been in existence, it has opened doors for me and thousands of other women, though a handful of women traveled a more difficult road to show what was possible before the legislation was passed.
I got to see women competing at a very high level because of my sister. She played three sports at Cal State Fullerton and won the 1970 national basketball championship under Coach Billie Moore.
I remember Billie Jean King (BJK) beating Bobby Riggs in a historic nationally…
