When Title IX legislation hit campuses across the nation in 1972, the University of Oregon was already positioned to be a frontrunner in the implementation of the mandates. Led by Becky Sisley, the women’s budget grew from $12,000 in 1972 to $82,000 in 1974 and reached more than $100,000 by 1977.

During the next 30 years, the University gradually made strides to bring the women’s program up to par with the men’s. Such changes involved adding more women’s sports, creating additional coaching positions, increasing financial assistance for student-athletes, restructuring practice and facility usage as well as elimination of some men’s intercollegiate offerings.

With the establishment of Title IX, the University of Oregon, led by Becky Sisley, worked to bring the women’s and men’s athletic programs into compliance with the legislations and increase competitive opportunities for UO women athletes.

In the late 1960s the University began an effort to support a wider range of women’s sports and coaching staff. Issues of funding, facilities and equal opportunity are key to this growth and influence the decisions which continue to shape the program today.

Although the benefits Title IX provided for women’s athletics has remarkably changed the landscape of sports, Title IX has arguably had negative repercussions on the men’s program. During the last two decades, as women’s athletics added new sports, such as golf, soccer, and lacrosse, the men’s program decreased its offerings.