THE PRESS :\ND THE HISTORIC\L DEVELOPl\lF>JT or THREE WOJ\IEN'S 1NTI2RCOLLEGL\TE ATHLETIC PROGR:\l\1S IN THE UPPER l\11DWFS1', 1950-1980 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Facultv of the North Dakota State Uni\·ersitv of Agriculture and Applied Science Th Danielle :\nn Teigen In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of f\IASTER OF ARTS i\fajor Department: Communication Degree: :t\Iass Communication :\pril 2011 Fargo, North Dakota North Dakota State University Graduate School Title The Press and the Historical Development of Three Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Programs in the Upper Midwest, 1950-1980 By Danielle Teiaen The Supervisory Committee certifies that this disquisition complies with North Dakota State University's regulations and meets the accepted standards for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS North Dakota State University Libraries Addendum To protect the privacy of individuals associated with the document, signatures have been removed from the digital version of this docmnent. ABSTRACT Teigen, Danielle Ann, T\L\., Department of Communication, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, North Dakota State University, April 2011. The Press and the Historical Development of Three Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Programs in the L:pper Midwest, 19 50-1980. Major Professor: Dr. Ross Collins. r rom 1950-1980, women's intercollegiate athletic programs experienced exponential growth, with newspapers rarely detailing the journey until Title IX passed in 1972. This project examined how women's athletics developed at North Dakota State University, the Uni,·ersity of North Dakota, and Minnesota State University Moorhead, as well as the correlating press con:rage. Articles from two regional newspapers and three student newspapers from 1950- 1980 illustrated the coverage women's athletics received, while women integrally involved in the three athletic programs from 1950-1980 supplemented the coverage and further explained the development. This thesis proposes a cohesive narrative of the press coverage associated with the development of three women's intercollegiate athletic programs in the Midwest from 1950-1980. The project also speculates on the reasons why different newspapers covered women's athletics in the area differently and why 1975 emerged as a watershed year for women's athletics at NDSU, l 1ND, and T\ISUM. 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Like e,Tcry other graduate student, I realize this project is not fully my own because of the extensive network of individuals who have contributed to it. I am indebted to every one of them. Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Ross Collins, for encouraging an uncommon project an<l having the wisdom to guide me through it. I also appreciate the direction and feedback my committee members provided throughout this project. I must also recognize Mike Robinson, NDSU archivist, for his tireless enthusiasm about my project and great accessibility to materials. Korella Sc!?.er, library technician, and Curt Hanson, UND archi,Tist, also deserve my thanks for their assistance. This project would not have been possible without the women whose voice brought to life the triumphs and tragedies of women's athletics and the press coverage associated with it. Collette Folstad's unabashed exuberance for women's athletics planted in me the first seeds of excitement about this project. The other women who graciously gave their time to interview with me include Lynn Dorn, Helen Gunderson, Helen Smiley, Connie Gebhardt Courtney, Margaret Peterson, Nancy Johnson, Karen Schumacher, Mary 1\nn Donnay, and Lisa Frickson. They arc the true champions of this project, for they lived and breathed what I could only write about. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my husband, family, and friends for all their endless love and support. I would not have had the strength and determination to finish this project without all of you. Finally, I want to recognize all of the women who have been inducted into the NDSU, UND, and i\fSUM Halls of bmc for their contributions to women's athletics. Each woman has left an indelible mark on her rcspccti,T institution's athletic program, and their past fortitude and talent is a harbinger for future success. A complete list of the women inductees is in .\ppendix C. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................. iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................. 1 CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL B_ACKGROUND ................................... 7 Educational opportunities abound in the 19'h century ......................... 7 Critics of women and physical activity ..................................... 9 The advent of basketball ............................................... 11 Inequality in basketball . 13 Differentiating from men's programs ...................................... 13 From golden age to old ways ............................................ 14 Title IX ............................................................. 17 Governance of women's athletics, 1890s-1980s ............................. 19 Women's athletics and the role of newspapers .............................. 21 CHAPTER 3: HISTORY OF REGION,\L WOJ\fl·:N'S ATHLETICS, 1890-1940 ...... 29 In the beginning, 1890s-1920s ........................................... 30 North Dakota State Llnivcrsity .................................... 30 University of North Dakota ...................................... 34 Minnesota State llnivcrsity Moorhead .............................. 40 Rise of recreational activities, 1930s-19 SOs ................................. 41 North Dakota State L1nivcrsity .................................... 41 University of North Dakota ...................................... 44 Minnesota State l'.nivcrsit:y l\Ioorhcad .............................. 45 ,. CHAPTER 4: HISTORIC\J, PROCESS ........................................ SO IRB approval . 51 Participants .......................................................... S l Intenriews ..................................................... 52 Newspapers ......................................................... 53 Other materials . 54 Interpretation of primary sources ........................................ 54 Aim and scope . 55 CHAPTER 5: REGIONAL WOMEN'S 1\THLETICS AND PRESS COVERi\GE, 1950-1980 .............................................. ()0 North Dakota State University .......................................... 60 1950-1960 ..................................................... 60 1960-1970 ..................................................... 64 1970-1980 ..................................................... 69 University of North Dakota . 84 1950-1 960 . 84 1960-1970 ..................................................... 85 1970-1980 ..................................................... 88 Minnesota State Cniversity l\Ioorhead .................................... 98 1950-1960 ..................................................... 98 1960-1970 .................................................... 101 1970-1980 . 102 CH:\PTER 6: CONCLL,SIONS .............................................. 121 Vl BIBLIOGR.1\PHY ......................................................... 130 APPENDIX A ............................................................ 139 APPENDIX B ............................................................ 140 1\PPENDIX C ............................................................ 141 \'11 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION '~'11/Jletics hot/J rejlec/(1) and perpet1111!e(1) the idea.r people ha,,e ahrml u;/;a/ i.r ~~h!for hoys lo do and what is r{ghljr,r ,gir!r lo do. Sex sll'reol)/)es are ojien deeply i,zgmined and co11fronli1zg them /;md-on mn he di/Jim/!. Boys are supposed lo he s/mng and «ggressil,e, hot/, p!!ysically and emotionally. Women, on !he other hand, are supposed to he weak and passi!!e, ho//; phy.rica!!y and emotionally. So the my//; ,~oes, and myths die hare/." .. Sports mirror the values of the society in which they arc developed, intlucnctng language, clothing, and narratives about heroes and heroines. Pamela Creedon writes that "athletes and teams become our symbolic warriors defending the honor of our schools, towns or nation. Its games and contests become symbolic representations of personal and societal struggles for such things as property, fairness, honor, and economic gain."2 Athletic competition is captivating. From the first foot races in ancient cultures to the high-impact football games omnipresent on television today, athletics represent a treasured pastime enjoyed by many. Athletics represent a "microcosm of society in that many, if not all, of the attributes required to compete and be successful in the athletic area arc prerequisites for basic survival."1 But athletics has a darker side. Sports embody a social force that not only reflects gender differences, but, •.' unfortunately, often creates, amplifies, and even imposes thcm.4 Since the first competitions took place, athletics have been associated with masculinity; physicality, speed, strength, and aggression are synonymous with sports and men. Because of that association, women ha\'C traditionally been deemed physically, emotionally, and mentally incapable of achievmg the same athletic status as their male counterparts. That docs not mean that women have been absent from the athletic field; just the opposite, in fact. \X'omen have been present in many different athletic realms throughout the years, though their inclusion was often met with