From the Jan. 24 Piedmont Recreation Department newsletter:
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, all 22 of the numbers on this year’s Recreation Basketball jerseys were selected to honor influential women in basketball both on and off the court.
Each jersey given out this season included a mini jersey with a description of the player who wore the jersey number during their career. The Title IX logo is displayed on the back side of each jersey for players to wear with pride.
In 50 years since its passing, Title IX has led to more women and girls participating in and succeeding in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as athletics. It has also helped to create better policies for addressing gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment in educational institutions. Title IX has also helped to create a more inclusive and safer environment for all students and staff in educational institutions, regardless of their gender.
Title IX: These are the 37 words that changed everything for women in sports:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
#45 LUSIA HARRIS
The 6’3” Harris led Delta State to three consecutive national championships between 1975-77, with Delta State going undefeated in Harris’ sophomore year. Harris won a silver medal with the U.S. women’s basketball team at the 1976 Olympics, and became the first woman to officially be drafted by an NBA team when the New Orleans Jazz selected her in the seventh round in 1977. Harris was pregnant and unable to attend training camp, and never played in the NBA. A documentary short about Harris titled “The Queen of Basketball” was released in 2021. Harris died in January 2022, just weeks before the documentary won an Academy Award.