The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (founded in 1967). The association was one of the biggest stepping stones for women's athletics on the collegiate level. After conflicts with the NCAA in the early 1980s the AIAW discontinued operation and most member schools continued their women's athletics programs under the governance of the NCAA. 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...

See AIAW Champions The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women’s athletics and to administer national championships. ...

History

Women's intercollegiate athletics was first organized on a national basis in 1941, the year the first national collegiate championship was held in the sport of golf. During the late 1950s and the 1960s, many colleges around the country had started women's sports teams that competed with other schools in their respective geographic area. In 1956 the Tripartite Committee was formed by representatives of three organizations: the National Association for Physical Education for College Women, the National Association for Girls' and Women's Sport, and the American Federation of College Women. // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

Upon the recommendation of the Tripartite Committee, the National Joint Committee on Extramural Sports for College Women (NJCESCW) was formed to guide and administer women's intercollegiate athletic programs. The desire to consolidate governance of women's intercollegiate athletics under one organization led to the designation of the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS) (operating under the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation) for this purpose. Out of the NJCESCW committee grew the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW), in recognition of the need for expanding national championships. The purposes of the CIAW were (1) to provide the framework and organization for women's intercollegiate athletic opportunities and (2) to sponsor national championships for college women under the guidance of the DGWS.

The AIAW developed from the CIAW in recognition of the need for institutional membership and elected representation. Formation of the AIAW was approved by the DGWS Council and the AAHPER Board of Directors in 1971, but the CIAW continued to operate until July 1, 1972, at which time the AIAW officially came into existence, with over 280 schools as members.

At that point the NCAA had no interest in women's athletics, and administrators of the AIAW had no interest in the NCAA either. The NCAA was seen as being commercially driven and neglecting the meaning of the student athlete. There were distinct differences between the two associations early on. For example, students playing in AIAW were allowed to transfer freely between schools and programs were initially forbidden to offer scholarships and recruit off-campus to prevent unfair advantages. The AIAW was not without criticism either though, as many outsiders and some individual members continuously complained that the association devoted too much of time, efforts, and funds securing distinction and independence from the NCAA.

The annual basketball and softball national tournaments received the most publicity and drew the biggest crowds; however, the association organized championships in various other sports. They included mainstream sports like volleyball and tennis but were as far reaching as badminton and fencing. Aside from national championships, individual schools worked together to stage annual state championships. Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls attempts to score. ... Softball is a team sport in which a ball, eleven to twelve inches in circumference, is thrown by a player called a pitcher and hit by an offensive player called a batter with a round, smooth stick called a bat. ... Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. ... Tennis balls This article is about the sport, tennis. ... This article is about the racquet sport badminton. ... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Épée event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ...

While in existence, the AIAW organized and administered all competition at the regional and national levels. In 1981-82 the organization offered 41 national championships in 19 sports - badminton, basketball, crew, cross country, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, indoor track and field, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, softball (fast and slow pitch), swimming and diving, synchronized swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

The 1973 Basketball Tournament was the first sign that women's sports could be financially successful. Over 3,000 fans watched the final game between Queens and Immaculata and the tournament earned over $4,500 in profits. In 1975 these two teams met again, this time in Madison Square Garden. The first women's basketball game to be played in the arena drew a crowd of more than 12,000 spectators. The AIAW started to take advantage of corporate sponsorships and television payouts not unlike its male counterpart, just on a smaller scale. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Queens College, Queens College or Queens College is the name of more than one institution, see: Queens College, Cambridge Queens College, Charlotte Queens College, Hong Kong Queens College, London Queens College, New York Queens College, Nassau The Queens College, Oxford Queens College was the... An Overview Immaculata University is a Catholic university on King Road in Malvern, Pennsylvania. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... Basketball Basketball is a ball sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points by throwing a ball through a hoop. ...

In 1972, the Congress of the United States passed Title IX, which was laid out to require colleges to provide equal opportunities for both genders in collegiate athletics. Any school receiving federal funds was required to provide gender equality by the 1978-79 school year. In 1974 colleges started giving scholarships to female student athletes. That year, Ann Meyers became the first female to receive a full scholarship by committing to play for UCLA. Title IX is credited with the vast improvement in funding for women's athletics. By 1980, the average university spent over 16% of their athletics budget on women's sports. In the early '70s that number was less than 1%. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... Patsy T. Mink, late Congresswoman from Hawaii, wrote the law as an outgrowth of adversities she faced in obtaining her college degrees at the University of Hawaii, University of Nebraska and University of Chicago. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Note: The term scholarship can mean either the methods employed by scholars (see scholarly method) or an award of access to an institution and/or money for an individual for the purposes of furthering their education. ... Born Ann Elizabeth Meyers March 26, 1955 in San Diego, California Ann is an outstanding figure in the history of basketball. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

On June 1, 1979, AIAW assumed a separate legal identity and became a nonprofit corporation in the District of Columbia. The AIAW ceased operation on June 30, 1983, after suffering substantial losses of members and revenue following the National Collegiate Athletics Association's (NCAA) decision to offer championships for women in its top competitive division, Division I.

AIAW vs. NCAA

At its peak, the AIAW had almost 1,000 member schools. In the late seventies however, schools began to realize that women's athletics could be profitable, and the NCAA decided to offer women's championships. The NCAA's Divisions II and III offered championships early on, but Division I members failed to gain a majority vote on this issue until the 1981 national meeting. For the 1981-82 academic year, schools were able to compete in either the NCAA or the AIAW championships. There were even occasions when a school participated in both tournaments that year (Florida in gymnastics, 1982; indeed the University of Tulsa won both the AIAW and NCAA women's golf championships in 1982). Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. ... Division III consists of institutions who recognize that collegiate athletics can be an integral part of the educational process. ... Division I (or DI) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... University of Florida State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF The University of Florida is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Tulsa   The University of Tulsa is a private, comprehensive university awarding bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ... Golf is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The battle of members had started, as schools whose men's teams were already participating in the NCAA started to integrate their women's teams. In 1982 the first Division I NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament was held. The NCAA was able to offer incentives such as transportation cost to participating members, something the AIAW was not able to do. Since former AIAW powerhouses like Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, and Old Dominion decided to participate in the NCAA tournament, the AIAW tournament lost much of its appeal and popularity. NBC canceled its TV contract with the association. The remaining members decided to sue the NCAA to remain independent, but they lost their case, and after 1982 the AIAW had stopped operations. The NCAA Womens Division I Championship is an annual basketball tournament for women. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... Louisiana Tech University, located in Ruston, Louisiana, is a coeducational public university with an approximate enrollment of 12000 students. ... Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a university located in Norfolk, Virginia. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

Under NCAA governance, scholarships increased, and joint athletics departments were able to provide bigger travel and recruiting budgets. However, several problems the NCAA was facing then, and still is, affected women's intercollegiate athletics. Examples of these are dropping graduation rates and an increased turnover in coaching positions.

Sources

• Joanne Lannin A History of Basketball for Girls and Women. Lerner Publications Company. Minneapolis, 2000
• Virginia Hunt, "Governance of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics: an Historical Perspective," (Doctoral Dissertation, University of North Carolina - Greensboro, 1976), Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms (1977), 1-319
• Suzanne Willey, "The Governance of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics: Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), 1976-1982," (Thesis (P.E.D.), Indiana University, 1996), Eugene, Oregon: Microform Publications (1997), 1-351
• Guide to the Collection of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Southern Region II 1971-1983 Compiled by Nell Hensley, Eastern Kentucky University

The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women’s athletics and to administer national championships. ...

External links

• A fight to the death: NCAA vs. AIAW
• Women's sports enter NCAA arena
• The Lawsuit that Ruined Women's Control of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women?
• Guide to the Collection of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Southern Region II
• Title IX (Academic syllabus)
• "The Union of Athletics With Educational Institutions," Athletics and Education, D. Siegel

This category includes articles about Intercollegiate Athletics in the United States.