Jacob Singer is a student at the University of Michigan majoring in Political Science. He is a Michigan Football and Basketball Writer for Maize and Brew
When the Title IX Act was passed in 1972, many new opportunities were created for women in all facets of the United States. While the landmark legislation did not mention sports explicitly in any capacity, colleges and universities around the country took the opportunity to create women’s varsity sports.
At the University of Michigan, then-president Robben Fleming established a committee to study women’s intercollegiate sports in 1973. A year later, then-athletic director Donald Canham reluctantly allowed for six women’s varsity sports in Ann Arbor — basketball, field hockey, swimming and diving, synchronized swimming, tennis and volleyball.