Every now and then, Melanie Weaver Barnett contemplated going out and buying a real Michigan varsity jacket.
But then a thought would cross her mind she shouldn’t have to. The track and field hall of fame inductee already had a jacket, just one that was different.
From 1973-91, female varsity letter-winners at Michigan weren’t awarded jackets with a maize block “M” and leather sleeves like their male counterparts. Rather, their jacket was all navy wool and featured a skinnier, orange block “M.”
Michigan officials made changes, and women began receiving the same jackets as the men in 1992, but it still didn’t make up for the fact Barnett, a 1983 graduate, and hundreds of other women were without one.