The proof of their influence is visible in the lives of the thousands of teenage girls they mentored as high school coaches.
Local pioneers Carolyn Jackson, Susan Thurman and the late Catherine Neely shaped student-athletes’ lives with equal parts discipline, drive and devotion, each working at a single high school for 40 years or more.
The fact that all three were players before Title IX – and began their coaching careers just as the federal law that would help ensure equal rights for female athletes was enacted – gave them a unique perspective they passed on throughout their careers.
Title IX – a federal law requiring gender equity in public schools and universities, including in athletics – was passed by Congress on June 23, 1972. The law states, in part: “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.”
“What I always wanted the young ladies who played for me to understand was just how fortunate they were to be playing in a time where girls’ sports were made to be a priority,” said Jackson, who played high school basketball at Riverside in the late 1960s, then taught and coached basketball at Brainerd from 1973 to 2013.