Fifty years ago, on June 23, 1972, the federal law known as “Title IX” banned discrimination based on sex in educational institutions. College sports had to change. This June, in a one-hour broadcast special, NPR presents the never-told story of a pioneer who drove that change in the women’s basketball team at the University of Oregon, which is a Pac-Ten powerhouse today.
Jody Runge coached the team to eight consecutive NCAA playoffs. Facing power and tradition, Runge fought for equality in her own way, helping shape the way women see themselves today.
Journalist and former NPR correspondent Emily Harris hosts a one-hour NPR Special titled “Benching the Patriarchy - 50 Years of Title IX,” documenting the progress that Title IX brought for women in college athletics, as well as costs of that progress and challenges that remain.
Emily Harris teamed with audio journalist Ida Hardin and NPR’s Enterprise Storytelling Unit to report and produce this story.
