Page 8 - Fall 2019 Rochester Athletics Newsletter | University of Rochester

Celebrating

40 Years at

Rochester—

Jane Possee

Athletics Administrator

and Former Coach

universities everywhere were still figuring out how to
implement the federal law’s requirements. Its purpose
was, and still is, to prohibit discrimination on the basis
of sex in any education program or activity that is
federally funded.

“Title IX made a big difference in how female athletes are
treated. In the beginning though, it was hard to change
Jane Possee, a longtime athletics administrator the ways things had always been done,” says Possee.
and former coach, knows what it takes to be an “The pie was only so big to support all sports, and we
effective leader. In 1975, she came to Rochester from had to figure out what was doable and how to divide it
Syracuse University to coach field hockey and women’s equitably among the men’s and women’s teams.”
basketball. In the same year, she initiated the University At the time Possee started coaching women’s basketball,
of Rochester’s women’s lacrosse team and continued to all the women’s teams had locker rooms in the Spurrier
coach for the next 17 years. She’s a change agent who’s gym and the men had theirs in the Palestra, where all
been involved in significant points in Athletics’ history. games were played—by both the men and women.

Collegiate sports across the country were on the cusp Possee went to the men’s coach and the athletic director
of significant change when Possee came to Rochester. and said the women should have a locker room in the
Title IX had only just launched in 1972 and colleges and building where they play their games.

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