1972 completely changed sports in the USA and the NJCAA
On June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law the single most important piece of legislation for collegiate athletics in America: Title IX.
While many men were fearful of the passing, NJCAA executive director George Killian perceived Title IX as an opportunity.
In 1972, Killian formed the Presidents’ Special Study Committee to analyze the prospect of adding a separate division for women within in the NJCAA.
There were challenges along the way...
Most of women's collegiate athletics was overseen by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
Killian decided that there was only one way to combine men’s and women’s athletics under one organization. They had to be equal.
At the 1974 annual meeting, the NJCAA decided to invite a female representative from each region to the 1975 meeting to organize the nation’s first women’s division within a coed collegiate athletics organization.
“The NJCAA welcomed the women’s division, gave it a home, elected and appointed women to positions of leadership, provided programming on equal footing with the men’s division, promoted visibility for female student-athletes and coaches, leveled the playing field in regards to rules and regulations and generated respect for competition for women in two-year schools that otherwise had been overlooked or minimized in importance.” - Lea Plarski
Women's division and reclassification
National invitational tournaments for women’s volleyball, basketball, and tennis were created for the 1974-75 academic year.
Resulting successful management of the three invitational tournaments and formation of the first-ever women’s division, the NJCAA reclassified all three events as national championships.
In November of 1975, the NJCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship became the first championship held for women by a national coed collegiate organization.
36th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) February 2, 2022
This celebration is a day that recognizes the accomplishments of girls and women nationwide while promoting equality in sports. On this day, the association and its member colleges will celebrate females that have paved the way for women today and individuals seizing an opportunity to make an impact on others.
The association also looks ahead to the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2022. Surviving many challenges through the decades, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is arguably one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in America's history.
NJCAA Alumni and Difference Makers
For more information about NJCAA opportunities, Title IX, and National Girls & Women in Sports Day, visit: