The Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament

This week and next week we will enjoy watching the 2023-2024 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. 

Oh, Yes there’s also a Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament going on.

It hasn’t been this way very long. Let's look back to see where it all started.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hosted its first national championship: the National Collegiate Track and Field Championships in 1921. Other sports followed and the first national championship was men’s basketball.

The first Men’s Basketball NCAA title was in 1939. Oregon University  (29-5) under Howard Hobson defeated Ohio State University 46-33.

There was no Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. In fact there were no other NCAA women’s tournaments.

There was a major change in 1972 with Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments. You will find discussions on Title IX quite often in the news.

Here are the basics of Title IX:

Title IX         

The Title IX, clause of the 1972 Federal Education Amendments, was signed into law on June 23, 1972. It states that “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.” It has received the most attention for its impact on athletics, especially at the collegiate level. In 1975, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) issued a final interpretation of Title IX which mandated that educational institutions provide equal opportunity to men and women in athletic programs. In 1980, the Department of Education was given the responsibility of overseeing compliance with Title IX through its Office of Civil Rights. *

On Jan. 13, 1981, women's athletics programs and services were authorized within the NCAA structure. 

In November 1981, 13 women's sports held their first official NCAA championship events, starting with field hockey and cross country.

The first Women’s Basketball NCAA Title was in 1982. Louisiana Tech (35-1) under Coach Sonja Hogg defeated Cheyney University 76-62.

Today, the NCAA sponsors 45 women's championships and three co-ed championships in 21 sports, providing more than 225,000 women with an opportunity to compete for national titles each year.