Because of Title IX: Amy Backus

Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education, Case Western Reserve University

Finish this sentence, "Because of Title IX..."

I received one of the first scholarships for women in the state of Michigan playing basketball at Central Michigan University: a whopping $250, but it was the start of awarding full athletic scholarships at our institution, and an aggressive recruiting campaign for our women's programs began at that time.

How have the athletic and academic opportunities afforded to you because Title IX impacted your life?

I am the youngest of four girls in my family. None of my older sisters had the opportunity to participate in a varsity sport program at our high school and because of this I had the chance to play in college. At that time, I thought I would be a high school teacher and instead became involved in coaching at the collegiate level which led to a 25-year coaching tenure. Had I not played in college, I would not have gone this route in my career.

Tell us about a woman who championed you in pursuing your goals. How did her influence inspire or affect you and your career?

I could not have been luckier to select quite randomly, my alma mater. Remember there was no such thing as athletic recruiting at the time. I tried out for the basketball team with 150 other women on campus. We were all trying out for a week in a big fieldhouse. The basketball coaches enlisted the tennis coach, the dance coach, the field hockey coach, anyone who could evaluate some athleticism! At the time of my enrollment, Fran Koenig was the women's athletic director and president of the AIAW. We were a decade ahead of many of the schools around the country because of Fran's vision for women's athletics. She brought in nationally recognized coaches and our schedules reflected the state and regional alignments within the AIAW at the time. While Alma College and Ferris State were on our schedules, for the majority of our schedules we competed against what would become the Big 10. Our biggest rival at the time was Michigan State, but we also traveled to play Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern, and Michigan. In addition to Fran Koenig, Marcy Weston has been a mentor of mine for over 40 years. I learned about loyalty, compassion, trustworthiness, and professionalism from Marcy. She still inspires me to this day.

How are you continuing to champion the next generation of women and girls in sports and raise awareness of the importance of Title IX?

In my current role as Director of Athletics, it is my job to ensure that my decisions reflect a position of equity. Asking the right questions, making difficult financial decisions, and creating a department where our female student athletes feel confident, heard, and respected is my charge each day.

If you could send an empowering tweet to every woman girl across the country what would you send?

Be confident in who you are, how you look, who you love. Carry your body and your voice with strength.

See all our #BecauseofTitleIX stories here! »
Because of TitleIX: Vicky Chun »
Because of Title IX: Kiki Baker Barnes »