In December of 2021, at the age of 85 and after a life well lived, Christine passed away. Her friends and colleagues will miss her dearly. In respect and appreciation we leave her work on our website, acknowledging her many contributions to the sports management profession. Christine's work on Title IX and gender equity and her strong and respected voice as an advocate of equal opportunity for and treatment of girls and women in sport, changed the lives of millions of girls and women. We are so grateful to have known her as a friend and worked with her as colleagues.
Christine Grant served for 27 years as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women at the University of Iowa (1973-2000) where she held the rank of Associate Professor of Health and Sports Studies, a position she occupied from 1973 until 2005. During her tenure as athletics director, she also served as President of the National Association for Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, President of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, a member of the United States Olympic Committee, an International Institute for Sport Ethics Fellow, a member of the Board of Directors of the USA Field Hockey Foundation and has served on numerous NCAA committees and task forces, including most recently, the Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee.
Dr. Grant was recognized as National Administrator of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (now Women Leaders in College Sport) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. She was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors (NACDA) Hall of Fame (2008). She has also received numerous awards for her leadership in the development of women’s sports such as the NCAA’s Gerald R. Ford Award (2007), the University of Iowa Hancher-Finkbine Medallion (2003) and Distinguished Achievement Award (2001), the R. Tait McKenzie Award from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (2000), the NCAA Honda Award of Merit (1998), the Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Jean King Contribution Award (1995) and the Ontario Sports Award for Outstanding Contributions to Canadian Amateur Sport (1970).
Recognized as one of the foremost national experts on gender equity in sport, Dr. Grant testified about Title IX and gender equity before three Congressional committees, served as a consultant to the U.S. Office for Civil Rights Department of Health, Education and Welfare Title IX Task Force and as an expert witness in fifteen court cases related to Title IX compliance and gender equity. Dr. Grant was instrumental in the development of the NCAA Division I Certification program, the training of NCAA staff in the execution of that program, and served on five NCAA Certification Peer Review teams. Dr. Grant also served as a consultant to institutions of higher education and state education agencies on the development of women’s athletics programs. She was chosen as the National Coach of the Canadian Women’s Field Hockey Team and has umpired international field hockey games in Canada, the USA and New Zealand.
Dr. Grant earned her B.A. in Physical Education and a doctoral degree in athletic administration from the University of Iowa as well as a diploma of physical education from Dunfermline College in Scotland. She will be sorely missed.