BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – On the 50^th anniversary of Title IX being signed into law, Samford University is joining other schools across the country in celebrating the anniversary of this landmark legislation that has given a tremendous number of opportunities for female student-athletes to compete in the sports they love.
 
"Title IX turning 50 will be a great opportunity for us to celebrate our women's sports programs," Samford Deputy AD and Senior Woman Administrator Michelle Durban said. "Our current student-athletes have always had the ability to participate in sports, so I believe it will be an important year of reflection on how we got to today, and where we can go in the future with the help of Title IX legislation."
 
Title IX, which was officially signed into law on June 23, 1972, is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law that was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.
 
The original text that was signed into law read as follows: "No person in the United States shall, based on 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."
 
"What Title IX has done for women and girls in sports is immeasurable," Samford head women's basketball coach Carley Kuhns said. "It has provided countless numbers of female student-athletes the opportunity to continue their athletic careers and, more importantly, to get a quality education. I think it is important that our current student-athletes understand the work and sacrifices that went in to giving them and future generations these opportunities. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make what so many women accomplish in athletics today possible."
 
Samford's women's teams have had a tremendous amount of success, especially in recent years, and the coaches and student-athletes involved in those accomplishments have this important legislation to thank for having the chance to be in position to achieve those successes.
 
Over the years, Samford's women's teams have won an impressive 69 total conference divisional, regular season or tournament championships. The first conference championship for a Samford women's team came in 1987 when the Bulldog cross-country team won the Trans America Athletic Conference (now Atlantic Sun) title.
 
Samford's women's programs have really taken off since joining the Southern Conference in the summer of 2008. A total of 48 of Samford's 69 women's conference championships have come in the SoCon. Incredibly, over the last three years, Samford has won 17 Southern Conference women's championships. Additionally, Samford won the Germann Cup, which goes to the top women's athletics program in the SoCon, for the 2009-10, 2014-15, 2020-21 and 2021-22 athletic seasons.
 
Samford's women's programs have been the model of consistency in recent years. The women's soccer program has won eight straight SoCon regular-season titles. The women's indoor track and field team has won seven consecutive championships, while outdoor track and field has captured three straight titles. The Bulldogs' volleyball team has won four of the last six SoCon Tournament championships, while women's basketball has won two of the last three regular-season championships.
 
Individually, Karisa Nelson became Samford's first NCAA Division I national champion when she captured the title in the mile at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Additionally, Samford female student-athletes have been named either SoCon Player of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year 29 times, while coaches of Samford's women's teams have earned SoCon Coach of the Year honors 23 times.
 
Samford opened its Athletics Hall of Fame in the spring of 2017, and in the five classes that have been inducted, five female individuals and one women's team have been inducted. Lauren Blankenship (2017, Track & Field/Cross Country), Alyssa Whitehead (2018, Soccer), Emily London (2019, Basketball), Michaela Reesor (2020, Volleyball), Chandra Howard Moore (2022, Tennis) and the 2010-11 women's basketball team (2022) have been included in the Hall of Fame's first five classes.