Because She Did, We Can.
When we talk about sports, we often talk about championships, dynasties, or the very best athletes.
But before any of those things could happen, there had to be opportunity.
Before packed stands, there needed to simply be a roster.
Before scholarships, there had to be someone willing to push against the status quo and say:
“This matters.”
Christine Grant did not only introduce field hockey at the University of Iowa. She built an environment in the athletic department where women’s athletics were treated as worthy. She helped implement and protect Title IX at the university. She advocated for equitable resources, and fought institutional battles that most athletes would never see. Heck she even served as the president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (the AIAW; the women’s predecessor to the NCAA while the NCAA was only hosting men’s championships) for a stint.
Because of that work:
Women had teams. They had scholarships. Women coaches had careers.
And here’s what matters most for women coaches:
The athletes we work with today are standing on foundations built by the grit and determination to create just environments by women like her.
Let her life’s work remind us that visibility is not accidental. Access is not automatic. Equity is not inevitable. It is built.
And now we inherit the responsibility to build forward. Not just better drills. Not just better systems. Better pathways.
And we must remember that none of these aspects of women’s athletics are given or guaranteed. We must continue to protect what exists, and continue to fight for more. The moment we take it for granted, it is gone.
Remember her name. Remember her contributions. And remember that because she did, we can. 🫶
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