Title IX passed 50 years ago and in 37 words changed the landscape of college athletics forever. Peggy Kennedy was 18 years old when Title IX was passed. Kennedy, a former NAU Women’s Basketball star, is no stranger to the impact that Title IX made for women in athletics.

Peggy was an athlete from the day she could walk. While Peggy was growing up, organized sports for girls were uncommon. Her only way to compete was with her older brother and cousin where they pushed Peggy to the limits and allowed for her to grow as an athlete.  To paint a picture of what it was like growing up in the 1960’s (before Title IX passed) Peggy shared a story from third grade.

"My third-grade teacher decided to hold a parent-teacher conference with my parents. This meeting was to inform my parents that I could no longer play with the boys at recess. Girls and boys were not meant to co-mingle during this time. Girls were supposed to partake in hopscotch and boys were supposed to play team sports. My mother stood up for me, making the point that I grew up playing with my older brother and cousin, and that playing sports at recess was no different. My parents played an integral role in allowing for me to pursue my passion for athletics. They were my biggest fans.”

Fast forward to junior high, Peggy competed on a nationally ranked cross country/track & field team in California. Kennedy made this team when it was ranked 2^nd nationally, truly showing how talented of an athlete she was. Peggy and her family then moved to Maryland where she was able to play basketball competitively. During her junior high playing days, basketball was 6 vs 6 (2 forwards, 2 guards, and 2 rovers) and there was only tournament play, no regular season games for female teams. Peggy’s senior year, her team only had four games on the schedule and to no one’s surprise, they won all four.

The next stop in Peggy’s athletic career was NAU. She walked on to the team in 1976 and immediately was a star. Even though at this point, Title IX had been in place for four years, women were still not receiving equal treatment to their male counterparts. Peggy said that the men’s basketball team flew to all away games, while the women’s team bussed everywhere. Her team only had one warm-up outfit, and two uniforms, that were previously used by past teams. Peggy asked the athletic director for new uniforms, and he said it was not in the budget and denied her request. These setbacks did not stop Peggy though. She is still the program’s record holder for single season rebounding average (12.7), career rebounding average (11.3), and career scoring average (19.0). Kennedy went on to play one year in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, playing for the Chicago Hustle and the Milwaukee Does.

Peggy has seen the transformation that Title IX has created for women in athletics. NAU currently has nine women’s sports teams and women’s basketball finally has a place to call home in the Student-Athlete High Performance Center. When asked why she continues to support NAU women’s basketball and is a Skyjacks member, Peggy said, “I became a better teammate, friend, and person from the experiences I had while playing at NAU. I wanted to help in providing this same experience for current and future Lumberjacks.”

Peggy is considered a trailblazer for women’s basketball in the state of Arizona. She is a member of the NAU Hall of Fame as a 1984 class inductee. On November 1, Peggy will also be inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame as the first athlete, male or female, who graduated from NAU. Without Title IX, the legacy that Peggy left would not have been as profound nor would NAU be where it is at today. The impact that Kennedy left at NAU is one for the record books.