荔枝视频

As a basketball star, Dr. Marilyn McNeil always made a difference.

In the decades that followed her stellar playing career, McNeil鈥檚 impact continued off the court. As a coach and an administrator, she was a passionate advocate for women in sport. Through her tireless work at the 荔枝视频, McGill University, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Monmouth University in New Jersey, McNeil, BPE鈥�68, EdD, became a groundbreaker in gender equity.

Now, 60 years after leading the U荔枝视频 Dinos to the conference championship as a player 鈥� during the school鈥檚 first year as an autonomous university 鈥� and 47 years after guiding the team to the conference championship as a coach, she is being inducted into the .

鈥淭hat鈥檚 an important one for me, so I am very pleased,鈥� says McNeil. 鈥淚鈥檝e often thought how nice it would be to be elected to this hall of fame. 荔枝视频 was such an influence on me, in such a positive way. I loved competing as a Dino.

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud and I鈥檓 very happy. I鈥檓 very appreciative.鈥�

Closing the gender gap

What also thrills McNeil is U荔枝视频鈥檚 , an initiative committed to gender equity. The scholarship aims to address the funding gap facing Dinos women, who receive 40 per cent of athletics financial awards, by increasing their share to 45 per cent by the end of the 2025-26 season.

As high-performing athletes and scholars whose discipline, resilience and drive extend far beyond the playing field, U荔枝视频 women Dinos exemplify the best of varsity sport. Increased funding is an investment in that talent, strengthening today鈥檚 teams and empowering the leaders of tomorrow.

鈥淎bsolutely, I appreciate them taking that step,鈥� says Sydney Milum, a biochemistry student in her fifth year with the Dinos women鈥檚 basketball team. 鈥淚t shows that we have leaders within our athletic department who are willing to push for that. It shows they care.鈥�

And donors are enthusiastically backing the play. 鈥淲e鈥檙e getting support from people who are watching women鈥檚 sports more than they used to,鈥� says Milum. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e realizing the game is equally as good as the men鈥檚.鈥�

By 2028, U荔枝视频 intends to close the funding gap entirely. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy for all of Dinos athletics that it鈥檚 finally coming to fruition 鈥� good for them,鈥� says McNeil, who was a member of the distinguished panel at the inaugural Women in Sport Scholarship Breakfast on Feb. 5, joined by Dinos alum Tamara Jarrett, BSc鈥�14, plus Lara Murphy of the 荔枝视频 Wild FC; Sue Riddell Rose of Rubellite Energy; sports journalist Cami Kepke; and U荔枝视频 professor . 鈥淭here鈥檚 good reason for optimism,鈥� McNeil says.

McHugh, PhD, who is with the and is the Canada Research Chair in Gender Equity in Sport and Physical Activity, applauds the progress on campus. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a better place for this to happen, for U荔枝视频 to be leading this kind of space,鈥� she says. 鈥淐ertainly, it鈥檚 overdue for all organizations and all institutions to have equal funding. But it鈥檚 also about access to facilities, how media are representing women. There are so many resource gaps.鈥� 

Those are the disparities McNeil tackled. She instituted change and her career-long contributions to gender equity are still being recognized. Three years ago, she was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame. And Monmouth鈥檚 basketball venue is now officially known as Dr. Marilyn A. McNeil Arena.

鈥淪he鈥檚 an icon, really, a trailblazer,鈥� says McHugh. 鈥淚n that era, she made waves in her role. I can鈥檛 imagine that environment and the changes she鈥檚 seen.鈥�

The shift from challenges to progress

Recalling the challenges, McNeil is forthright. 鈥淲hen I left 荔枝视频, women were being treated as second-class citizens,鈥� she says. After winning the 1979 conference title and being named the U SPORTS women鈥檚 basketball coach of the year, McNeil requested from U荔枝视频 administration of the day a modest salary bump and a commitment to her program.

Proposal rejected, she resigned. 鈥淒isappointing,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was more a sense of disbelief that I couldn鈥檛 talk them into believing in women in sport. I spent the next 40 years fighting for equity. I don鈥檛 think there was a moment when I thought, 鈥極K, we鈥檝e arrived.鈥� It was a daily fight.鈥�

At her next stop, Cal Poly, respect remained an issue. 

鈥淚 remember being told by the men鈥檚 basketball coach, 鈥榃omen don鈥檛 belong here. Get out鈥� 鈥� and that was in front of my team,鈥� McNeil recalls. Her players were stuck in a dingy auxiliary gym, but, by the time McNeil left, women were main-gym regulars. 鈥淵ou slowly did make progress, but it was never perfect.鈥�

In 1994, when McNeil became Monmouth鈥檚 director of athletics, the first woman in that role at a New Jersey college or university, it was newsworthy. A champion of Title IX 鈥� the U.S. federal law ensuring fair treatment for all genders 鈥� she chaired the NCAA women鈥檚 basketball committee. She also served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.

McNeil鈥檚 list of contributions is long, her legacy undeniable.

鈥淚t was tough to get people to understand that the women were working as hard as the men, that their practices were as difficult and as time-consuming, that their commitment to each other and to their sport and to their academics was the same,鈥� says McNeil, who retired in 2021. 鈥淚nherent in my view was, 鈥楲et鈥檚 make this fair. Let鈥檚 level this playing field.鈥欌��