Dates

• Existence: 1936 - 2021

Biography

Sports administrator, professor, and gender equity activist Christine Grant was born in May 1936 in Bo'ness, Scotland, to Donald Annan and Jean (Orr) Grant. In 1956 Grant received her Diploma of Physical Education at Dunfermline College in Aberdeen, Scotland. After graduating she was a high school teacher and coach in Graeme, Scotland (1956-1961), and field hockey coach and umpire at the high school, collegiate, national and international levels in British Columbia (1961-1964), Ottawa (1964-1965), and Toronto(1965-1971). Grant moved to Iowa City, Iowa, to pursue a bachelor's degree in physical education at the University of Iowa. She received her bachelor's degree in 1969, and continued her graduate work, earning a master's degree in physical education in 1970, and a Ph.D. in physical education with an emphasis in administration in 1974.

Christine Grant began her tenure as the first and only athletic director of the Department of Women's Athletics at the University of Iowa in 1973, holding the position until her retirement in 2000. Grant also served as associate professor within the Department of Physical Education for Women (1973-2006). Grant has spoken and published widely and has held numerous leadership positions as an advocate of gender equity in sports. She served as the president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) from 1980 to 1981, and testified as an expert witness and advisor in Title IX lawsuits. She received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious Billie Jean King Award presented by the Women's Sports Foundation, two honorary doctorates, and induction into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame and the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.

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