Join the Linfield University community in celebrating its women athletic history on Saturday, Oct. 1. The following events are open to the public:
- 11 a.m: Dedication of Jane McIlroy plaque in the HHPA Complex Lobby
- 11:30 a.m.: Archive display in Ted Wilson Gym, Upper Gym
- 1:30 p.m. Football game kickoff Linfield vs. Puget Sound. Halftime recognition for women alumni student-athletes on Maxwell Field.
Jane McIlroy was a pioneer in women’s sports at Linfield College, the Pacific Northwest and the nation. She not only developed Linfield’s women’s athletic programs into the powerhouse that they are today, but she was also instrumental in the creation of the Women’s Conference of Independent Colleges and helped organize the first women’s basketball teams in the military. Her honors are numerous. She was named one of six “Oregon Pioneer Ladies” by the Giusti Club of Champions in 1981, recognized as the first woman to govern a college athletic program by the AIAW in 1982, inducted into the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and continues to be celebrated with the McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy by the Northwest Conference.
The plaque being dedicated to McIlroy is a commissioned piece created by Sutton Betti and was funded by the TopCat Club. Betti is a bronze sculptor from Loveland, Colorado, specializing in historical, sports and military subjects. This is Linfield’s first piece by Betti.
Read more about McIlroy’s Title IX legacy on Linfield Magazine.
