St. John's University Athletics
10 for IX: Kathy Meehan Reflects on 50 Years of Title IX at St. John’s
6/30/2022 9:46:00 AM | General, Women's Basketball
Former student-athlete and longtime administrator recounts her experiences in women’s sports
The following story is the first in a 10-part feature series celebrating the legacy of Title IX at St. John's and its effects on the generations of student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have benefited in the 50 years since its passing. A new story will be published every Thursday on RedStormSports.com.
QUEENS, N.Y. – In June of 1972, Kathy Meehan, then known as Kathy Murphy, had just finished her freshman year at St. John's when news broke of new federal legislation concerning gender equality in higher education. A member of the school's club basketball team, Meehan did not think Title IX would shape her future as drastically as it did.
"I don't think back then I thought of Title IX as monumental," said Meehan. "I certainly was aware of it. We certainly talked about it, but nowhere did we think 50 years later that this would be such a monumental thing."
A Long Island native and the daughter of two St. John's alumni, basketball was not the only reason that Meehan chose the Queens school, but it certainly did not hurt. A gifted athlete at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Meehan was enticed by the opportunity to continue playing basketball at the club level in college. By the time her senior year rolled around, however, Meehan was anchoring the first varsity women's basketball team in the history of St. John's University.
During that first season just two years after the passing of Title IX, the Express-- as they were known as at the time-- finished 10-8 and reached the second round New York State Association for Intercollegiate of Athletics for Women (AIAW) Tournament. The Johnnies did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, as the first women's basketball Big Dance was still seven years away.
Although it had varsity status, the team's resources were not quite up to modern standards. One scholarship was allocated for the entire squad. That lone full ride, however, looked generous compared to some of the team's other amenities. Women's basketball student-athletes were given pinnies to wear as uniforms and one pair of knee-high socks. That was all. Players had to buy their own shorts and sneakers. Men's freshman, JV and varsity squads had first crack at prime practice times in Alumni Hall, so the women's team usually trained from 7-10 p.m. in the auxiliary gym. Chartered coach buses did not ferry student-athletes to away games, instead they crammed into less-than-luxurious vans driven by members of the coaching staff. Once that year, the team was granted a pregame meal at a local restaurant. Other than that, players brought orange slices to games and practices.
Over the next five years, however, the situation improved for female student-athletes at St. John's. After being named the University's most outstanding female athlete as a senior, Meehan accepted a position within the athletic department, serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Women's Athletics and Assistant Women's Intramural Director, in addition to joining Vickie Kresse's staff as an assistant women's basketball coach. During her time in those varied roles, Meehan saw the number of scholarships for women's sports rise quite rapidly until reaching the highest level of allotment permitted by the NCAA. That progress came in large part due to the leadership of then-St. John's President Fr. Joseph T. Cahill and Jack Kaiser, the University's longtime Athletic Director who passed away just last month at the age of 95.
"Jack Kaiser was at the forefront and was very supportive," said Meehan. "Vickie Kresse and I would put together scholarship requests each year, and it was never a problem. Mr. Kaiser was really supportive and would say 'tell us what you need to be successful.' So, each year we would come up with a plan to increase scholarships and he took that right to Father Cahill, who agreed and trusted him.
"Jack Kaiser was always supportive of all those endeavors, always checking in and getting to know not just men's athletes, but also women's athletes. He knew who they were and how they were doing at events. He was just a supportive guy from day one."
Kaiser elevated Meehan twice over the next few years, making her Women's Athletic Director in 1980 before she became Associate Athletic Director in 1985. In 1993, she earned another promotion, becoming Senior Associate Athletic Director.
In addition to her varied responsibilities as the department's senior women's administrator, Meehan has also been able to see the growth of women's athletics as a part of several national committees. A member of the Women's Basketball Oversight Committee, she previously served on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee from 2010-15 after sitting on the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee from 2005-09.
"I think there has been significant progress, but as was evidenced by the women's basketball championship just two years ago in San Antonio, we still have a way to go," said Meehan. "Obviously, from 50 years ago, it's leaps and bounds in terms of the progress in the women's championship. You look at the Women's Final Four and its growth, and now you have the regionals getting sold out as well. There's still work to do in regular season games and on-campus games in terms of attendance, but the growth has been unreal."
While Meehan has appreciated her opportunities to shape the game on a national level, it has been the individual relationships with St. John's student-athletes and coaches that she has cherished the most. In particular, Meehan takes great pride in helping subsequent generations of female athletes reach higher levels than their predecessors.
"We each build on each other," said Meehan. "I certainly wouldn't be in any position without the people before me. Each decade of young women will hopefully serve as the building blocks for future teams. Those experiences that they had have helped the next group and generation get better and better."
In particular, the education received by women's athletes at St. John's has gone far beyond the fields of competition.
"As a St. John's person, hopefully, the women who received an education here continue to give back to the communities where they came from in whatever way their gifts allow," said Meehan. "I think that's the proudest I am of the young women that have graduated and have gone on to do some great stuff, impacting their communities in positive ways. That's what it's all about, not how many rebounds you had or how many points you scored, it's about what you do with your life and how you contribute to your life story."
QUEENS, N.Y. – In June of 1972, Kathy Meehan, then known as Kathy Murphy, had just finished her freshman year at St. John's when news broke of new federal legislation concerning gender equality in higher education. A member of the school's club basketball team, Meehan did not think Title IX would shape her future as drastically as it did.
"I don't think back then I thought of Title IX as monumental," said Meehan. "I certainly was aware of it. We certainly talked about it, but nowhere did we think 50 years later that this would be such a monumental thing."
A Long Island native and the daughter of two St. John's alumni, basketball was not the only reason that Meehan chose the Queens school, but it certainly did not hurt. A gifted athlete at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Meehan was enticed by the opportunity to continue playing basketball at the club level in college. By the time her senior year rolled around, however, Meehan was anchoring the first varsity women's basketball team in the history of St. John's University.
During that first season just two years after the passing of Title IX, the Express-- as they were known as at the time-- finished 10-8 and reached the second round New York State Association for Intercollegiate of Athletics for Women (AIAW) Tournament. The Johnnies did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, as the first women's basketball Big Dance was still seven years away.
Although it had varsity status, the team's resources were not quite up to modern standards. One scholarship was allocated for the entire squad. That lone full ride, however, looked generous compared to some of the team's other amenities. Women's basketball student-athletes were given pinnies to wear as uniforms and one pair of knee-high socks. That was all. Players had to buy their own shorts and sneakers. Men's freshman, JV and varsity squads had first crack at prime practice times in Alumni Hall, so the women's team usually trained from 7-10 p.m. in the auxiliary gym. Chartered coach buses did not ferry student-athletes to away games, instead they crammed into less-than-luxurious vans driven by members of the coaching staff. Once that year, the team was granted a pregame meal at a local restaurant. Other than that, players brought orange slices to games and practices.
Over the next five years, however, the situation improved for female student-athletes at St. John's. After being named the University's most outstanding female athlete as a senior, Meehan accepted a position within the athletic department, serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Women's Athletics and Assistant Women's Intramural Director, in addition to joining Vickie Kresse's staff as an assistant women's basketball coach. During her time in those varied roles, Meehan saw the number of scholarships for women's sports rise quite rapidly until reaching the highest level of allotment permitted by the NCAA. That progress came in large part due to the leadership of then-St. John's President Fr. Joseph T. Cahill and Jack Kaiser, the University's longtime Athletic Director who passed away just last month at the age of 95.
"Jack Kaiser was at the forefront and was very supportive," said Meehan. "Vickie Kresse and I would put together scholarship requests each year, and it was never a problem. Mr. Kaiser was really supportive and would say 'tell us what you need to be successful.' So, each year we would come up with a plan to increase scholarships and he took that right to Father Cahill, who agreed and trusted him.
"Jack Kaiser was always supportive of all those endeavors, always checking in and getting to know not just men's athletes, but also women's athletes. He knew who they were and how they were doing at events. He was just a supportive guy from day one."
Kaiser elevated Meehan twice over the next few years, making her Women's Athletic Director in 1980 before she became Associate Athletic Director in 1985. In 1993, she earned another promotion, becoming Senior Associate Athletic Director.
In addition to her varied responsibilities as the department's senior women's administrator, Meehan has also been able to see the growth of women's athletics as a part of several national committees. A member of the Women's Basketball Oversight Committee, she previously served on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee from 2010-15 after sitting on the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee from 2005-09.
"I think there has been significant progress, but as was evidenced by the women's basketball championship just two years ago in San Antonio, we still have a way to go," said Meehan. "Obviously, from 50 years ago, it's leaps and bounds in terms of the progress in the women's championship. You look at the Women's Final Four and its growth, and now you have the regionals getting sold out as well. There's still work to do in regular season games and on-campus games in terms of attendance, but the growth has been unreal."
While Meehan has appreciated her opportunities to shape the game on a national level, it has been the individual relationships with St. John's student-athletes and coaches that she has cherished the most. In particular, Meehan takes great pride in helping subsequent generations of female athletes reach higher levels than their predecessors.
"We each build on each other," said Meehan. "I certainly wouldn't be in any position without the people before me. Each decade of young women will hopefully serve as the building blocks for future teams. Those experiences that they had have helped the next group and generation get better and better."
In particular, the education received by women's athletes at St. John's has gone far beyond the fields of competition.
"As a St. John's person, hopefully, the women who received an education here continue to give back to the communities where they came from in whatever way their gifts allow," said Meehan. "I think that's the proudest I am of the young women that have graduated and have gone on to do some great stuff, impacting their communities in positive ways. That's what it's all about, not how many rebounds you had or how many points you scored, it's about what you do with your life and how you contribute to your life story."
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