James Naismith had invented basketball in 1891, but it took almost ten years for the game to make its way to the South. On Saturday, January 13, 1900, it is said that Eleanore Norvell initiated the first women’s basketball game at UT. The Ideson and Whitis coed teams played four…
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The team received recognition from UT publications such as the Texan, Cactus, and University Record as the varsity squad. Eleanore Norvell served as the coach and had eight players against the “Town Girls.” The UT all-star team won 7-4, with observers paying a 10-cent admission fee. However, men were not…
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Under the guidance of the Director of Women’s Physical Education, Eunice Aden, recreational activities expanded. Resulting from this expansion was the formation of basketball teams for each class (freshman, sophomore, etc.). While basketball was the only sport with an intercollegiate component, it was largely an intramural and interclass event. “T”…
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With enthusiasm for playing basketball growing, Director Aden and Dean of Women Helen Marr Kirby kept a close eye on developments in the sport at UT. As compared to the early years of basketball’s establishment at the school, the teams were not allowed to play off campus. For a period…
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In 1921, Anna Hiss replaced Eunice Aden as the Director of Physical Training for Women. Steeped in the nationwide philosophies of womanhood and femininity related to physical activity, basketball was seen as unfeminine and dangerous. Hiss strove to develop and maintain a program that kept basketball simply a sport of…
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