How It All Began: The Origins of USF Women’s Basketball
USF women's basketball will celebrate its 50th anniversary season Wednesday night when the Bulls face Houston on Senior Night in the final regular-season game at the Yuengling Center. USF players will honor the occasion by wearing throwback uniforms, similar to the team garb from the 1970s. In this story adapted from the upcoming book, "Golden Bulls: 50 Seasons Of USF Women's Basketball,'' we learn about the program's infancy and origins.
By Joey Johnston
Jennifer Merritt, a sharp-shooting guard, remembers being unable to sleep. She was too excited. It was Feb. 25, 1978 and the 6-year-old USF women's basketball program had just won a state championship.
She and three teammates got in the car and drove to Clearwater Beach, reliving every moment of their 61-59 victory against Florida State in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) state championship game. They awaited the sunrise.
But before then, they found a Tampa Tribune newspaper box. They flipped through the pages. Start spreading the news.
USF Ladies Win State Title
"It felt like we had arrived,'' Merritt said. "We were worthy.''
In truth, though, the introduction of USF women's basketball was filled with growing pains. The path was cleared on June 23, 1972 when Title IX, part of the Education Amendments of 1972, was signed into law. It prohibited sex-based discrimination in any school or educational program that received federal funding.
About six weeks later, USF president Cecil Mackey and the University Athletic Council approved a full program of women's sports to join the women's tennis team that was founded in 1966. With a $10,000 budget, USF made preliminary plans to add archery, badminton, basketball, bowling, golf, softball, swimming and volleyball.
Janie Cheatham, assistant professor of physical education and coach of the USF cheerleaders, was hired as the first full-time female coach for USF athletics. She was assigned the basketball and volleyball teams, a dual role she would continue for four seasons.
On the eve of the first season, when no scholarships were offered, Cheatham expressed confidence in the program's direction.
"We have good talent and now we're out to earn everyone's respect,'' Cheatham said.
At times, that respect seemed in short supply.
The men's basketball team was known as the USF Brahmans, a forerunner of the Bulls mascot and nickname. The Tribune referred to the women's basketball team as the "Brahamanettes.'' The Oracle, USF's student newspaper, used "Brahmisses.''
"We got it going and were very excited to play, but there was never much attention surrounding our women's basketball program,'' said Nancy Yengel (1974-76), USF's leading scorer in her two seasons after transferring from a New York junior college. "We weren't playing for attention. We wanted to play the game we loved. You couldn't really compare what we had to what's going on today.''
Players had to purchase their own sneakers.
On road trips, there were four players to a room, pairing up in the double or queen-sized beds.
Through the first five seasons, USF women's basketball never left the state. The first airplane trip was in 1977-78 to Eastern Michigan and Wayne State. Otherwise — whether it was to the Panhandle, Miami or anywhere in between — the team packed into vans, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
"I was the driver most of the time,'' said Joanne Rogers, the USF women's basketball head coach from 1976-83. "We would play a game, shower, change, eat, then drive home through the night. There just wasn't a lot of funding.''
Rogers recalled getting a bus for one road trip. It went to Tallahassee for a game against Florida A&M, then Florida State the following night. The bus headed due west on Interstate 10 to Louisiana for another game against the University of New Orleans.
"Thankfully, they let us spend the night in New Orleans,'' Rogers said. "We woke up and came on home.''
The women's team rarely got preferred practice time slots, often working out at night. By the time their workout had finished, the cafeteria with their meal plan had closed. So they needed a voucher to eat dinner somewhere else on campus.
Rogers' office was in the catacombs of the Physical Education building, deep past a series of hallways, adjoining the training area where players were taped and iced.
"It was nowhere you wanted to bring recruits or use as a showcase,'' said Merritt (1977-81). "We just didn't know what we didn't know. I thought it was awesome that our coach had her own office. Looking back, we were treated like second-class citizens, but it was the protocol of the times. We didn't know any better.''
When the Sun Dome opened in 1980, it was earmarked for the men's program. The USF women played there against the Florida Gators in the inaugural season, then had a five-game Sun Dome schedule the following year.
"I don't think we were treated that much differently than other women's programs, it was just the times,'' said Merritt, who was recruited by Tennessee and Georgia, but chose USF because of the Florida weather and its physical education program. "My mother begged me not to play basketball in college. She was pushing me toward a college with a stronger sorority program. Acceptance was hard and you were often viewed as a freak or something.
"When I graduated from USF, something called the Women's Basketball Association was formed. They offered me a contract at $7,000 a year. I couldn't do that. It makes me angry now. Seven-thousand dollars? I wasn't ready to give up basketball. Had I been raised now, it would've been my career and the offer would be hundreds of thousands of dollars. I never had that option.''
What did the early USF women's basketball teams receive? Priceless benefits such as education, friendship, camaraderie, competitive opportunities and the knowledge that their teams were program pioneers.
"We just weren't the right generation,'' said Mary Klinewski (1981-85). "I tell my grandkids that I played, but there's not any footprint. You keep scrapbooks, but they fade after a while. Sometimes you work hard, but there's seemingly no tangible reward. But every year, I learned something. I learned about perseverance. I learned about acceptance. I learned what it's like to be a true friend to a struggling teammate. I had a true college experience and I am grateful.
"The stories are never about what happened on the court. It's when the bus broke down. It's the laughter and the stories and the trips we took. I played for the love, not as a means to something. The lessons I learned have helped me 10-fold.''
Former USF point guard Lori DiPilla (1981-83) said she believes much of sports today exists "under a cloud of negativity'' with young people constantly being reminded about what they don't have, mostly through social media.
"You should fight for equality — and women's basketball still does — but we were not angry and bitter,'' DiPilla said. "We played in Alaska (at the Northern Lights Invitational) and we went dog-sledding. Coach Rogers had a house on a lake and we went water-skiing there. I'm pretty sure the players today aren't piling in to share a hotel room, but I don't begrudge them the progress. We had our fun. I don't remember a bad day at USF.''
By today's standards, it was primitive, maybe even unfair. It was just … different.
"We had to be creative,'' said Rogers, a former USF volleyball and softball player who took the USF basketball head-coaching job at age 26. "We might've had three scholarships total — maybe less — so you had to divide them up. CDB's was just starting and they offered us half-price if we brought the whole squad for the team meal, so that's what we did. We found ways to make it work.
"The salaries now are staggering. I look at (LSU's) Kim Mulkey and think, 'How many assistants does she have?' Now there's television and sold-out games. I'm thrilled. We didn't have any of that, but we know we helped get it going. We have great memories and I wouldn't trade them for anything.''
