The University of Minnesota in April refused to allow junior Mary Nystrom to try out for a position as a kicker/punter for its football team, citing the lawsuit by Heather Mercer against Duke in justification.
Mercer was added to DUke’s football team in 1995. When she was cut by the team a year later, she sued the school for sexual discrimination. She won a $2 million verdict against Duke, but the verdict in her favor was later overturned by an appellate court.
Under Title IX, men’s teams are not obligated to give women athletes tryouts, but the Mercer lawsuit established that once they do give such tryouts they have to be prepared to justify any decision to cut a female applicant in court.
Minnesota football coach Glen Mason released a statement about Nystrom’s situation saying,
As many of you know, in contact sports such as football, Title IX explicitly exempts those sports from having to provide tryouts to female athletes. At this time we thought it was in the team’s best interest to limit the try out to male participation.
In December 2002, New Mexico’s Kate Hnida became the first woman to play in an NCAA Division I-A game. Hnida had her extra point attempt in the Las Vegas Bowl blocked.
Sources:
Minnesota bars female kicker from football try out. Associated Press, April 18, 2003.
School blocks female student from tryout. Dennis Brackin, Scripps Howard, April 18, 2003.