Title IX Basketball Pioneer Shares Struggle With Discrimination

Women’s basketball pioneer Pat McKinzie-Lechault talked about Title IX, the law that banned discrimination against women in federally financed sports programs, on Friday at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The school is hosting the NCAA Division III women’s basketball championships this weekend. With games scheduled for Friday and Saturday, UW-Stevens Point invited McKinzie-Lechault to talk about Title IX, which was signed into law in 1972 by Richard Nixon. McKinzie-Lechault remembers being shunned as a tomboy at Sterling High School in Illinois.

“The girls thought I was crazy and the boys, they were afraid of me,” said McKinzie-Lechault. “So I spent my childhood begging to get on the court, unlike today, where girls had all their friends that were playing sports.”

“It’s no fun being discriminated against,” she added. “It’s really difficult.”

McKinzie-Lechault got into the games with the boys, and earned their respect, despite gender and racial differences.

“Somebody would get injured and they’d finally let me in the game,” she said. “And I’d put down a couple of jumpers in their face, and they’d say, ‘OK, gimme five, white girl; you can’t jump, but you got game.’”

Title IX allowed McKinzie-Lechaul to receive the first women’s athletic scholarship at Illinois State University. That was followed by a professional basketball career in the United States, France and Germany. Through it all, McKinzie-Lechault led a personal battle against discrimination and gender stereotypes.

“I have been blessed to play beside African-American teammates, teammates that were homosexual, teammates that were French, teammates that were German, teammates from all different economic levels,” said McKinzie-Lechaul. “When you are on a team together, you look at them as individuals, and those people are your teammates, and you got their back.”

Pat McKinzie-Lechault appeared at the school with her daughter, Nathalie Lechault, a former UW-Stevens Point basketball star.