Dr. Nancy Goodloe, author of “Before Brittney: A Legacy of Champions,” held a book signing Saturday, March 22, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Baylor Bookstore. The book is a written and pictorial look at the history of Baylor women’s athletics and the journey that brought it the great success it has today.
Goodloe’s love for Baylor sports has continued for more than five decades, leading to this detailed and passionately written account. Starting at the beginning of Baylor’s female athletic programs, Goodloe takes readers on a journey up to today’s national championship teams, sharing to stories of legendary Bear athletes like Jody Conradt and Brittney Griner.
“The backdrop to the whole book is the struggle women were having nationally,” Goodloe said. She said that, until recent decades, there was not even a structure for women’s teams to compete for national championships.
Goodloe faced an uphill battle in recounting long-ago women’s teams, she said, because before and during the AIAW days, even in the 1960s and 70s, there was a lack of documentation, media interest, and statistics. Goodloe spent many days buried in old files in Baylor’s Texas Collection.
“I just wanted Baylor to have that history in one place,” Goodloe said. “I firmly believe that the Baylor administration did not have anything against women, but just didn’t have the money.”
Goodloe graduated from Baylor in 1968, earning her master’s in 1969 and then started her 31-year teaching career as part of the university’s HHPR faculty. She earned her doctorate from the University of Oregon in 1978. As a student at Baylor, Goodloe was a Bearette participating in basketball, track and field, and badminton. While serving as a faculty member, she coached later Bearette teams in volleyball, track and field, and badminton and trained Baylor’s first two female trainers. She also served as part of the Women’s Athletic Cabinet and the Faculty Athletic Council before her retirement in 2000 as Professor Emeritus.
“Before Brittney: A Legacy of Champions” can be purchased online atFriesenPress.com and Amazon.com, or Barnes and NobleBarnes and Noble. —Briana Rojas