Thousands of women who competed in college athletics over the past 50-plus years owe a great deal of thanks to Connie Claussen, who in 1969 started women's athletics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
She did it with little to no backing from the administration and certainly without funding. (Scholarships under Title IX didn't begin until 1972, and even then the financial aid for female athletes was quite minimal.)
John Fey
UNO took the lead, even before the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University began their women's athletic programs.
Connie was the university's first softball coach, and, in 1975, her team won the Women's College World Series that was held at Omaha's Dill Field. From those humble beginnings, she was able to add volleyball, basketball, cross country and track and field. Over the next four decades, UNO would win national titles in volleyball, softball and soccer. Today, UNO women also compete in golf, swimming and diving and tennis -- all at the NCAA Division I level.
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Connie Claussen started women's athletics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1969.
It could be argued that explosive growth couldn't have happened without Connie's leadership and persistence. She was an amazing fundraiser -- she started the UNO Women's Walk in 1986, an event that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for women's athletics. She also not only helped raise funds for the new softball/baseball complex, she donated to that project as well as to the transformation of the football field to a soccer pitch.
Over the years, Connie has been recognized at the local and national levels. In 1983, she was the first female inducted into the UNO athletics Hall of Fame.
On a personal note, Connie became my first boss when I graduated from UNO in 1977. I was hired as the school's first women's sports information director. She was, hands down, the best boss I ever had. She was kind and considerate and quick to acknowledge when a job was well done.
