Debbie Yow, director of athletics at the University of Maryland, will give a speech titled “My Game: Women NCAA Athletes and Athletic Directors” at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 15, in Whitley Auditorium on the campus of Elon University. The speech is free and open to the public.
Yow, a native of Gibsonville, N.C., who graduated from Elon in 1974 with a degree in English, began coaching basketball while teaching high school. She became head women’s coach at the University of Kentucky in 1976. Later, Yow moved into athletic administration at the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Before accepting her current position at the University of Maryland in 1994, Yow served as director of athletics at St. Louis University. Her tenure at Maryland has been marked by a balanced departmental budget, enhanced facilities and nationally-ranked teams.
In addition, Maryland won its first-ever NCAA national championship in men’s basketball in Atlanta April 1.
Yow has also served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, an organization encompassing 1,600 colleges and universities. Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal recently named her one of the leading athletics administrators in the United States.
Yow’s appearance at Elon is sponsored by the Women’s/Gender Studies program.