ROCKDALE, Texas (KRHD) — Elizabeth 'Liz' Galloway-McQuitter, one of the first women to play in the WBL and 2018 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, is continuing her advocacy for equality in sports 46 years after she left the league.
- ‘Liz’ Galloway-Mcquitter is one of the first female basketball players to reap benefits of Title IX, receiving a scholarship to play at UNLV, and one of the first women to play in the WBL, the first women’s professional basketball league in the United States.
- She’s coached basketball at universities like Texas A&M University and her alma mater, Rockdale High School.
- She continues her fight for sports equality today as president of the Legends of Ball, Inc., which strives to educate youth about the contributions of the WBL and Title IX to the leagues that exist today.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Before the WNBA, there was Elizabeth Galloway-McQuitter.
Born and raised in Rockdale, this pioneer's journey to advocacy for equality in sports started early with Title IX.
"Title IX came in 1972 when I was still in high schoolhere," she said.
"It did give us that opportunity to earn scholarships. I left Temple Junior College and was recruited by Dan Ayala, my coach at UNLV."
After, she joined the Chicago Hustle in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL).
"We were the first women's professional basketball league in the United States," Galloway-McQuitter said.
"During the 70s, you understand we're changing not just the sports landscape. It's bigger than that. We're changing the social landscape, watching women play sports, professional basketball."
But they didn't receive all the benefits of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting discrimination in education.
"Even though Title IX, in its intent and all of its great intentions, says equal, we're far from equal," she said.
Instead facing sexism and racism.
"When we were in Chicago, housing, some from fans, just opportunities that weren't afforded to us," she said.
"That same sexism and racism still exists."
Today, as leader of the nonprofit Legends of the Ball, Inc., she still strives to dismantle it through education.
The organization works with WNBA teams, hosts basketball camps, and offers scholarships.
"Nobody knew anything about us. We set out to show how valuable that history and the role we played in the growth of the game is," Galloway-McQuitter said.
"We felt like we opened doors and kept them open so that all these future generations could walk through. We never left the game. We still haven't left the game."
