Celebrating Title IX: Jill Stephens '95

LAKELAND, Fla. - Fifty years ago today, June 23, 1972, the Title IX of the Higher Education Act was passed. The federal civil rights law states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
 
Throughout this week, we have highlighted key figures in Florida Southern's history of women's athletics. Today, on the 50^th anniversary of its passing, we highlight former student-athlete, coach, and now administrator Jill Stephens '95.
 
Stephens was a member of one of the first generations to matriculate through the United States school systems fully under Title IX which gave her the ability to dream of one day becoming a two-sport collegiate athlete which is a dream she achieved at Florida Southern College.
 
"I have been quite blessed by the passing of Title IX, which happened the year before I was born," said Stephens. "Therefore, I had the opportunity to compete in volleyball, basketball and softball from a very young age, through high school, college and after. We still have lots of work to do to continue gaining equity for women in athletics, but personally, I benefited from the hard work, sweat and tears of the women who came before me. I am continually indebted to women like my college coach, Lois Webb, my high school coach, Louise Crocco, and so many women who did not have the opportunities I had. It was their lives' work to gain opportunities, equity and respect in a male dominated industry. I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the men who also fought for women to have the same privileges as the men in athletics. In particular, one of my most cherished mentors Hal Smeltzly, FSC's Athletic Director, was at the forefront of making women's athletics a priority. He proved his commitment by fighting to fund our women's teams at FSC much earlier than most athletic directors in the country, which put FSC women's athletics at national prominence quickly. Pete Meyer continued his charge in promoting the increased equality for our women's teams."
 
Stephens began her All-American volleyball career at Florida Southern in 1991 as a student-athlete where she played for legendary head coach Lois Webb who was featured earlier this week for her tremendous work in establishing women's athletics at Florida Southern. Stephens also found a spot on the women's basketball team, thanks to former Moccasin head coach Norm Benn, which achieved her dream of becoming a two-sport collegiate athlete. During Stephens' four years at FSC, the volleyball team was an impressive 121-34 with a quartet of second place finishes in the Sunshine State Conference. The Mocs won the Region Championship during Stephens' freshman campaign to advance to the National Tournament where they finished fourth overall.
 
Following her playing career, Stephens began her coaching journey with a two-year stint at Florida Atlantic University as an assistant coach before Coach Webb came calling in 1997 for Stephens to join her staff at Florida Southern. Stephens would spend the next four seasons as Webb's assistant coach before taking over the program following Webb's retirement in 2001.
 
Stephens led the Moccasin volleyball program for 17 outstanding seasons culminating with a run to the NCAA National Championship match in 2017, which would be Stephens final match on the FSC sideline. Not many coaches can end their careers at the pinnacle of the sport, but Stephens did just that, taking the Mocs the furthest the program had ever gone. She was a two-time SSC Coach of the Year and led 20 student-athletes to All-American honors while 30 achieved All-SSC recognition. She concluded her career as the AVCA South Region Coach of the Year.
 
Following her retirement from the sidelines, Stephens took on an even bigger role within the Florida Southern College Athletics Department as she was named Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator as well as Title IX Coordinator.
 
When asked to describe her role as Title IX Coordinator, Stephens responded:
 
"My role as the Title IX Coordinator in Athletics has been challenging and rewarding. I work closely with our attorney who is an expert in Title IX law, and ultimately, I work to make every decision for FSC Athletics through the lens of equity and inclusion. Each year we do a complete Title IX review which includes surveys of current students, student-athletes, coaches and administrators. We do a deep dive to strive for the equity of participation opportunities, financial aid and equitable treatment of our student-athletes."
 
Women's athletics has thrived throughout Stephens' career and she continues to grow the resources and opportunities for female student-athletes at FSC.  One area where Stephens feels work still needs to be done is in the hiring and retention of female coaches. One of the biggest challenges since Title IX has been an increased number of men seeking coaching positions with women's sports as a result of improved salaries and resources created by Title IX.  She and others are doing their part to encourage, promote and retain women in coaching.
 
One of her greatest memories came from an FSC volleyball reunion where former student-athletes shared the tremendous stories of their time building the program from the ground up.
 
"I loved learning about how they fundraised, how they traveled and fought to gain the respect they deserved. Coach Webb's stories are the BEST! Somehow their resilience brought them closer together and it was amazing to see the legacy they created while at Southern. Without those pioneering women, I'm not sure where FSC athletics would be."
 
Stephens was also asked what message she gave her student-athletes as they advanced through her program to help prepare them for life after college.
 
"Be grateful to the women who came before you and paved the way. Make the most of every opportunity you have. I believe that sports is one of the best teachers in life. Each of my athletes faced adversity, tough times and huge challenges that helped them learn grit, perseverance and how to believe in themselves and their team. Each student-athlete also achieved great success whether on the court or in the classroom which allowed them to learn humility and grace. Lastly, coaching a team sport was a constant lesson in growing personally and collectively. Our young women also learned how to hold each other accountable, have difficult conversations, and encourage each other to achieve greatness every day. Ultimately, our focus is building strong women who will battle to be the best and believe that anything is possible. Often this means breaking glass ceilings and taking risks like the women have done for so many years before us."
 
For more information on FSC's commitment to Title IX, please visit: fscmocs.com/TitleIX