"In my mind, she is one of the most influential women in collegiate athletics. Her uniqueness rests in her tremendous emphasis and desire to be a great human being and to promote the equality of all people. She's been one of the true and original leaders in the struggle for fairness for all women in all aspects of life, not just in athletics.

"She has always adhered to the highest moral standards and because of that she is above reproach. Even when I may have disagreed with her, I have always had to respect her opinions because I know they are based on the most sound set of principles."

"Christine is one of those rare people who can frame an issue, advocate for it and then move on. She has the ability to disagree with people on one issue and then work side-by-side with them on another issue, which is the ultimate in professionalism. She couldn't have been better to work with. She's such a thoughtful and insightful person."

-- Bob Bowlsby, currently athletics director at the University of Iowa and men's athletics director at Iowa from 1991 to 2000.

"Her continued commitment to the participation of girls and women in sport has been unwavering. People will come up to her and say, 'We appreciate what you've given our daughters.' She's made a list of enemies over the years, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would say anything bad about her. Even her enemies respect her because she is such a fair person with such integrity. Her sense of humor has been a necessary part of her survival. She's able to laugh at herself. And, when people would portray her as a flaming radical, she thought it was funny. She's always viewed herself as a moderate, really."

-- Bonnie Slatton, faculty athletics representative at the University of Iowa.

"I'll always think of Christine as making the greatest contribution to women's athletics of any woman I know. I know that's a strong statement, but I can think of no one who's made the individual contributions Christine has. She's so quiet in demeanor, but she has all of her facts and figures and she is so committed to her cause. She has a marvelous sense of humor and she's very quick with it. She is always thinking of new ways to do things, and she is always thinking of what's best for student-athletes -- women and men. You want her on your team when you go to war."

-- Charlotte West, former associate athletics director at the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale.

"Christine fought a lot of battles that have impacted a lot of people in intercollegiate athletics for the better. She was unselfish, committed and focused on what needed to be done. That focus and commitment have served her well. She's a great professional and a loyal friend."

-- Karol Kahrs, former senior associate athletics director at the University of Illinois, Champaign.

"Christine is both the conscience and the heart of collegiate sport. She feels so passionately about issues, and she backs up those feelings with action. She has worked to collect all kinds of data over the years, backing up her beliefs with the down and dirty work. Her willingness to serve as a witness over the years is an added burden she's carried, because that takes so much preparation. And she's done it on behalf
of all of us. Regardless of their political position, all women owe her a vote of thanks for the work she's done on our behalf."

-- Sharon E. Taylor, athletics director at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

"Generations of women now in the trenches have a lot of Iowa connections, and Christine Grant had a great deal to do with that. She's a great mentor -- with values, principles and integrity. She also had the ability to keep you excited about what you were doing. She could play hardball when she needed to, but she always had the heart of other people and the well-being of student-athletes at the forefront."

-- Mary Curtis, associate athletics director and compliance coordinator at the University of Iowa.

"Christine used her staff in problem solving. She always wanted to hear what we had to say, and she could come up with creative ways to approach a problem. She has continued to fight the good fight and emphasize the importance of providing opportunities for women. There are many of us in athletics now who wouldn't be here if it weren't for her, and I don't know that we've all told her so."

-- Paula Jantz, associate athletics director at the University of Iowa.

"Christine believes that sport is valuable for all people. And at a time when it wasn't popular to put your foot down and fight for women's opportunity, she did that. She's fought a lot of battles that many people would have stepped away from a long time ago. Any time you try to effect change in a male-dominated world, it's going to be difficult; it's going to take time. But if you look at the Olympics, and all the women participating in all of the different venues there, Christine is one of the people responsible for that. We still have a ways to go, but she took us from tolerance to acceptance."

-- Gayle Blevins, head softball coach at the University of Iowa.