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Pac-10 to celebrate women’s sports anniversary

The Pacific-10 Conference will celebrate 25 years in women’s sports, highlighted by public service announcements voiced by some of the league’s greatest female athletes.

A microsite dedicated to the anniversary will feature stories and videos on some of the most important events, most successful coaches and greatest athletes to compete in the Pac-10.

“Celebrating 25 years in women’s sports in the Pac-10 allows us to pay tribute to the many influential people who have helped shape and define the landscape in women’s athletics,” Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott said. “The Pac-10 has been a leader in athletics excellence and providing opportunity for women in sports. We are proud of that heritage and are excited to celebrate some of the most amazing accomplishments and people in the history of sports.”

The public service announcements were produced by Janet Champ, co-creator of the 1990s Nike women’s fitness campaign “If You let Me Play.” Lisa Leslie, Jennie Finch and Natalie Coughlin (three of the most decorated student-athletes to come out of the league) provide the voices for the spots, discussing athletics, the fans and the impact of sports. The spots feature images of other great Pac-10 athletes, such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Saori Haruguchi, Grace Park, Anna Mickelson, Kelly Blair LaBounty, Jacquelyn Johnson, Natalie Williams, Jennfer Azzi and Tina Thompson. The ads will air during conference events throughout the rest of the 2010-11 academic year.

The website will feature the conference’s active history in providing a structure that gave power to female administrators and provided a foundation for 650 team and individual NCAA championships, beginning with the Stanford women’s tennis team in 1987.

“The commitment by our institutions to broad based programs and success across the board is evident in those national championships in a variety of programs,” California Athletics Director Sandy Barbour said. “You look across the board in so many of our sports and the Pac-10 is the leader across the nation.”