#TitleIX50: Blue Raider Women's Tennis's Sandy Neal

Over the past few months, I've been able to do a lot of reflecting on my tenure as a Blue Raider. I spent nearly 50 years in some capacity at MTSU before I finally retired as either a student, a coach, a player, or an educator. One thing I know for certain: had it not been for Title IX being passed my freshman year as a student, I can't say for sure that I would've ever even attended MTSU.

Growing up, I played just about everything but tennis. I loved volleyball, softball, basketball, you name it, but it wasn't until my freshman year at MTSU that I actually even picked up a racket. I took a tennis class that was taught by the head coach of the men's team at the time, Larry Castle, and to be quite honest, I just kind of took naturally to it. Castle told me that I should try out for the women's team, which at the time didn't have any scholarship athletes even though Title IX had just been passed earlier that year. It took a while for things to trickle down to the smaller school level like at MTSU. At the time, I was taking labs every day, but I tried out for the team and ended up making it on the last roster spot they had to offer!

Talk about excited, I don't think that up to that point in my life I'd had anything happen to me more exciting than learning I was going to be a college athlete.

If you look back in the record books, you might ask "Well how come it doesn't show that women's tennis started prior to 1976 but you started in 1973?" That's a great question. It's because prior to 1975-76, which was the first year that MTSU offered women's athletic scholarships (we'll get to that in a minute), women's tennis played in its own women's circuit. We didn't actually compete as a part of the Ohio Valley Conference until my senior year. Coming from a working-class family, my parents did all they could to support me as I worked toward earning my bachelor's degree. I practiced tennis every day, even outside of what were our regular practices every day. One of the tough parts about it was we had a different coach every year. The University appointed a graduate assistant to be our head coach.

Every year, I worked hard and played both one doubles and was in the top singles spot, but when I think back on my playing days, I'd say there are two things that stick out more than the success and are more important to who I am today. The first of which was just the fun that I had on the court. Having the opportunity to play a game that I wasn't only good at, but genuinely enjoyed and was able to cultivate friendships with the girls that lasted long past our careers was a major takeaway.

I'd say the most important thing looking back came my senior year when I was offered a scholarship. It still gives me goosebumps to say this, but I was one of the first three women to receive an athletic scholarship at MTSU along with my tennis teammate Margie Nix and basketball player Jan Zitney in 1976 when MTSU first received funding for women's athletic scholarships. It made me feel different, almost like now that I really deserved to be there, that I'd earned it. When I think back on that today, I'm so proud to have been a part of that process. There were so many girls that came before me that didn't even get to hope of getting an athletic scholarship. So many young girls today can turn on the TV and see a young woman playing the sport they love for their hometown university because of some of the early ones like us, and that's an awesome thing to know I had a small impact on.

Following my days as a player, I was awarded the graduate assistant coaching role with the women's tennis team and coached volleyball before eventually transitioning to just women's tennis. Our teams had a tremendous amount of success in those early years. In fact, I can't recall ever finishing below third place in the OVC. I remember going to the courthouse with a friend the day I got the job and telling him that I was going to be paid $10,000 for the position and he laughed at me and said that there was absolutely no way they'd pay that. Low and behold, they sure did! I spent time as a teacher as well to supplement my yearly salary, and even taught into some of my more recent years at MTSU after I quit coaching, but that was unheard of in that day and age.

In those early days, and as things continued to evolve, something that was probably the biggest blessing we had was recruiting. In the early days, I can say we were able to sign women that we didn't have any business signing because they could stay close to home and have the opportunity to play tennis and get an education paid for! Over the years, I learned how to coach because we had money as a university for me to go to coaching conferences and won three conference titles, but the relationships are what meant most to me.

My relationships with the players are the things that, without Title IX, I know I never would've had in my life. It started early on with Kaye Wrather, who was a local player in high school. She was a big part of our first conference championship in 1980. I only got one scholarship her freshman year, and I awarded it to her. She was one of the ones that set the tone, and her work ethic showed how we wanted to run the program and what we were looking for in girls.

I had several international students that were strong players. Michelle Girl from Australia was one of our strongest players. But probably the strongest that I ever had was Laura Martin from Louisville, Kentucky. Laura played a couple of years professionally.

Back in those days, we had girls that could come over to the house and eat dinner with us. Some of our international players would come and spend Christmas with my family. Those memories are something that can't be replicated nowadays, of course, but it's something that means more to me than any of the number of wins we had. When I stepped away from coaching and transitioned into just teaching, that was what I missed the most.

At the end of 2022, I was inducted into the MTSU Sports Hall of Fame. Title IX is what made that happen. When I sat down with Chip Walters and was told that I was inducted, initially I was just in shock. I was emotional, but I don't think I appreciated it as much as I do now after having some time to reflect on what it truly means. At the ceremony, all of the past Hall of Famers came to see us be inducted. The University made us all just feel so honored to be a part of it.

What really makes me proud to be a part of it is that other people recognize the legacy that we left behind. I was able to have a true impact and look at my personal legacy and see the impact that I was able to have on so many others. It is overwhelming to think about all the changes that I've gotten to have a front row seat to as a player, coach and now a fan when it comes to Title IX and all of MTSU's women's sports programs. Sure, there were plenty of challenges along the way, but bearing that burden of helping us through the challenges so that other women can be able to share stories like mine made it all worth the while.

I know that there's always something or someone that has to start anything in life. To be able to say I was able to have a part in helping start what has turned into one of the country's best women's sports programs today is more gratifying than any other accolade I could ever receive. I know that moving forward, these young ladies will continue inspiring the next generation of athletes as they transition into leaders in society, all because of how Title IX got things started for us 50 years ago.

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics

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