During Anna Hiss’s years at Texas and beyond, women were condescendingly stereotyped by advertisers, elites, professionals, and the media. These ads from the 1960s would land someone in jail in 2023. This Imagery made it very difficult for women to overcome false supposition and reach their full potential. Title IX changed all that.

Tessa Nichols states in her thesis that Anna Hiss had a “remarkable level of success during her tenure at the University of Texas.” She defends Anna Hiss from the “many scholars (who) were quick to criticize 20th-century physical educators for their traditionalist and overly protective beliefs.” Tessa says that professional criticism was made in a vacuum without giving “adequate acknowledgment to the roots of their beliefs or to the accomplishments of their programs that ultimately paved the way for Betty Thompson and Donna Lopiano.” 

During Anna’s early years as “Director,” she was influenced by prominent women such as First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, who believed that women’s sports should focus on “artistry…. over Athleticism”. 

The dogma of this era stated that competitive team sports were detrimental to a woman’s health. For this reason, many women and men opposed women participating in intercollegiate athletics.    

Miriam Richards’s research at the Stark Center states that Anna was “steep in the nationwide philosophies of womanhood and femininity related to physical activity.” Hiss thought that competitive basketball fell outside of the parameters of a sanctioned sport for women. She felt that basketball was unfeminine and dangerous; therefore, the Hiss doctrine strove to develop and maintain basketball as merely a sport of enjoyment. 

Sports that reflected her doctrine included tennis, golf, archery, swimming, and interpretive dance. For almost a century, society believed that a woman’s body should be protected from the stress of too much competition and that women’s sports should reflect “modesty and dignity.” 

Her credo for women’s sports included : 

• moderate physical activity;

• a de-emphasis on competition among women;

• a focus on inclusive participation over individual achievement; and

• female-run space to protect athletes from the commercialization and professionalization common in the “male model” of sports.”

In many ways, Hiss was a leader in developing women’s sports at UT, but in many other ways, she was a follower. 

Women’s Sports History 1921-1957

Anna Hiss Favorite quote, “A Sport for Every Girl and every girl in a sport.”  

Most of the research for Longhorn women’s sports history was derived from books written about Longhorn sports, including the “Cactus,” which has great photos of the history of Longhorn sports. All of the books used for research are listed in the credit section on this website.

In addition to these books, one study and one thesis discuss in detail the evolution of Women’s sports at the University of Texas.  Miriam Richards’s writings were delivered as part of the Capstone project in 2012, and Tessa M. Nichol’s B.A. thesis written in 2007 titled Organizational Values and Women’s Sport at The University of Texas, 1918-1993 adds much-needed professional depth to the history of women’s sports at UT Austin.  Tessa Nichols’s thesis is one of the first attempts by any individual to historically and empirically discuss Anna Hiss, Betty Thompson, and Donna Lopiano’s influence on Longhorn Women’s sports.  Miriam Richards’s link and a summary page of Tessa Nichols’s thesis are in the credit section. Their comments are incorporated into the History of Longhorn sports on the TLSN site. 

1920 Longhorn Sports

Video of women’s tennis (not Longhorns) in the 1920s.

“The suffrage movement and passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 renewed the emphasis on women’s freedoms resulting in modest gains for women in sports.  The onset of the Great Depression in 1929  negated most of those gains.  Millions of Americans were unemployed, and there was a push to keep women at home and out of the workforce.  Not until WWII would women again enter the public sphere in large numbers. ”  Quote is from a picture titled “Education and Athletics” found in the LBJ Library. 



1921-1957  Anna Hiss Heads The  Women’s Physical Education Department.

In 1919 and 1920, Anna Hiss supported the creation of the W.A.A., a student-led Women’s Athletic Association.  Tessa Nichols states in her thesis that “the promotion of student involvement in the governing bodies of women’s collegiate sport was one of Hiss’s strongest and most commonly overlooked convictions.” 

Top of the charts 1921

1921

Texas Woman’s University offered the first Texas degree program for physical education.

In Tessa Nichols’s thesis titled  “Organizational Values and Women’s Sport at The University of Texas, 1918 -1992,” she states that Anna Hiss has to deal with society’s “fear of the masculinization of female athletes” Hiss’s tenets focus on “individual activity” played in moderation in a strictly female space to promote “health, fun, and sportsmanship” “without fear of sexual harm or the taint of masculinity.” “The underlying principle” for women’s sports is to “play for play’s sake.” 

Hiss continues to de-emphasize team competition in the sports curriculum- specifically basketball.

Only the 20 best UT swimmers make the Turtle club. 

1922

1922 Women’s World Games, held in Paris, included the first regular track and field competitions for women.

Anna Hiss is instrumental in forming a state physical education association for women.

The inter-class basketball team above won the first Co-op silver-loving cup.  The photos above are part of a slide show. Just click on the arrows to move forward and backward to view the images.

1923

Tennis competition is set up on a ladder system.     Lower individuals on the ladder can challenge higher people.  If the challenger wins, she replaces the higher-seeded individual.

 1924

UT Austin creates a college of Physical Education. The Texas Athletic Conference of College Women is formed to further women’s athletic interests and activities in Texas colleges.

Tennis is the most developed major sport among the co-eds.

1925

A low point for women’s sports.  The Cactus did not even cover women’s sports in 1925. 

1926

PH.D. D.K. Brace is the first head of the Department of Physical Education. He develops the first Master’s and doctorate degree programs in Physical education at Texas. (data from the “History of Physical Education in Texas: an analysis of the Role of D.K. Brace.” Ph.D. dissertation , USC 1967) .

A point system is established to reward athletes for participation. 800 points were needed to receive the “T”

AAU has the first-ever national women’s basketball championship.

1928

Constitutional information of the WAA (Women’s Athletic Association)

Clubs are the primary source of inter-group sports competitions. The club’s goal is to help “girls” who complete the physical training courses enhance their skills and compete with the best anywhere. The governing body is the Women’s Athletic Association.  

1929-1930

The first course of study for women in physical education was implemented in high school, but the credits did not count toward admission to college. 

The Texas relays feature a marathon for women only.  The media promotes this event as “A race with no parallel in Texas sporting history”. No Texas Longhorn women participate in the Texas Relays marathon. Still, the fact there were Women’s Marathon runners proves that women can compete in “stressful” sporting events. 

Anna convinces the University administration that UT is falling behind other major universities in developing on-campus women’s sports facilities.   

Jeannie” Sampson Kamrath Gonzalez is a female tennis pioneer and an inductee into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Before her first marriage to Karl Kamrath, she was invited by famed University of Texas tennis coach, Dr. D. A. Penick, to play tennis on the U.T. Varsity men’s tennis courts in 1931—the first woman player to be so honored. In 1932, 1933, and 1934, she was a finalist at the fledgling Houston Invitation Tennis Tournament, which became the River Oaks Invitational Tennis Tournament—now the USTA Clay Court Championships. Upon moving permanently to Houston in 1937, she was the first to teach tennis professionally at the Houston Country Club and River Oaks Country Club, starting an active junior program.  

 1931 and 1932 

 two new Campus gyms have been completed

1931 – Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned women from professional baseball in America. He felt that he needed to after a seventeen-year-old pitcher, Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game.

Gregory Gym for men’s and Women’s gyms is completed. In addition, Anna’s physical training department was moved to the College of Arts and Sciences, and the U.T.S.A. (University of Texas Sports Association) was formed.

The Women’s Gymnasium was built during the depression to support the physical well-being of up to 3500 women. Hiss was crucial in planning its construction, having traveled around the country to examine existing gymnasiums. The women’s Gym was completed for $400,000, and the facility included squash, handball, basketball courts, dance studios, an archery range, a large swimming pool, and faculty offices.

Hiss intentionally built undersized basketball courts to discourage spectators from watching and positioned the baskets directly on the wall to keep athletes from playing out of control.   The Women’s Gymnasium is “Considered one of Anna Hiss’s lasting achievements and a model facility during its day.” 

Slide show below click on arrows to move forward and backward to view images.

Daniel Allen Penick, a distant cousin to Harvey Penick, is the first official Women’s  Tennis Coach at Texas.  

 Top of the charts in 1931

1933- 1935 is A significant year in the history of UT women’s sports

In 1933 Anna Hiss convinces the Board of Regents to add a dues-paying women’s club sports program to the College of Physical activities.  The letter is below.

The Sports Clubs

• Turtle club was formed in 1920 and is the oldest and largest club.  

• Racquet Club-Tennis

• Tee-golf club started in 1929

• Archery

• Touche- fencing

• Poona- badminton

• Strike and Spare- bowling

•  tumbling

• Triggerettte- riflery

• Canter- riding

1934

Women athletes are graded on an individual health record with grades A-E.

In addition, the women’s sports programs also include baseball, track, basketball, long-distance hiking, rowing, and horseback riding.

Tessa Nichols states in her thesis that Hiss “stepped out in a new direction that had not been previously tested at other universities.”  The reason for the change is to “create more opportunity for advanced skill development in a “club” environment. While Hiss supported the Sports Club format, her lack of record-keeping for the Club speaks volumes of her innate beliefs that “serious female athletes were still a highly transgressive concept nationwide.” 

For this reason, Anna Hiss chooses not to record the history of skilled members of the “club” format.  This decision deprives the University of Texas of an opportunity to celebrate great women Longhorn athletes from this era. Their unrecorded stories have created a major void in the history of women’s sports at the University of Texas.

The addition of the Sports Club results in a necessary split from UT Austin intramurals.  Longhorns Woman’s intramurals continue to develop an organizational structure based on competition between sororities, dormitories, and independent groups with awards and honors presented at the “T” banquet.

1935

Women’s intramurals include tennis, deck tennis, ping pong, archery, golf, swimming, baseball, basketball, and hockey.  From 1931 – 1935 the number of participants has grown 10-fold for a total of 3000 women entering tournament play. Most participants come from sororities,  dormitories, and independent groups.    Awards for winning were distributed at a “T-night banquet in May.

A swimming slide show is below.

1936 

However, The University Board of Regents member Jane Weinert Blumberg does not remember P.E. as being relevant to athletics. She says in the book “Texas Our Texas” compiled and edited by Bryan A. Garner

Physical education seemed almost unrelated to athletics to some of us. One semester I called sleeping PE course required me to get up in the morning, dress go to the women’s gym, undress and go back to bed for an hour. I wasn’t dissatisfied as sleeping was preferable to disporting myself and green rompers on the field next to the engineering building . The next year I took an archery class and it was enjoyable.

In 1936 Tex Robertson raised money for the UT men’s swim team by charging admission to attend a traveling aquatic show and a beauty pageant. (no women’s swim team in 1936.)

1937

Tessa Nichols states in her thesis that “physical educators” abhorred the emergence of women’s city and industrial sports leagues  because   ” they were run by men, who emphasized intense competition….., and were produced for economic profit.”  Cahn says, “They” (physical educators) classified the industrial and city leagues – composed of   “…. working-class, rural, and black youth clubs, industrial, and semiprofessional athletics – as unladylike and unnatural for women”.  Hiss’s definition of ladylike in female sports champions the “middle class,” not the formation of industrial and city leagues. 

Hiss published an article titled  Girls Basketball Leagues; What About Them -and Our Responsibilities.   According to Tessa Nichols, Hiss wants to reshape the women’s city and industrial leagues to conform to the Universiti’s definition of women’s sports.  Hiss “urged her colleagues to pursue involvement and opportunities of affiliation that would enable us to assist in these league tournaments” Hiss’s goal is to “infuse leagues with optimal standards” and “minimize exploitation of women by men.”  

Incredibly, Hiss decides to add a “posture” contest to the portfolio of women sports.

 1937 Betty Jameson enters UT, and Harvey Penick gives her golf instruction.  Betty is the first woman to ever qualify for a men’s varsity high school golf team in the state of Texas. In 1938 Betty Jameson wins the intramural golf championship at Texas.

Betty Jameson and three other women from the LPGA are the first induction class to the LPGA Hall of Fame.

1937-1938 

 Jane Dillard trains with Tex Robertson and sets the American and world records in the 100 breaststrokes. 

A slide show of Longhorn women sports is below.

1940’s

1940’s- Recreational programs continue to expand. Intramural champions are crowned in multiple sports, and various club teams are available. 

1943 – Women’s professional baseball replaced men’s professional baseball during the war

 Jane Patterson is a pioneer in women’s aquatics and is the first Texas female to wear a tank suit. Undefeated from 1947-1955, she held every major state record when she retired. 

Jane is inducted into the Texas Swimming Hall of Fame for her contributions to the sport as a swimmer, coach, and supporter of swimming in Texas. 

1949 

Professor Hiss is awarded an honorary doctorate from Boston University.

Top of the Charts 1949

 The high school physical education association decided to get involved with women’s basketball by supervising the competitive activity.  Rules were established for women’s basketball, and a playoff system was organized and sponsored for Class A and Class B high schools. 

In Reflection