University of Minnesota Athletics
A Conversation With Peggy Bradley
1/29/2022 12:13:00 PM | Athletics
As a celebration of 50 years of Gopher Women's Varsity sports, and in line with our interviews of Gopher alum, current coaches, and female athletes, we conducted an interview with a four-sport Gopher alum, Peggy Bradley. These interviews and recounts help celebrate female achievement, and educate people about the past, celebrate the present, and advocate for change in the future.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I graduated high school in '71, and that summer, I joined a women's fast pitch softball team, where one of the women on that team was a University of Minnesota athlete. I didn't really know there were teams at the U when I came out of high school, but eventually learned that there were varsity athletics, including a basketball team.
What is your connection to the U?
After one quarter at Normandale, I decided to transfer to the U, and was able to be enrolled in the College of Education immediately. Being in the physical
education program in the College of Education meant I was with a group of like-minded women, which was a great starting place. At that point, I started being exposed to the little bit of athletic teams the U had at that time. The first year I was there I tried out for basketball, and at that time, they had an A, B, and C team, and I was on the C team. But I got to play! And that was really my first opportunity to play.
Because I was in the physical education program, one of the requirements was that you had to take a certain number of team sport classes. I took one course in the fall that was field hockey, and I had no idea what field hockey was, but figured I would try it. It turns out, the U had a field hockey team, so I tried out, and ended up playing field hockey for the next four years.
What did your sports experience look like at the U?
I kind of played basketball after that first season at the University of Minnesota, but by 1974, "real" basketball players were coming out of high school, ones that had actually played, and I was done with basketball. However, I saw in the Minnesota Daily that there was a club hockey team being started. I wanted to give it a try even though I had never played before. I was totally hooked on hockey, and ended up playing for 30 years; thoroughly enjoying the game and the women that started the club team.
Even though I transferred to the U to play softball, I was busy working and with school, so I didn't start playing softball until 1973. Breaking down the busy career, I played both field hockey and softball from 1973-1976, basketball from 1973-1974, then started club ice hockey in 1974, where I was able to stay on the club path while going to school. I continued playing on the club team through 1979, which is when we started our own team in a newly formed women's league. I graduated college in 1976, and my life continues to revolve around sports; it's always been my passion which is why Title IX is very important. I came in and was a little bit early to get the full advantage of Title IX, but I still got to experience some benefits from it.
How did Title IX benefit your hockey journey?
Title IX helped me be able to pursue my passion which was playing sports. There wasn't going to be much available to me outside of playing at the U, but then once female sports began to become accepted, there were other options outside of college, like the club hockey team. Sue Ring-Jarvy really ignited women's hockey with the club team, which inspired us to start a women's hockey league that is still going on with more divisions and opportunities for women's participation in hockey outside of school. That league is called WHAM - Women's Hockey Association of Minnesota.
Hockey is the best example for me, of what Title IX has done for the progression of women's sports over time. Sue was a go getter and did not take a no for an answer, pestering the intramural office to get ice time. At the time, Herb Brooks did encourage us to get ice time, whereas a lot of other places did not support women in playing hockey because they didn't want to lose their ice time. But as it kept growing, Sue had a big part in the development of girl's hockey programs that started in the mid-70s; she initiated her own clinics for girls' youth teams and she had clinics for women who just wanted to learn the game. Then finally these girls who had played youth hockey wanted to play high school hockey, which led to a push for high school girl's hockey teams, and in turn created a desire for college teams.
Back while we were still playing as a club team in the late-70s we would go out east and play women's college teams that actually had programs, which was a great experience. Finally the U realized there was enough interest, and developed their own program for women's hockey. And for me, the icing on the cake then, is when they finally added women's hockey to the Olympics. That's the evolution of girls' and women's hockey here in Minnesota, at least from my perspective. I remember when the University finally had their opening game against Augsburg, and that was a pretty packed arena.
What was the impact of Title IX on your softball experience?
The first three years I played softball, starting around '73, all of the women's coaches were grad students and TA's, and I believe they were required to coach. In the first couple of years, there were only 12-14 games for the entire year, and we never traveled outside the state. For my last year of '76, we still didn't leave the state, but we had up to 18 games, and our coach was finally a paid coach. We hosted the one-day state tournament at Bierman, where the field is now. It didn't have any fences, so we as a team had to set up the homerun fence the night before the tournament, and we had to take it down after we won the tournament. Our coach had to drag the infield with a rake behind her car to get it set up to play, because we didn't have any support from facilities. We did go to the college world series in 1976, which was quite exciting. And the year of 1977 they finally had scholarships and spring training.
What else has changed since you started playing?
When I was playing at the University, you could tell that coaching was part of a stipend while they were going to grad school, whereas now, coaches, while they are not being paid equally, are getting paid much more appropriately for their jobs. The transition from graduate students to professional coaches really took place when the U hired Linda Wells to coach softball and volleyball. Overall, the facilities and the pay has drastically improved for women, although there still is a way to go.
What does Title IX mean to you holistically?
For me, since sports has been my primary passion, not having a real avenue to participate through high school, but now there are a lot of opportunities out there to fulfill my passion. There really was nothing in my passion for sports, and now all of a sudden I can do what I want to do, what I enjoy, and I'm more
encouraged to participate. Back then, if you were a sports girl, you were a tomboy, which was a negative thing. My parents weren't particularly excited about my love of sports, because kids would tease you, but now I've found a band of like-minded women to move forward with, and it's something I can enjoy even now, instead of being boxed out altogether.
How are you continuing to fulfilling your passion of sports?
I played hockey up until 2010, but currently, my hobbies are biking and golf. There was a period of six years in my late 30s, where I participated in competitive rowing and loved it. Golf is my current sport of choice.
Best memory of athletics while at the U?
That's hard, because once I started playing hockey, I just loved hockey. But I'd have to say our softball team my senior year, going to the College World Series
as it was then, was a huge accomplishment, and the icing on the cake for me.
Who is a role model that exemplifies growth?
The two role models I can think of right now would be Linda Wells, one of the softball coaches I had, and Judy Jungwirth, a teammate from my women's
fastpitch league and hockey. After coaching at the U, Linda went on to coach at Arizona State University, and even for the Greece and Dutch Women's Olympic softball teams. She continued to work in softball until she retired, and has done a lot for women's softball. She is the one who gave me confidence in softball, including learning how to pitch properly.
Judy is 10 years older than me, which meant that when she was at the U, there weren't any teams for her to participate in. When I started playing in the summer women's fastpitch league, I remember not knowing anyone at the first practice, and they put me out in the outfield because they didn't know what to do
with me. But I was standing out there, and all of a sudden Judy comes over and starts talking to me about the team and how she was a pitcher, and we have been friends ever since. She comes from a very athletic family, even got to play hockey with her brothers who played for the Gophers, and was a very dedicated athlete.
How did playing sports contribute to your holistic being (how has it impacted your life)?
Certainly the friendships I developed and have since maintained over the course of my athletics. My primary social circle came from sports, and we continue to support Gopher Women's Athletics. I also developed confidence in myself and my abilities. This confidence has served me well in my 37 year career
at the University of Minnesota.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I graduated high school in '71, and that summer, I joined a women's fast pitch softball team, where one of the women on that team was a University of Minnesota athlete. I didn't really know there were teams at the U when I came out of high school, but eventually learned that there were varsity athletics, including a basketball team.
What is your connection to the U?
After one quarter at Normandale, I decided to transfer to the U, and was able to be enrolled in the College of Education immediately. Being in the physical
education program in the College of Education meant I was with a group of like-minded women, which was a great starting place. At that point, I started being exposed to the little bit of athletic teams the U had at that time. The first year I was there I tried out for basketball, and at that time, they had an A, B, and C team, and I was on the C team. But I got to play! And that was really my first opportunity to play.
Because I was in the physical education program, one of the requirements was that you had to take a certain number of team sport classes. I took one course in the fall that was field hockey, and I had no idea what field hockey was, but figured I would try it. It turns out, the U had a field hockey team, so I tried out, and ended up playing field hockey for the next four years.
What did your sports experience look like at the U?
I kind of played basketball after that first season at the University of Minnesota, but by 1974, "real" basketball players were coming out of high school, ones that had actually played, and I was done with basketball. However, I saw in the Minnesota Daily that there was a club hockey team being started. I wanted to give it a try even though I had never played before. I was totally hooked on hockey, and ended up playing for 30 years; thoroughly enjoying the game and the women that started the club team.
Even though I transferred to the U to play softball, I was busy working and with school, so I didn't start playing softball until 1973. Breaking down the busy career, I played both field hockey and softball from 1973-1976, basketball from 1973-1974, then started club ice hockey in 1974, where I was able to stay on the club path while going to school. I continued playing on the club team through 1979, which is when we started our own team in a newly formed women's league. I graduated college in 1976, and my life continues to revolve around sports; it's always been my passion which is why Title IX is very important. I came in and was a little bit early to get the full advantage of Title IX, but I still got to experience some benefits from it.
How did Title IX benefit your hockey journey?
Title IX helped me be able to pursue my passion which was playing sports. There wasn't going to be much available to me outside of playing at the U, but then once female sports began to become accepted, there were other options outside of college, like the club hockey team. Sue Ring-Jarvy really ignited women's hockey with the club team, which inspired us to start a women's hockey league that is still going on with more divisions and opportunities for women's participation in hockey outside of school. That league is called WHAM - Women's Hockey Association of Minnesota.
Hockey is the best example for me, of what Title IX has done for the progression of women's sports over time. Sue was a go getter and did not take a no for an answer, pestering the intramural office to get ice time. At the time, Herb Brooks did encourage us to get ice time, whereas a lot of other places did not support women in playing hockey because they didn't want to lose their ice time. But as it kept growing, Sue had a big part in the development of girl's hockey programs that started in the mid-70s; she initiated her own clinics for girls' youth teams and she had clinics for women who just wanted to learn the game. Then finally these girls who had played youth hockey wanted to play high school hockey, which led to a push for high school girl's hockey teams, and in turn created a desire for college teams.
Back while we were still playing as a club team in the late-70s we would go out east and play women's college teams that actually had programs, which was a great experience. Finally the U realized there was enough interest, and developed their own program for women's hockey. And for me, the icing on the cake then, is when they finally added women's hockey to the Olympics. That's the evolution of girls' and women's hockey here in Minnesota, at least from my perspective. I remember when the University finally had their opening game against Augsburg, and that was a pretty packed arena.
What was the impact of Title IX on your softball experience?
The first three years I played softball, starting around '73, all of the women's coaches were grad students and TA's, and I believe they were required to coach. In the first couple of years, there were only 12-14 games for the entire year, and we never traveled outside the state. For my last year of '76, we still didn't leave the state, but we had up to 18 games, and our coach was finally a paid coach. We hosted the one-day state tournament at Bierman, where the field is now. It didn't have any fences, so we as a team had to set up the homerun fence the night before the tournament, and we had to take it down after we won the tournament. Our coach had to drag the infield with a rake behind her car to get it set up to play, because we didn't have any support from facilities. We did go to the college world series in 1976, which was quite exciting. And the year of 1977 they finally had scholarships and spring training.
What else has changed since you started playing?
When I was playing at the University, you could tell that coaching was part of a stipend while they were going to grad school, whereas now, coaches, while they are not being paid equally, are getting paid much more appropriately for their jobs. The transition from graduate students to professional coaches really took place when the U hired Linda Wells to coach softball and volleyball. Overall, the facilities and the pay has drastically improved for women, although there still is a way to go.
What does Title IX mean to you holistically?
For me, since sports has been my primary passion, not having a real avenue to participate through high school, but now there are a lot of opportunities out there to fulfill my passion. There really was nothing in my passion for sports, and now all of a sudden I can do what I want to do, what I enjoy, and I'm more
encouraged to participate. Back then, if you were a sports girl, you were a tomboy, which was a negative thing. My parents weren't particularly excited about my love of sports, because kids would tease you, but now I've found a band of like-minded women to move forward with, and it's something I can enjoy even now, instead of being boxed out altogether.
How are you continuing to fulfilling your passion of sports?
I played hockey up until 2010, but currently, my hobbies are biking and golf. There was a period of six years in my late 30s, where I participated in competitive rowing and loved it. Golf is my current sport of choice.
Best memory of athletics while at the U?
That's hard, because once I started playing hockey, I just loved hockey. But I'd have to say our softball team my senior year, going to the College World Series
as it was then, was a huge accomplishment, and the icing on the cake for me.
Who is a role model that exemplifies growth?
The two role models I can think of right now would be Linda Wells, one of the softball coaches I had, and Judy Jungwirth, a teammate from my women's
fastpitch league and hockey. After coaching at the U, Linda went on to coach at Arizona State University, and even for the Greece and Dutch Women's Olympic softball teams. She continued to work in softball until she retired, and has done a lot for women's softball. She is the one who gave me confidence in softball, including learning how to pitch properly.
Judy is 10 years older than me, which meant that when she was at the U, there weren't any teams for her to participate in. When I started playing in the summer women's fastpitch league, I remember not knowing anyone at the first practice, and they put me out in the outfield because they didn't know what to do
with me. But I was standing out there, and all of a sudden Judy comes over and starts talking to me about the team and how she was a pitcher, and we have been friends ever since. She comes from a very athletic family, even got to play hockey with her brothers who played for the Gophers, and was a very dedicated athlete.
How did playing sports contribute to your holistic being (how has it impacted your life)?
Certainly the friendships I developed and have since maintained over the course of my athletics. My primary social circle came from sports, and we continue to support Gopher Women's Athletics. I also developed confidence in myself and my abilities. This confidence has served me well in my 37 year career
at the University of Minnesota.
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