Texas unveils statue to honor coach Conradt

Conradt knew it was just the start of a long, tough fight to lift women's college athletics at Texas and around the country from afterthought to equal footing with the men.

On Friday, Texas unveiled a 7-foot bronze statue to honor Conradt's role in that fight, her 900 career victories and her 1986 national championship team, the first in the sport to go undefeated. Conradt was elected to basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.

Conradt had coaching stints at Sam Houston State and Texas-Arlington before taking the Texas job. She saw a chance to wake up a "sleeping giant" in the early days of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that bans sex discrimination in educational programs — including sports.

Title IX and the universities that embraced it changed the lives of young women across the country, Conradt said.

"This is not about me. It's about the University of Texas doing the right thing and showing to the world how much they value the role of women's athletics," Conradt said. "We changed the world."

The 71-year-old Conradt had a 900-307 career record as a coach. She coached the Longhorns from 1976-2007 and was the Texas women's athletic director from 1992-2001.