User:Cheeky333/sandbox

The first girl to play football in the state of Indiana was Donna McMillen in 1979 at Grissom Middle School in Mishawaka, Indiana. Donna and her mother, Nancy J McMillen, approached coach Ron Eversole pre-season and asked if Donna could play. At that time the Penn Harris Madison School Corporation did not have a written policy against girls playing in male dominated sports. Donna played first string; right linebacker and right guard. Her team never lost a game and never had a point scored against them. . Public newspapers were not allowed in as the school informed them that they did not want Donna to receive special treatment.

Donna was required to change into her uniform in a broom closet next to the boys locker room. On the field, she was treated equally to her male counter parts and stated she was glad they didn't treat her differently. Although she did state that there were a few of her teammates that would purposely try to injure her and say things like: "you don't belong here." In school, however, it was a different story for her as she stated she had been threatened by a teacher (who was also the 8th grade football coach) who told her if she tried to play in 8th grade, he would give her a flunking grade and make sure she did not try to play football again. The students were a mix of support and disdain for her audacity to play.

The principal of Grissom Middle School, Dale Pettifor, called Donna and her mother in for a meeting on August 31st, 1979, stating Donna would be able to play football in 7th and 8th grade, but would not be allowed to play after that time due to IHSAA (Indiana High School Athletic Association) rules 86.41(b) of Title IX which "do not allow girls to participate in contact sports". This rule currently only applied to the high schools.

As of May 1st,1995, IHSAA Title IX 86.41 states that: "...creating an atmosphere and an environment where opportunities and resources are distributed fairly to boys and girls, an atmosphere where no person experiences discrimination on the basis of gender.It is the position of the IHSAA that its member schools must monitor their athletic pro-grams to ensure that athletic offerings are equitable and meet the interests and abilities of student-athletes.While the IHSAA does not have the authority to provide specific interpretations or to rule on compliance issues regarding Title IX, it does believe that all concerned should take steps to be sure that the spirit and intent of gender equity is met."

Donna was never allowed to play again. But she paved the way in Indiana for other girls to play in sports notoriously designated for males only.