On the shoulders of those before us...

Women’s AD emerita inducted into Sports Hall of Fame

By Susan Williams

This not-so-small achievement was built upon the shoulders of women like Isabella Hutchinson, associate athletic director (AD) for women’s sports at IU Bloomington from 1979 until her retirement in 2000.

Hutchinson was recognized as a pioneer in women’s athletics when she was inducted into the University of Miami (Fla.) Sports Hall of Fame last month. Bloomington born and raised, and educated at IU, she went to Miami in 1965 with the task of beginning a women’s intramural sports program in preparation for the onset of Title IX, which would mandate high school and collegiate varsity programs for women. Hutchinson coached several sports, but led Miami’s women’s tennis teams to particular success, a 75-3 win-loss record from 1973 to 1977, before she became Miami’s first women’s athletic AD. During her tenure, Miami’s women’s sports program became one of the most dominate in collegiate sports, producing six national championships and 48 all-Americans.

Hutchinson returned to IU in 1979 to head the women’s athletic program. Under her guidance, the IU’s women’s athletic program also gained significant recognition, particularly in tennis, golf, track and field, cross country and softball, all consistently ranked in the nation’s top 20. Numerous IU women achieved national and conference championships and were awarded all-America and all-conference status.

While she was associate athletic director, Hutchinson established IU’s I-Women’s Club to recognize women athletes and wrote a history of women’s athletics at IU.