{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}} {{short description|American sports executive}} '''Judith M. Sweet''' (born 1948){{#tag:ref|In 1991, Sweet was reported to be 43<ref name ="Nightengale">{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bob |title=The First Madame President |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-08-sp-801-story.html |access-date=October 29, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 8, 1991 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029221225/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-08-sp-801-story.html |archivedate=October 29, 2020}}</ref>|group=notes}} is an American sports executive. In the 1980s and 1990s, she was the first woman to be elected secretary-treasurer and president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. She was also the first female athletic director to run both the men's and women's programs at the University of California, San Diego. In 2006, ESPN listed her among the top 100 most influential student-athletes.
==Early life and education== Sweet was the youngest daughter born to parents Sam and Ann Sweet in Milwaukee with two older brothers.<ref name ="Nightengale">{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bob |title=The First Madame President |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-08-sp-801-story.html |access-date=October 29, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 8, 1991 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029221225/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-08-sp-801-story.html |archivedate=October 29, 2020}}</ref> She credits her brothers for encouraging her to participate in sports during a time pre-Title IX.<ref name = "witi">{{cite web |title=THOUGHT LEADER SPOTLIGHT: JUDY SWEET |url=https://witi.com/articles/555/Thought-Leader-Spotlight:-Judy-Sweet/ |website=witi.com |access-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref> Sweet played sports throughout high school, but was unable to participate in school sports as there were no women's teams, and was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Marshall High School.<ref name ="Nightengale"/>
Sweet attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison for her Bachelor of Arts degree, where she originally pursued a career as a math teacher.<ref name ="Nightengale"/> However, on a blind date her companion observed that she might explore a physical education major because she enjoyed sports, and she decided to become a physical education educator.<ref name = "witi"/> While attending university, she partook in their Women's Recreation Association as there was no women's athletic program. The association consisted of a one-day competition where students were expected to pay for transportation and food. In order to pay for the event, Sweet and her fellow athletes ran a Christmas tree fundraiser in which they chopped and sold Christmas trees themselves.<ref name = "Lowitt">{{cite news |last1=Lowitt |first1=Bruce |title=Women measure progress by what is to come |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/12/14/women-measure-progress-by-what-is-to-come/?outputType=amp |access-date=October 29, 2020 |publisher=Tampa Bay Times |date=October 2, 2005}}</ref>
Upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Sweet became a physical education teacher at Tulane University before enrolling at University of Arizona for her master's degree while continuing to teach.<ref name = "Women">{{cite news |title=Women |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62120787/judith-sweet/ |access-date=October 29, 2020 |publisher=The Indianapolis Star |date=October 30, 2005|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> After receiving her second degree, she moved to San Diego unemployed, on the recommendation of a student, and accepted a teaching position at Kearny High School.<ref name = "Lowitt"/> Sweet stayed at the high school for one year before being hired to teach and coach at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).<ref name="Women"/>
==Career== As UCSD was a new institution with fewer than 10,000 students, Sweet was originally hired for their physical education department in which she would also coach their men's and women's badminton. However, in her second year at the school, she was promoted to the assistant athletic director and eventually named the athletic director at the age of 27.<ref name = "Lowitt"/> It was the first time in the United States that a woman had been appointed to administer a joint men's and women's athletic program.<ref name ="Nightengale"/> She was originally unwelcomed by the other male athletic directors due to their budget cuts and she received numerous hate mail in response to the national attention she earned for her role.<ref name="Women"/> At the time, there was no women's faculty locker room and she was forced to use the same locker room as her students.<ref name = "witi"/>
Following the passing of Title IX legislation, Sweet began to equalize the funding and schedules affecting men's and women's program to reach gender equity.<ref name = "Lobardo">{{cite web |last1=Lobardo |first1=John |title=Champions: Judy Sweet, collegiate trailblazer |url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/03/26/Champions/Sweet.aspx |website=sportsbusinessdaily.com |access-date=October 29, 2020 |date=March 26, 2012}}</ref> At the time of her takeover, the men's basketball team had a $10,000 budget while the women's team has a $1,000 budget and played in a local community college league. Between 1975 and 2000, Sweet also oversaw UCSD winning 27 NCAA Division III National Championships.<ref name = "Leonard">{{cite news |last1=Leonard |first1=Tod |title=Judy Sweet blazed trails for women's athletics at UC San Diego and NCAA |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/story/2020-02-10/judy-sweet-ucsd-ncaa-athletics-title-ix-pioneer-athletic-director |access-date=October 29, 2020 |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |date=February 10, 2020}}</ref> In 1981, Sweet was nominated to serve on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) communications committee which eventually led to her sitting on over 20 committees through the 1980s and mid-1990s.<ref name = "Lobardo"/> As a result, on January 25, 1989, Sweet became the first woman to be elected secretary-treasurer of the NCAA, the second highest position within the organization.<ref>{{cite web |title=UCSD Athletics director Judith M. Sweet gets second highest position at NCAA |url=https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb0410823n/_2.pdf |website=library.ucsd.edu |access-date=October 29, 2020 |date=January 25, 1989}}</ref> In this role, she helped negotiate the TV rights contract for the Men's Final Four Basketball Championship.<ref name = "witi"/>
After completing her term as secretary-treasurer, Sweet became the first female president of the NCAA and the first president from a Division III school.<ref>{{cite web |title=UCSD athletic director Judith Sweet named first female NCAA president |url=https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb81924612/_2.pdf?_ga=2.196044842.72468567.1604009444-988673615.1604009407 |website=library.ucsd.edu |access-date=October 29, 2020 |date=January 10, 1991}}</ref> Upon receiving the news of her promotion, a journalist from ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' called it "pure tokenism" and likened it to "having a debutante as head of the National Mule Skinners Assn."<ref name = "Leonard"/> However, Sweet later said that "to a lot of people, it was more startling that a Division III administrator was elected as NCAA president rather than a woman."<ref name = "Lobardo"/> In 1992, she received the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators 1992 Administrator of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Honors and Awards, Judith Sweet named 1992 Administrator of the Year |url=https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb96259320/_2.pdf |website=library.ucsd.edu |access-date=October 29, 2020 |date=October 26, 1992}}</ref>
Following the end of her term as president, Sweet continued to serve as athletic director at UCSD until 2001 when she became the NCAA's senior vice president for championships and education services.<ref name = "Lobardo"/> Upon her retirement in 2006, Sweet also served as a consultant for Title IX and gender equity strategies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Judith Sweet |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=97184 |website=hmdb.org |publisher=The Historical Marker Database |access-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref> In April, ESPN listed her among the top 100 most influential student-athletes.<ref>{{cite web |title=The NCAA's 100 most influential student-athletes |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=2438772 |website=ESPN.com |publisher=ESPN |access-date=October 29, 2020 |date=April 12, 2006}}</ref> In 2020, Sweet received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Diego Sports Association.<ref>{{cite web |title=Judy Sweet Honored with SD Sports Association Lifetime Achievement Award |url=https://ucsdtritons.com/news/2020/2/14/athletics-judy-sweet-honored-with-sd-sports-association-lifetime-achievement-award.aspx |website=ucsdtritons.com |access-date=October 29, 2020 |date=February 14, 2020}}</ref>
== Notes == {{Reflist|group=notes}}
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet, Judith}} Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:National Collegiate Athletic Association people Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:University of Arizona alumni Category:University of California, San Diego faculty Category:Sportspeople from Milwaukee