This post may be a bit of a history lesson for the younger readers. The young ladies who read this should especially pay attention. On Tuesday, May 14th, E. Wayne Cooley will be laid to rest after a memorial service honoring his life. Mr. Cooley was the man who helped to make girls athletics in the state what they are. Many of you still in high school may have never heard of him, but he was responsible for giving your grandmother's opportunities to play sports long before it was mandated by Title IX in 1972.
Mr. Cooley is responsible for promoting the "Iowa Girl" because he believe that they should be given the same opportunities as the boys. What he did with the girls state basketball tournament back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's was unbelievable, making it one of the best attractions in the nation. I can tell you honestly that while playing in the girls state basketball tournament now is a great treat at Wells Fargo Arena, what happened in the old Veteran's Auditorium just to the west of the Well was second to none and will never again be duplicated. For those that have a genuine interest in Iowa girls basketball I would encourage you to do some research and discover the pageantry that it used to be. You'll be amazed.
I've included in this blog a short news story from KCCI and a link to a short blog post by a writer in Cedar Rapids.
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