As part of the Division II Conference Commissioners Association celebration of 50 years of Title IX, the landmark Education Amendment of 1972 that protects people from discrimination based on sex, the East Coast Conference recently interviewed three women who were pioneers in ushering in the growth of popularity of female sports.

Lucille Kyvallos, Dr. Sharon Beverly, and Gail Marquis played key roles in putting Queens College and women's college basketball on the map. Kyvallos was the program's head coach who built the team into a national powerhouse during the 1970s. The Knights participated in numerous Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championships and hosted the event that was attended by thousands of people in 1973.

The popularity of that event directly led to Queens' participation in the first-ever women's college basketball game played in Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, in 1976. Nearly 12,000 people attended the historic game between the Knights and Immaculata College showing that the popularity of women's basketball was on the rise.

Kyvallos would compile a 239-77 record during her time in Flushing. Queens named their court in Fitzgerald Gymnasium after her in 2017, making Kyvallos the first woman to have a court named in their honor in the New York City area.  

Beverly and Marquis were members of the team that played in Madison Square Garden and are members of the Queens College Hall of Fame. Beverly played professionally in Europe before a long career as a coach and administrator in college athletics. She currently is the Vice President for Athletics & Recreation at Hartford University.

Marquis was a two-time All-American at Queens and was a member of the 1976 USA women's basketball team that won a silver medal at the Olympics held in Montreal. She also played professionally in Europe before a career on Wall Street and a second career as a broadcast color commentator.  

"The East Coast Conference was really proud to have the chance to team with Queens College athletics to record this great session featuring three individuals who were at the forefront of one of the first successful women's basketball programs in the country during the early days of Title IX," said ECC Commissioner, Dr. Robert Dranoff.

"Our sincere thanks go to Coach Lucille Kylvallos, Dr Sharon Beverly and Ms. Gail Marquis and our host, Queens College Coach Bet Naumvoski, for their time and willingness to share their thoughts."

Dranoff added, "This look back helps paint an important picture of what limited sport opportunities and difficult challenges existed for women during that period along with viewpoints on the struggles then, the changes that have occurred but also the continued challenges today in the words of these three leaders. What is clear is that, through the immense effort and commitment of Coach Kyvallos, the women's basketball program at QC - a power in New York and in the region as well as nationally in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) - helped set the stage for women's basketball today."



Provided by the East Coast Conference Office