Interview with Shirley Schoof : Stanford Athletics Oral History Project
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Shirley Schoof worked in the Department of Athletics at Stanford University from 1964 to 1999. Schoof recounts her early life, education, and work as a flight attendant as well as her career at Stanford. Initially hired at Stanford to coach bowling and teach various physical education classes, she describes how her responsibilities expanded to full-time teaching plus coaching field hockey and women’s basketball, and eventually to more administrative work as director of club sports, director of recreation, and assistant athletic director for educational programs. Schoof details Stanford’s athletic system and her responsibilities as recreation director, including establishing a summer camp program, and remembers being a de facto counselor to many women student-athletes. She speaks about the challenges she encountered both coaching women’s basketball and maintaining and administering club sports, particularly as a result of the Athletic Department’s efforts to comply with Title IX regulations in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- Summary
- [00:00:00 – 00:30:04] Family background • Early years and education • Working as flight attendant for TWA • Choice of physical education major • Meeting and marrying her husband • Beginning work in the Women’s Physical Education Department at Stanford • Athletics system at Stanford • Teaching and coaching bowling • Coaching field hockey [00:30:04 – 00:59:42] Number of players on women’s intercollegiate teams • Budget for travel, uniforms, and equipment • Meeting Supreme Court Justice Byron White • Challenges of coaching women’s basketball • Implementing Title IX • Process of becoming club sports director • Effect of Title IX on club sports • How club sports were organized and operated • Controversy over dropping wrestling • Dissatisfaction of women’s basketball players with the pace of Title IX implementation [00:59:42 – 01:30:07] Interaction with Tara VanDerveer • Appointment and responsibilities as recreation director • Creation of summer camp program for faculty and staff children • Camp program content, scheduling, staffing, and attendance • Penchant for teaching and approach to coaching • Support of mentor Pam Strathairn, director of women’s physical education • Comparing field hockey and basketball coaching experience • Attitude and activism of women’s basketball players regarding Title IX • Role of counselor with women student-athletes • Shirley Schoof Club Sports Athlete of the Year Award [01:30:08 – 01:59:50] Beliefs underlying coaching approach • Value of club sports vs. varsity sports • Challenge of NBA rules and college recruiting to college basketball • Student /athlete balance in club sports vs. varsity sports • Discussion of 1991 Stanford study of Title IX compliance • Club sports as a model for a balanced approach to college athletics • Objection to practice of paying varsity coaches from the general fund to teach physical education • Popularity and variety of physical education courses • Gratitude for years of working with Stanford students
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | June 17, 2022 - |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Schoof, Shirley | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Schoof, Shirley | |
| Interviewer | Porras, Jerry | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Athletics |
|---|---|
| Subject | Title IX |
| Subject | College sports |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Shirley Schoof graduated from college in 1954 and became an air hostess with Trans World Airlines before marrying Carl H. Schoof in 1957. She worked with her husband as the office manager at Palo Alto Boat Works until 1964 when she began teaching physical education classes on a part time basis with the women’s physical education department at Stanford. She coached a variety of sports while at Stanford, including bowling, tennis, badminton, and basketball. When Title IX came into effect in 1972, she witnessed the merging of the men’s and women’s physical education departments. Starting in 1977, she became the coordinator of campus recreation and improved the summer sports camp. In 1980, she was appointed as the Director of Club Sports and continued in her role as recreation coordinator, all while teaching tennis and badminton and directing the summer sports camp. In 1993, she was promoted and became the Assistant Athletic Director of Educational Programs where she was in charge of club sports, recreation, physical education, the dance division, and summer camps. As Assistant AD, she also managed Roble Gym and oversaw twelve varsity sports from 1994-1999. She retired from Stanford Athletics in February of 1999 after 35 years with the department. |
|---|---|
| Audio/Video |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/sd331vh4311 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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