Earlier this year, the NCAA began its Title IX at 50 celebration during the 2022 NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The celebration commemorates the anniversary of the landmark federal law signed in 1972 that prohibits gender discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
Simply put, the story of Clarion University Athletics would not be complete without the contributions of the many women - student-athletes, coaches and administrators alike - who have represented the Golden Eagles over the years. Because of them, women's athletics continue to grow and prosper, and to inspire new generations to achieve their athletic and academic goals at the collegiate level.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX and its impact on our campus community, Clarion Athletics will feature stories about the great people, teams and events in women's athletics at Clarion University throughout 2022. This month, we look to one of the great champions of women's athletics both at Clarion and in the PSAC, Rebecca Rutt Leas.
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The impact of Rebecca Rutt Leas on the sport of women's swimming & diving cannot be overstated. In a short time as the Golden Eagles' head coach, she turned Clarion into a national power, dominating the sport for close to a decade.
A three-time Division II Women's Coach of the Year in just eight seasons as Clarion's women's swimming coach, Rutt Leas' Golden Eagles authored a record that was unparalleled in the sport. With Rutt Leas at the helm from 1979-87, the Golden Eagles won six national championships, placed second once and placed third once. Clarion produced eight consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) women's swimming & diving championships in that time, with the team going 71-14 in dual meets in that stretch - with 13 of those losses coming to Division I competition.
Under Rutt Leas, the Golden Eagles produced individual champions as well as team champions. She coached her swimmers to 25 individual national championships and 217 All-American places, giving her an average of more than 27 All-American placements per season.
Over the years the accolades have poured in for Rutt Leas, both during her coaching career and after. She was voted the Division II Women's Coach of the Year three times (1980-81, 84) and named to the NCAA Division II All-Decade coaching staff in 1991. In 1990 Rutt Leas was honored by the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
An accomplished athlete in her own right, Rutt Leas was voted into the West Chester Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995, and was a member of their 1972 national championship team. After her career at Clarion, she was voted into the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Most recently, Rutt Leas was voted to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 100 Greatest Swimming & Diving Coaches list, as part of the organization's centennial celebration in 2022. She is one of three Clarion coaches to make the list.
