University of Memphis

Many of the other stops on this tour would not exist if not for the early work of Elma Neal Roane (1918-2011). A prolific athlete, Roane played softball professionally with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) from 1937 to 1939 and placed second in a US National Badminton Championship in 1969. In 1946, Roane joined the faculty of West Tennessee State Teacher’s College, today’s University of Memphis, and was named the director of intramural sports. Elma Roane worked with Bettye Giles and Nadine Gearin from UT-Martin, Jane Biddle from UT-Chattanooga, Nancy Lay from UT-Knoxville, and others to form the Tennessee College Women’s Sports Federation in 1969 to 1970. Under Roane’s leadership, the University of Memphis emerged as a powerhouse for women’s sports. To honor her accomplishments, the school’s main on-campus gym was renamed the Elma Roane Fieldhouse in 1993.

Before we move on to the next stop, we want to highlight three other trailblazers: a coach, an athlete, and an educator. Mary Lou Johns became the head coach of the women’s basketball team in 1969—a position she held for 20 years. In 1976, Mary Lou recruited Betty Booker-Parks, who was part of the first group of women to receive an athletic scholarship. Booker-Parks was named an All-American and still holds the school record for career points for both the men’s and women’s team at 2,835 points. 

Finally, Dr. Jane Hooker was a long time health and PE professor who worked closely with Elma Roane. Jane was a leader within the TCWSF, which ceased operation in 1983 after the NCAA assumed governance of women’s college sports. Jane helped create an archival collection for the TCWSF, housed in the university’s special collections. And each year a student in the College of Education is awarded the Dr. Jane Howles Hooker Scholarship.

When you arrive at Middle Tennessee State University’s campus, park in the Hall of Fame parking lot by the Emmett and Rose Kennon Sports Hall of Fame, located at 1320 Greenland Dr, Murfreesboro.