Hall of Fame
Janis Reetz was a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. Over 30 years ago, no one at Potsdam would have thought women’s athletics would be where they are today. No one, that is, except for Reetz.
Reetz came to Potsdam as a physical education teacher and became the school’s first women’s basketball coach, a position she held for 19 years. She was also a field hockey coach for nine years.
At the time women’s sports were vastly different from what we know them as today. They were not sanctioned or governed by the NCAA. Actually, they were nothing more than glorified intramurals in the 1960s.
This was not sufficient for Reetz. Seeing the inequity in the system, she joined with a number of other boosters of women’s athletics from around the state and, in the early 1970s formed an organization which would become today’s New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association.
By forming this new organization, a governing system was put in place so that women’s athletics in the state would have consistent rules and a chance for the teams to compete across a broader spectrum.
From there, things happened quickly for women’s collegiate sports. A national organization was formed soon afterwards, which Potsdam was a charter member of, and it eventually merged with the NCAA.
What Reetz quietly helped accomplish at Potsdam is very impressive. On top of bringing in new sports for women, Reetz, who served as athletic director from 1991 until her retirement in 1995, worked hard to improve the situation of all athletic teams on campus. In the four years she served as the athletic director, she instituted an innovative fund raising vehicle in the “Bear Backers” and helped to pass the athletic fee.
Each and every time a female athlete steps onto the field of play wearing the Potsdam red and gray, she can thank Janis Reetz for that opportunity to compete.
