DeFrantz Honored with 2024 NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award

Anita DeFrantz, an Olympian and lifelong advocate for athletes, had a unique start to her college athletics journey. Beginning her career as a basketball student-athlete, she discovered rowing, the sport in which she would eventually earn an Olympic bronze medal, by chance.

As a sophomore at Connecticut College, DeFrantz was walking across campus when she ran into the coach of the rowing team, who suggested she would be perfect for the sport and advised her to come to practice at 5 a.m. the following Monday.

“If I hadn’t walked across campus that day at that time, who knows?” DeFrantz said. “It began an opportunity that has taken me literally around the world.”

Over 50 years later, DeFrantz will be honored with the 2024 NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation in Phoenix. The award is presented to an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of the individual’s career. This is the latest honor of many for DeFrantz, whose achievements have been recognized by various organizations. DeFrantz was previously honored by the NCAA in 1999, when she was awarded the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.

Although she eventually competed at the highest level, DeFrantz did not find immediate success with rowing. During the second semester of her senior year, she got demoted to the junior varsity team. Her coach, however, encouraged her, telling her hard work would allow her to make the Olympic team. Upon graduating from Connecticut College in 1974, DeFrantz pursued law school at Pennsylvania while training to make the Olympic team with the Vesper Boat Club.

The hard work paid off, as DeFrantz made the national team in 1975 and competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games where she won a bronze medal. When the United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, DeFrantz took a stand and advocated for the rights of athletes to make their own decisions regarding competition. Although her lawsuit regarding this cause was unsuccessful, the International Olympic Committee awarded her the Bronze Medal of the Olympic Order for her inspirational efforts.

DeFrantz’s advocacy work did not end when her rowing career did. In fact, her service to the athletic community had just begun. Over the years, she has remained a committed advocate for athletes all over the world and has specifically been a pioneer in the expansion of opportunities for females. DeFrantz has led by example, as her election to the IOC membership in 1986 made her the first African American and first American woman to serve on the committee.

“When I arrived at the IOC as a member, I was the fifth woman elected in a room of about 100,” she said. “And I thought … this is not the way the world works. We need to change this.”

From 1989-94, DeFrantz served on the IOC’s Program Commission, which is responsible for proposing sports to be included in Olympic competition. She played a key role in increasing opportunities for women’s competition in the Olympic program and is credited with getting women’s softball and soccer accepted to the program. DeFrantz also served as the IOC’s first female vice president from 1997-2001 before serving a second term from 2017-2021.

“Anita DeFrantz has been a pioneer for women’s athletics and continues to be an advocate for equal opportunity for all individuals,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “She has dedicated her life to serving others and fully embodies the values we all aspire to at the NCAA, making her truly deserving of this award.”

DeFrantz also served as president of the LA84 Foundation for 28 years, from 1987-2015. Created with 40% of the surplus funds from the 1984 Olympic Games, the foundation has invested more than $225 million to support more than 2,000 youth sports organizations. It provides youth in the Los Angeles area with recreation and sports opportunities and has commissioned research on sport-specific issues. The foundation also houses the largest digital sports library in the nation.

“I had a chance to give back to the Olympic movement and work for the LA84 organizing committee,” DeFrantz said. “I had a magnificent time. It was a great group of people who worked hard and knew that we weren’t going to get much publicity. It was truly for the athletes.”

Reflecting on her long career of advocacy and service, DeFrantz is grateful for the many experiences she has had and the difference she has been able to make.

She continues to dedicate her life to helping those around her and those who will come after her. She currently runs a law firm and volunteers with the IOC. She is also the president of the Tubman Truth Corp., an organization that aims to end modern slavery and works to provide liberty and justice for all people. Moving forward, she knows that there is still more work to be done to ensure the success and well-being of future generations.

“I want to make sure that once I’ve opened doors, there will be people to come through them and enjoy it afterwards,” DeFrantz said. “That has been a key to how I view things and work toward things.”

A lifetime of advocacy work and paving the way for future generations all began simply by being in the right place at the right time.

“I have been fortunate to have some remarkable experiences,” she said. “Because I went to that parking lot at 5 a.m. that morning, I can tell you my stories of traveling the world and working to make it a better place.”