Black Female Olympian To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

COLORADO SPRINGS - Olympian and United States Olympic Committee Board member Anita DeFrantz will be inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame® Tuesday, July 6. DeFrantz joins former Academic All-America® football selections Dr. James Kovach, '78 of the University of Kentucky and Dewey Selmon, '76 of the University of Oklahoma and former Academic All-America® basketball standout Adonal Foyle, '99 of Colgate University as this year's inductees into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame®.

The four honorees will join 108 previous inductees as members of the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame®, which was created in 1988. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at CoSIDA's annual workshop in San Francisco, California on July 6.

"The CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame® represents everything we all believe college athletics can be and the Class of 2010 certainly lives up to that standard," said Justin Doherty of the University of Wisconsin, the 2009-10 CoSIDA President. "These four individuals were high achievers as student-athletes and continue to make a positive impact on society to this day. They each add something special to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame® and CoSIDA is very proud to recognize their extraordinary contributions."

On an annual basis, the Academic All-America Hall of Fame® honors a worthy candidate whose college career preceded the Academic All-America® program in their particular sport. The eligible candidate's academic and athletic achievements must meet minimum criteria for selection to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame®.

Former Connecticut College rowing star Anita DeFrantz is this year's honorary inductee. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Philosophy in 1974. She also earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977 while training at the prestigious Vesper Board Club.

After graduation, DeFrantz was the team captain and a bronze medalist for the first U.S. Women's Rowing team in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. She competed on every national team from 1975 to 1980. DeFrantz was elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1986. She is the first African-American and the first American woman to serve on the IOC. DeFrantz is the chair of the IOC's Women and Sport commission and the IOC Athletes' Commission Election Committee. She also serves as a member of the IOC's Juridical Commission, the Finance Commission and the Coordination Commission for London 2012 Olympic Games. DeFrantz is vice president of FISA, the International Rowing Federation and she was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame on March 20, 2010 in Mystic Seaport.

DeFrantz is a member of The Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and the NCAA Leadership Advisory Boards.

DeFrantz has earned numerous honors and awards. She was inducted into the National Consortium for Academics and Sports Hall of Fame on October 27, 2009. She was inducted into the John McLendon Minority Athletics Administrators Hall of Fame in June 2009. DeFrantz was honored as Distinguished Woman of Los Angeles by Soroptimist International of Los Angeles in April 2008. She is the recipient of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educations Fund's Black Woman of Achievement Award and the Sports Lawyers Association Award of Excellence.

She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Rhode Island, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Pomona College, Mt. St. Mary's, The College of Wooster, Connecticut College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Haverford College, Pepperdine University, Mills College and Mount Holyoke College. DeFrantz was awarded the 1996 Billie Jean King Contribution Award by the Women's Sports Foundation.

In 1987, DeFrantz became president and a member of the board of directors of the Amateur Athletic Foundation, now known as the LA84 Foundation, which is managing Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games. DeFrantz is also president and member of the board of Directors of Kids In Sports, Los Angeles.

CoSIDA established the Academic All-America Hall of Fame® in 1988 with the purpose to honor former college student-athletes who have excelled in their professions and made substantial contributions to their community. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a candidate must have been an Academic All-America® team member who graduated at least ten years prior to nomination.