PULLMAN, Wash. – Former Women's Athletic Director, Joanne Washburn, who spent 39 years as an administrator and instructor at Washington State University, passed away Tuesday in Pullman. Washburn was 83.
 
"Jo Washburn should be remembered as a giant in college athletics history," said WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun. "She fought tirelessly for gender equity and ultimately impacted change that continues to benefit generations of student-athletes. Jo's legacy and impact will be forever felt at Washington State University and throughout college athletics. We send our deepest condolences to her family and friends."
 
Washburn served as the women's athletic director at Washington State from 1965-82, presiding over unparalleled growth of the women's athletics program. During her time in that role, the women's athletic program grew to eight varsity sports: volleyball, basketball, field hockey, skiing, tennis, track & field, gymnastics and swimming. Additionally, the budget grew from a mere $2,000 to eclipsing $1 million.
 
"I'll always be grateful to Jo for giving me my first opportunity in collegiate athletics administration," said WSU Hall of Famer and longtime Senior Woman Administrator Marcia Saneholtz. "She was a passionate advocate for equal opportunity for our women student-athletes and many of us have been proud to carry her legacy forward. Student-athletes across the state and beyond continue to benefit from her vision and advocacy."
 
Inducted as a member of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011, Washburn was instrumental, along with 12 other coaches and 39 student athletes, in filing a lawsuit in 1979 against WSU for failing to comply with Title IX, the 1972 federal law mandating gender equity for educational institutions receiving federal financial support. Blair v. Washington State University became a landmark women's rights case, setting a precedent for all public four-year colleges and universities in the state.
 
During Washburn's tenure, the school was a charter member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). In addition to serving as a WSU Athletics administrator, Washburn coached at the school, and had a distinguished career as an instructor and professor for the school's physical education department. She was a past president of the Northwest College Women's Sports Association (NCWSA) and served on the NCWSA's Governing Committee.
 
Following her time as an administrator, Washburn moved to a full-time associate professor in the WSU Department of Physical Education (1983-93), then as an associate professor in the department of educational leadership and counseling psychology, from 1993 through her retirement in 2004. In the early 1980's she was founding director of WSU's sport management program, which thrives today thanks to her vision.
 
A native of Lynden, Vt., Washburn is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and earned a master's degree in 1963 from WSU. She spent two years as the head women's basketball and volleyball coach at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Wash., before returning to Pullman to begin her legendary career.