Charlotte West

Class of 2014

West was an instrumental advocate for women’s sports and a pioneer for Title IX
She was an all-state athlete in both volleyball and basketball and a nationally rated official in four sports
Her 1969 Southern Illinois University (SIU) golf team won the National Golf Championship the same year her SIU basketball team placed fifth nationally
West developed the SIU’s graduate program in sports management, which she directed until 1991
From 1960 to 1986 she served as the Director of Athletics for women at SIU. She transformed the department into a nationally-recognized program with 11 sports
West was the 1986 WBCA Administrator of the Year. She served as a consultant to and a member of the WBCA Board of Directors for over 12 years
She was the first recipient of the Honda Award, a national honor given for outstanding achievement in women’s collegiate athletics and was also the first recipient of the Woman Administrator of the Year award from the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators
West was the Chair of the NCAA Committee on Financial Aid and Amateurism and a member of the NCAA Athletic Certification Committee, the NCAA Gender Equity Committee, and numerous other NCAA Committees
She was the 1975 Director of National Championships for the AIAW and the 1978 President of AIAW at which time she served on the US Olympic Committee
West has been inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame and she was among the initial class of women inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame
The new softball facility at Southern Illinois University is named the Charlotte West Stadium
A room at the new NCAA headquarters has been named the Charlotte West room in her honor