Former LPGA star, UM coach Patti Rizzo was a Title IX pioneer

Title IX, the 1972 federal law mandating gender equity at instructional institutions, commemorates its 50th anniversary Thursday.

Patti Rizzo, 62, not too long ago retired right after 12 seasons as the University of Miami women’s golf mentor. An All-American UM golfer in the early 1980s, Rizzo was Golf Digest’s best-ranked beginner in 1980 and Golf Magazine’s top-rated collegiate participant in 1981. She performed 20 several years on the LPGA Tour, earning LPGA Rookie of the Calendar year in 1982 and successful four tournaments in the course of her profession. She was rated as superior as No. 9 in the earth in 1989. Before UM, she coached women’s golfing at Barry College. Rizzo has a son, Seve, 27 and a daughter, Gabriella, 25. Rizzo is in the UM Sports Hall of Fame as an athlete.

Long in advance of Patti Rizzo fathomed she may well one day be a star on the LPGA Tour, she was exhibiting up her more mature brother in each sport that little ones performed on her Pembroke Pines avenue and in parks just before she moved to Miami-Dade County at age 12.

“My brother was two decades older and he experienced bronchial asthma,’’ Rizzo claimed, “so he wasn’t a big athlete mainly because he could not run. He used to get so pissed off since all the boys in the neighborhood, regardless of whether they were being participating in avenue football or flag football or deal with soccer or basketball or kickball or soccer, they’d occur knocking at my door, indicating, ‘Can Patti arrive play?’ No just one ever questioned for him.

“I was the amazing kid of the neighborhood. All the boys highly regarded me.’’

So did the regional Tiny League mentor, who allow minimal Patti exercise with her older brother’s staff, irrespective of Minor League becoming a couple of years (1974) from letting women to engage in.

A single working day, at age “10 or 11,’’ Rizzo was at bat although her brother performed ideal subject.

“I ripped a person suitable over his head,’’ she explained. “My brother turns around, goes to select up the ball and a different mentor who transpired to be walking as a result of the back of the outfield states to my brother, “Who is that kid? I want him on my group following year.’’

“That’s not a boy,’’ Rizzo’s brother replied. “That’s a girl. She’s my sister.’’

“Oh shoot!” the coach said. “Girls just cannot play in Tiny League.”

Prior to turning professional in 1982, you played a few years of golfing at UM and had a entire athletic scholarship, like space and board. Did you realize how fortuitous you ended up as 1 of the pioneers of Title IX?

“No, I kind of took it for granted. In substantial college [Dade Christian, Hialeah Miami Lakes and finally American High] I performed volleyball, basketball, softball, keep track of and subject, tennis and golf. Honestly, I did not listen to substantially about Title IX, even when it was new. I was 12 in 1972 and it didn’t make any difference a great deal to me. Back in our day girls did not play on boys’ teams and you just accepted it. You didn’t really feel like it was an solution.’’

Any frustrations relevant to Title IX?

“I’ve always struggled with how Title IX impacts the adult men who don’t play football due to the fact, for instance, we can not have a men’s golf group because we have way too many scholarships [85] in men’s football. There’s no men’s soccer, no men’s swimming, no men’s volleyball. My wrestle is there’s no equivalent women’s athletics to soccer, so soccer should not be in the Title IX equation. Football ought to be its personal entity and all the other sporting activities need to be equivalent. Men’s golf, women’s golfing women’s soccer, men’s soccer women’s softball, men’s baseball and so on. Why are we counting 85 scholarships against the adult men? It is not honest to the adult men who participate in other sports.”

What is one way you’ve viewed your UM gals advantage from Title IX above the many years?

“Facilities, better budgets, tools, every thing. For the youthful generation it is all about aesthetics. How really is it? How fancy? I used to get like two pairs of pants, 4 golfing shirts and a pair of golfing footwear. Now the golfers get two huge-sized suitcases complete of clothing and footwear — four pairs of sneakers, three pairs of golf shoes, wintertime and summertime golfing have on, beanies, hand warmers, gloves, socks, turtlenecks, sweatshirts, exercise routine clothing, travel unis. Not a person thing you can think of that they don’t get. Of program they take it for granted, but the College of Miami constantly gave me almost everything I essential to be successful.’’

This story was initially released June 22, 2022 8:30 AM.