• ROWER
• Started rowing crew in college
• Won a bronze medal at the 1976 U.S. Olympics for the women's eight, making her the FIRST Black American to win an Olympic medal in rowing
• Won six national championships
• When the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, DeFrantz sued for the right to compete -- she didn't win, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded her the Bronze Medal of the Olympic Order for her activism
• Served as director for the U.S. Rowing Association
• Worked for the U.S. Olympic Committee for the 1984 Games, working her way up to become its FIRST female vice president in 1997
• Empowers female athletes worldwide through scholarships and youth programs
• Helped make women's soccer and softball Olympic sports
• Served as chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission for 19 years

Photo via the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

Bibliography: Ignotofsky, Rachel. Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played To Win. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2017.
Buren, Jodi. Super Women: 100 Women, 100 Sports. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2004. Print.

Books by this Awesome Woman

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

Meet more Awesome Women like this

Please note that while Awesome Women Library tries to include links only to media from reputable sources, we cannot attest to the quality or content of any media listed on this website. Our mission is to introduce you to these Awesome Women and give you a wide array of resources for learning more. We haven't read everything listed and are not a recommendation site, nor is this meant to be an exhaustive catalog of every book related to this woman -- there's just too much out there! Happy reading!!