In 1972 Title IX, a federal law mandating gender equity for any education program or activity that received federal financial support, passed. Like many institutions, WSU was slow to improve the experience for women athletes so in 1979 the students, along with their coaches, sued the university.

Blair vs. Washington State University became a landmark women’s rights case for Washington. In 1987, the state supreme court ruled in favor of women athletics and in the following years women’s soccer and crew were added to WSU, scholarships for women athletes were established, and the teams were provided buses for transportation to and from games.