| A true pioneer and trailblazer in collegiate womens athletics, Jean Cerra is one of the more important founding figures in Mizzou history. She helped womens athletics gain a foothold in the 1970s when it was fighting for legitimacy. She joined Mizzous athletic department in 1976 when the mens and womens athletic programs were merged into one Department of Intercollegiate Athletics asassistant director of athletics/director of womens athletics. At the time, Mizzou was one of the countrys first large Division I schools to make such a change. In 1979, shewas given administrative oversight for both mens and womens athletics as associate director of athletics for internal operations.Also in that period, Cerra joined 10 other women to form the Council of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (now known as the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators) which now has more than 1,000 members. After leaving Missouri in 1985, she spent 17 years in athletic administration at Barry University in Florida, including nearly seven years as athletics director. Under her watch, Barry won five national titles two in womens soccer and three in womens volleyball. She retired from athletics administration in 2008. |
