Jody Conradt

Conradt became UT-Austin's Women's Athletic Director in 1992, replacing Dr. Donna Lopiano, who had held the seat for the past eighteen years. At the time, the school was facing mandated compliance with Title IX, a federal law that required equality between men's and women's athletic programs at public universities. Now as director, Conradt oversaw the school's newly installed varsity soccer, softball, and rowing programs.

Despite her numerous accomplishments, the achievement that put her in the record books was on December 18, 1997, becoming the first female collegiate coach to win 700 games when Texas defeated Northwestern 89-86. Her 500th win, out of 589 games, had been the fastest achieved at one school by a women's college coach, and her 600th win, out of 753 games, had been the second fastest.

Not surprisingly, these honors were followed by Conradt's naming to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and a spot in the Top 50 Women's Sports Executives by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, all in 1998, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame a year later.

By 1999, with her college coaching record of 766 wins, Conradt ranked ninth all-time in men's and women's collegiate basketball victories, and second best among all active collegiate basketball coaches. Rapidly approaching the 800 mark by December 2002, Conradt, with 793 wins, was neck-in-neck competition with University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt with 796 wins.

In 2000, Conradt was the first woman, and one of only seventeen coaches, to coach 1,000 games in the NCAA Division One. On May 18, 2001, the Texas State Senate passed a resolution recognizing Jody Conradt's perseverance, honesty, and dedication, and her contribution to women's sports in response to coaching her 1,000th game.

Conradt resigned her post as athletic director of UT in 2001 to concentrate on coaching. During her tenure as director, Texas teams won six NCAA national championships (track and field and tennis) and thirty-nine conference championships. The women's program grew to eleven varsity sports. Between 1992 and 2001 she had overseen ten NCAA Championship caliber, women's athletics programs.

In an article in the Daily Texan following her 1,000th game, Conradt noted that she never wanted to continue on in the administrative role but to return to what she loved most, coaching young women. "This has always been my dream job. What gets me excited and motivates me is working with young people," she said.

During her career, Conradt has coached four Olympians, twenty-nine All-Americans (NCAA and AIAW), six SWC Players of the Year, two National Players of the Year, three Wade Trophy National Players of the Year winners, one Broderick National Female Athlete of the Year Award winner (Kamie Ethridge), forty-nine All-Conference honor winners, twenty-one players who went to the pros, and Clarissa Davis, the NCAA 1980s Player of the Decade.

Conradt is active with community and charitable institutions, such as Girl Scouts, the Susan B. Komen Foundation, and Coaches vs. Cancer. She conducted a lecture in November 2001 at the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, speaking about her experiences with team building and leadership during her tenure as basketball coach and administrator.