If Dr. Christine Grant were to be described in one word, it would be “influencer.” No, not the kind you’re thinking of, but an influencer for women in sports. No wonder she served as the Athletic Director at the University of Iowa for almost three decades. That’s why, even though she passed away on Dec. 31, 2021, her legacy in sports still lives on. Even former Iowa standout Caitlin Clark attests to this.

As the 2024 WNBA season ended for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, she participated in an exit interview on September 28th, where she was asked about the impact Christine Grant had on the program and women’s basketball in general. “Dr. Grant was obviously somebody that was very close to my coach, and Coach (Lisa) Bluder was the one that hired her at Iowa. She wanted women to have as many opportunities as men,” Clark shared.

Throughout her career, Grant molded Iowa into a powerhouse of women’s sports as the Athletic Director and an associate professor in the Department of Physical Education. To serve this purpose, she held various committee positions with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and continued to raise her voice on issues related to Title IX.

All Grant had was a dream once. By the 1974-75 season, she oversaw 11 women’s sports, but her duties at the time ranged from chalking field lines to coordinating uniform swaps. From this makeshift office in the kitchenette of Halsey Hall, Grant began shaping Iowa into a powerhouse for women’s athletics.

Meanwhile, opportunity knocked in the form of a chair position for the president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. Given her pioneering efforts, she was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame and received awards from the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Even after her retirement in 2000, she continued to impact players, and Caitlin Clark was no exception. As Clark mentioned, Dr. Grant was the one who hired Lisa Bluder (Clark’s coach) in 2000. She was one of her last hires as the Athletic Director.

“If it wasn’t for her and the way she fought for women’s athletics, I’m not sure I would have had that opportunity at Iowa and I’m not sure people would have showed up for the women’s basketball program in the manner that they did every single night,” Clark further expressed during the interview. For Caitlin Clark, Dr. Grant served as a catalyst for her impressive skills on the court.

Then, Clark did what she’s known for

It was the first time Clark revealed the inspiration behind her impressive career at the Iowa Hawkeyes. By the time she entered the WNBA as the No. 1 draft pick by the Indiana Fever, she was already the all-time DI scoring leader. Even her iconic long-range 3-pointers, which broke Stephen Curry’s NCAA single-season record, were made in Iowa.

“People didn’t realize the women’s basketball program at Iowa had so many fans before I got there, and they continued to rally around our team… a lot of that has carried over to the WNBA… I think the opportunities I had at Iowa certainly helped move forward the game of basketball but also has helped me in the WNBA too,” she added.

Caitlin Clark’s Iowa career has been the cherry on top of a lengthy list of achievements, cementing her name in basketball history. This came after the Iowa Hawkeyes witnessed their second consecutive sold-out season. Even though Clark left the Hawkeyes nearly a year ago, she still feels connected to her former collegiate team.

When she came across a post by Iowa, she immediately took to her official Instagram and reposted it with the caption, “someone save me a ticket.” How could she not give back to the future Iowa nurtured for her?