#TBT in the Archives 10/5/17: Battle of the Sexes

In the early 1970s, many movements for social change launched in the late 1960s continued. From racial equality to feminism, people across the country were determined to make changes for the better. Shippensburg State College was no exception, and students regularly participated in rallies, petition drives, and demonstrations to share their opinions with state representatives, school officials, and each other.

An event during the fall semester of 1973 was one of these demonstrations. Unlike the others, it was unplanned, and in the end, it took a decidedly fun tone.

Female tennis superstar Billie Jean King took on male player Bobby Riggs in a tennis match billed "The Battle of the Sexes" on September, 20, 1973. Prior to the match, Riggs relied on his role as a male tennis player to overhype his ability to best any woman on the tennis court, no matter her record. King easily beat him in a three-match victory that was not only a sports win, but a victory for many American women.

The September 25, 1973 Slate reported on the aftermath of the Battle of the Sexes tennis match in Shippensburg.

According to the September 25, 1973 Slate, King's victory was announced in Naugle Hall (the women's dorm). The women then called to the men's dorm, Mowrey Hall, and asked a similar announcement be made. After they were refused, 12 women walked to Mowery Hall singing "I Am Woman," where they were greeted by the male residents with firecrackers and buckets of water thrown out windows.

After the women retreated, they were followed by firecracker-wielding men who attempted to capture a large sign hanging from the third floor of Naugle Hall which said "We Love You, Billie Jean." During the uproar, women threw buckets of water out the windows and blasted "I Am Woman" from speakers. At one point, the women called reinforcements from McLean Hall as the men continued to work to capture the sign. The clash dispersed after the Dean of Men got involved.


Photos of the Battle of the Sexes "clash" at Shippensburg State College published in the September 25th Slate.

The clash ended up being an episode of campus revelry, but for Shippensburg women, King's victory over Riggs boosted spirits.

Team photos and records for 1973-74 as published in the Cumberland in 1974.

Tennis at Shippensburg was generally boosted in the wake of the King-Riggs matches. Men's and women's tennis were both competitive at the state level during the 1973-1974 school year, though neither team had a fabulous record.


Sources:
The Slate, Shippensburg, PA, September 25, 1973.
Cumberland 1974, Shippensburg, PA.