SAN DIEGO -- Former UC San Diego Athletic Director Judy Sweet was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Diego Sports Association on Wednesday. Sweet was recognized at the 74th Annual Salute to the Champions banquet at the Marriott Marquis and Marina.

The below text was provided by the San Diego Sports Association:

Judy Sweet was a trailblazer, a pioneer. That wasn't her goal, but when the opportunity arose -- mostly in defense of Title IX but on smaller and larger scales as well -- she was the perfect person in the perfect position to make a difference.

It started with a gamble.

In 1973, Sweet decided to go after what she called her "dream job." That would be making an impact at a school that she saw as a perfect fit -- UC San Diego.

But there was a little hiccup at first -- no jobs were available. Undeterred, she took the position of modern dance instructor at Kearny High full of faith that soon something would open up with the Tritons.

One year later, she was hired at UC San Diego. Two years later, she was the assistant athletic director. Three years later, she was one of the first female athletic directors in the NCAA for both the men's and the women's programs. 

"Title IX in 1972 changed my life and for girls from that point forward," said Sweet, who went on to be the athletic director for 24 years while also serving in major national positions, including being the first female secretary-treasurer of the NCAA (1989-91) and the first female membership president of the NCAA (1991-1993) -- all while at a Division III school, no less. From 2001 to 2006, she served as NCAA senior vice president in Indianapolis.

"I never could have anticipated a career in athletic administration because there were no women role models in director positions. When I grew up, I was called a tomboy because I played sports. But there were very few organized girls' high school or women's college athletic programs prior to Title IX."

So, after reaching that pinnacle and serving on 20 major NCAA committees, Sweet could settle back, right? Not a chance.

She was on the board of directors of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators including being the president from 2000 to 2001 and the Title IX representative to the board from 2006 to 2010.

From 1994 to '96 she was a member of the US Olympic Committee's Task Force on Minorities.

She was co-founder and former president of the board of the Alliance of Women Coaches. 

She continues to advise and speak on Title IX matters nationally.

So many awards came her way, including the Honda Award for outstanding achievement in women's athletics in 1998 and being inducted into the halls of fame at the University of Wisconsin (from where she graduated in 1969) and UC San Diego. In 2012, Sweet was honored by Sports Business Journal as "a champion, pioneer, and innovator."

Not surprisingly, she also finds time to be a volunteer wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

Throughout, she is guided by one simple yet powerful credo: Do the right thing.

About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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