Cary Groth, 1 Of 4 Female Athletic Directors At FBS Level, To Retire

Reno Gazette-Journal

http://www.rgj.com/article/20120830/SPORTS06/308300031/1018

Whether she wants to admit it or not, Cary Groth is a pioneer.

The Wolf Pack athletic director, who announced Wednesday that she will retire at the end of the academic year in July, was the third ever female to rise to that position when Northern Illinois hired her in 1994. After a decade with the Huskies, she moved onto Nevada.

“People might say I’m a pioneer, but I’m not so sure I feel that way as much,” said Groth, the lone female athletic director in Nevada’s history. “I think what’s important to me about being a female in this role is there are young females who see me in this role.”

Groth was part of a seminar held in Reno this summer to promote female advancement in athletic administration. While she was one of the first women to crack into the highly-coveted position of athletic director, progress has been slow behind her.

Groth is one of only four full-time female athletic directors in the FBS. The others are Cal’s Sandy Barbour, North Carolina State’s Debbie Yow and Texas-San Antonio’s Lynn Hickey (Tennessee and Texas have a men’s and female athletic director).

“I worry that when I leave, step down, there will only be three left,” Groth said. “I was the third back in 1994 and to think there will only be three when I retire is unacceptable. I want to help in that effort in getting more women in this position because it’s a great job.”

Groth said she’s seen attitudes change over time. She saw more push-back when she took the Northern Illinois job than when she took the Nevada job. But she still faced challenges with the Wolf Pack.

“I’ll tell you this isn’t an easy place for a woman in a leadership position,” Groth said. “There are a lot of opinions, a lot of old-fashioned opinions, still out there. You just have to kind of put your blinders on and not let them get to you. We had some challenges in this community with certain people, but my responsibility is to the kids and to the coaches and I’ve learned to not let that bother me.”

Groth said she hopes she isn’t judged in terms of gender, but rather in terms of what she accomplished during her eight-year tenure at Nevada. After retirement, she plans on staying in Reno and remaining a part of the community.

“I love it here,” Groth said. “I want to be a Wolf Pack fan. I do. I love this program. I love our sports, our coaches. I’m going to be a season-ticket holder. I’m going to go to the games. I’ve always wanted to retire in a university town. This is a great place. I’ve met wonderful people and developed good friends here. I’m going to support the Pack. I’m going to do just what I’ve told people to do the last eight years and that’s stand behind the Pack.”