Coach Puts Title IX on 'Radar Screen'

DEC. 14, 2006 — -- Ten days removed from winning the game of his life, and coach Roderick Jackson is exhausted. Out of steam. Spent.

It's been nearly six years since Jackson sued the Birmingham, Ala., board of education when he was fired after complaining that his girls high school basketball team did not receive the same support as the boys team. His case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, gaining national attention when the court ruled last year that Title IX protects people such as Jackson who seek action against gender discrimination.

That ruling helped spark a Nov. 30 settlement between Jackson and the Birmingham school board, which is to establish an equitable condition policy for female athletes in all of its programs. The board also will pay Jackson $50,000, and $340,000 to his attorneys.

"A battle was fought, and a victory was won," Jackson said. "It's a good feeling for me. All these people came together for a common good, and we now have a [system] in place we can watch develop and grow."

The settlement of Jackson's case has implications beyond Birmingham, and it comes at a time when Title IX supporters say decisions by the Bush Administration have weakened federal antidiscrimination laws. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education changed the rules for Title IX compliance, allowing schools to use Web-based surveys to determine interest in participating, and thus justify support for their athletic programs. In Jackson's case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title IX protects whistle-blowers in addition to victims of discrimination. Lower courts had rejected that idea.

The wooden backboards and bent rims were just some of the problems facing girls basketball coach Roderick Jackson, in the old gymnasium at Ensley High School in Birmingham, Ala., where his Title IX case against the school district began.Doug Jones, one of Jackson's attorneys in Birmingham, says the settlement "puts Title IX cases back on the radar screen at a time when people are trying to question whether Title IX is appropriate."

At the center of what some are calling a landmark case is Jackson, 41, who has spent much of his life tackling challenges and overcoming obstacles. His father died when he was 2, leaving his mother, Fannie Mae Jackson, to raise three children on a modest income.

"She was a strong presence," Roderick Jackson said. "She kept pushing me toward education. That was the key."

After high school came a six-year Army stint followed by degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Alabama State University. While Jackson was at UAB, Ralph Patton, the athletic director at Avondale Elementary School, hired him to coach basketball. Patton became Jackson's mentor. Patton recalls observing a strong maternal influence and an astute, eager student.