Deacon Sports Xtra: Former AD Hooks Partnered with Marge Crisp & Dot Casey to Build Women’s Athletics at Wake Forest
8/30/2021 10:00:00 AM | General
“We were in it together and were going to do whatever it took to make it work.” -- Dr. Gene Hooks
This piece is among the series of stories to celebrate 50 Years of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics at Wake Forest, presented by Blue Cross NC.
Well before Wake Forest University moved to Winston-Salem, Gene Hooks knew of Marge Crisp and Dot Casey.
"Marge and Dot were down at the old campus, teaching physical education," Hooks recalls. "As a student, I graduated in 1950 and the school did not move until 1956. I remember them as the only two women's physical education teachers. So, when I came on the new campus and taught for a few years in the physical education department I became reacquainted with them."
After serving in the classroom and as Wake Forest baseball coach, Hooks took the helm as the fourth athletic director in Wake Forest's history in 1964. Just seven years later, he was faced with the exciting task of taking women's athletics to the NCAA Division 1 level, and to do so relied upon his relationships with Crisp and Casey.
"Women's physical education consisted of club sports back then," Hooks said. "They could get as many women to play as possible. When I became athletic director, it was still a club sports program."
Though the push for NCAA sanctioned women's collegiate athletics was laudable, Hooks had to work to raise all the funds necessary to support Wake Forest's women's programs.
"I knew how much it was going to cost, just to have a bad program — much less good ones. So, we didn't have very good ones right off," Hooks shared.
The good programs came in time, as evidenced by the 87 individual and 12 team Atlantic Coast Conference championships, three individual and three team NCAA championships and 16 ACC Players of the Year awards earned. Even more impressive is the character of these women and their impactful and accomplished post-graduate careers.
On the golf course, Wake Forest's women's golf program has produced six ACC team championships and one individual NCAA title.
"Marge and Dot were members at Old Town Golf Club," Hooks said. "They loved to play, and they loved to coach. The ability to play at Old Town, which is just a walk away from campus, was natural for that to be our best sport early on."
As he began to work through the various pitfalls to transform women's athletics to the Division I level, Hooks leaned heavily on Crisp and Casey.
"I had a great relationship with Marge and Dot," he said. "I told them I was not sure how we were going to do it, but I was willing to help in whatever way I could. We were in it together and were going to do whatever it took to make it work."
Well before Wake Forest University moved to Winston-Salem, Gene Hooks knew of Marge Crisp and Dot Casey.
"Marge and Dot were down at the old campus, teaching physical education," Hooks recalls. "As a student, I graduated in 1950 and the school did not move until 1956. I remember them as the only two women's physical education teachers. So, when I came on the new campus and taught for a few years in the physical education department I became reacquainted with them."
After serving in the classroom and as Wake Forest baseball coach, Hooks took the helm as the fourth athletic director in Wake Forest's history in 1964. Just seven years later, he was faced with the exciting task of taking women's athletics to the NCAA Division 1 level, and to do so relied upon his relationships with Crisp and Casey.
"Women's physical education consisted of club sports back then," Hooks said. "They could get as many women to play as possible. When I became athletic director, it was still a club sports program."
Though the push for NCAA sanctioned women's collegiate athletics was laudable, Hooks had to work to raise all the funds necessary to support Wake Forest's women's programs.
"I knew how much it was going to cost, just to have a bad program — much less good ones. So, we didn't have very good ones right off," Hooks shared.
The good programs came in time, as evidenced by the 87 individual and 12 team Atlantic Coast Conference championships, three individual and three team NCAA championships and 16 ACC Players of the Year awards earned. Even more impressive is the character of these women and their impactful and accomplished post-graduate careers.
On the golf course, Wake Forest's women's golf program has produced six ACC team championships and one individual NCAA title.
"Marge and Dot were members at Old Town Golf Club," Hooks said. "They loved to play, and they loved to coach. The ability to play at Old Town, which is just a walk away from campus, was natural for that to be our best sport early on."
As he began to work through the various pitfalls to transform women's athletics to the Division I level, Hooks leaned heavily on Crisp and Casey.
"I had a great relationship with Marge and Dot," he said. "I told them I was not sure how we were going to do it, but I was willing to help in whatever way I could. We were in it together and were going to do whatever it took to make it work."
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