07/17/2026
Did you know that Putnam County boasts at least 109 years of girls' athletic teams? Using just yearbooks as evidence, the earliest photographed team is the 1917 Greencastle High School team, which was coached by Miss Dague. A different coach took over in 1921, and in 1923, a girls basketball team is mentioned in the Fillmore High School yearbook, captained by Mary Bryan. While evidence from other schools is sparce, it sure seems likely that there were other girls teams in the area with which these teams competed.
In the 1930s, girls athletics were led at Greencastle by Leona Kestner (later Leona Dobbs), who led the physical education program there for at least 20 years.
It appears that girls athletics at GHS lost a bit of momentum, as organized team sports were no longer included in the "Sports" or "Athletics" yearbook sections. Instead, a generalized "Girls Athletic Association" was relegated to the "Activities" section alongside groups such as the Glee Club and Honor Society. Hundreds of girls belonged to this group, which was not so much a team as an organization whose members took part in swimming, tennis, volleyball, tumbling, and other sports after school, but without organized, competing teams.
In 1972, with the passing of Title IX, schools were prohibited from, among other things, discriminating on the basis of s*x or gender in terms of extracurricular activities. The protection of girls sports was now enshrined in law.
This year, 2026, celebrates 50 years since the first cohort of female athletes whose rights were protected under Title IX graduated in 1976.
