DeFrantz, Anita L.

By: Winifred W. Thompson

Source:

 Black Women in America, Second Edition

DeFrantz, Anita L.

Sex:  Female

Born:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
4 October 1952

Activity/Profession:  Rower, Olympic Medalist, Sports Organization Executive, Lawyer

(b. 4 October 1952),
attorney, athlete, entrepreneur, activist.

Anita L. DeFrantz is one of the most influential people in sports in the early twenty-first century. She became involved in the Olympic field as a competitor when she won a bronze medal on the U.S. women's eight-oared shell at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. She was the first woman to represent the United States on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1986 and, in 1997, she became the first woman, as well as the first African American, to be vice president of the IOC. DeFrantz has worked on the Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta Olympic Games as a member of the United States Olympic Executive Committee.

DeFrantz was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Robert and Anita P. DeFrantz. Her father directed the Community Action against Poverty organization; her mother taught and eventually became a professor of Education at the University of San Francisco. DeFrantz's family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, when she was quite young. She grew up with three other siblings who were all physically active. While she was not as athletic as her siblings, she excelled in academics and received an academic scholarship to Connecticut College, graduating with honors with a degree in Political Philosophy in 1974. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1977.

While in college, DeFrantz became interested in rowing, a sport that was still new to many. She tried out for and joined the newly formed rowing team at Connecticut College, then chose to pursue her law degree at the University of Pennsylvania because the school had an active rowing club. She continued to excel in rowing and made the U.S. Olympic team in 1975 to compete in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, where rowing made its debut as an official Olympic sport. DeFrantz, the team captain, and her teammates won the bronze medal.

After graduation from law school, DeFrantz became a staff attorney for the Juvenile Law Center of Philadelphia while continuing training for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. She was a member of several national rowing teams, became a six-time champion, and received a silver medal in the 1978 World Rowing Championships. Ready to compete for gold once again in the Olympics, her hopes were dashed when President Jimmy Carter declared in early 1980 that the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympic Games in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. DeFrantz immediately protested and filed a suit against the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). In April 1980, the USOC voted to support the boycott.

Because of her tenacity in standing for what she thought was just, DeFrantz established a name for herself both on the national and international level. The International Olympic Committee awarded her the Bronze Medal of the Olympic Order for her leadership, valor, and persistence in fighting against the boycott. In 1981 she retired from competition and was asked to join the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, where she later became vice president as well as a member of the USOC. As vice president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee she managed the Olympic village at the University of Southern California for the Los Angeles Olympics.

As a member of the USOC she served on a commission that determines what sports should be included in Olympic competition and was a leader in negotiations with African nations not to boycott the Los Angeles Olympic games. When the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (AAF) was established with the proceeds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, DeFrantz became president of the organization, which manages the Southern California endowment and directs youth sports programs. The focus of the organization is to provide sport opportunities for all youth, particularly disadvantaged youth.

In 1986 DeFrantz became the fifth woman, but first American woman, to serve on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the first African American. In 1992 she was also elected to serve on the executive board of the IOC. In 1995 she became the chair of the IOC Committee on Women and Sports. In 1997 she was the first woman elected as vice president of the IOC and has often been mentioned as a future president. In 1999 she was inducted into the International Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame.

Anita DeFrantz has received numerous awards within the civic and sports arena. She is a member of many boards and commissions, including Kids in Sports, Children NOW, and Vesper Rowing Club. She continues to be president of the Amateur Athletic Foundation, while remaining committed to maintaining the integrity of Olympic sports. Her background in law and her personal initiative have allowed her to pursue excellence in the field of sports organization. A Houston Chronicle article summed up her influence: “She has been called the most powerful woman in sports. But why stop at gender? Anita DeFrantz, with a stately presence and an Olympic will, may stride into the 21st Century as the most influential sports figure in the world. Period.”

processed xml | source xml