Seattle University honored a lifetime of commitment to women's sports when it dedicated its newly-remodeled women's basketball locker room in honor of Cascadian Nancy Gerou on October 14th, 2010.
Nancy retired in August 2010 after 23 years of service to Seattle University. Earlier in the summer, she was awarded the Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jesuit
Student Affairs Work at a gathering of her peers in St. Louis.
She received her undergraduate, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she began her career in recreation sports. After obtaining her EdD in higher education administration in 1978, Nancy was named women's athletic director at Oregon State University where she guided the program through the challenging early years Title IX.
After three years at OSU, Nancy returned to Boulder where she opened a coffee house, and later was a broker for a real estate developer. In 1987, she moved to Seattle and returned to higher education when she was named Director of University Sports at Seattle University. There she was responsible for both the men's and women athletic programs, recreation sports, intramurals and the management of the Connolly Center.
Nancy guided the growth of women's athletic programs at Seattle University through her commitment to equality in terms of scholarships, facilities and coaching staff. She again demonstrated her leadership abilities and commitment to doing the right thing as the school moved through the controversial mascot transition from "Chieftains" to "Redhawks." She also led the university in the transition back to Division 1 status after years of competing at the smaller D3 and D2 levels.
In all, Nancy did three stints as Director of University Sports at SU. After being promoted to Associate Vice President of Student Development in the early 90s, she twice went back to athletics in an interim capacity when other athletic directors left the university.
The 2010-11 Seattle U women's basketball team posed for a picture
with Nancy in their new locker room.
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