(June 20, 2002)

ESPN Classic Women's Sports

BRISTOL CT (June 20, 2002) In celebration of ESPN's Women and Sports Weekend and the 30th anniversary of Title IX, ESPN Classic will present a Classic Women's Sports day on Sunday, June 23 from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET.

Co-hosted by Julie Foudy, US Women's National Soccer team captain, and Rob Stone, Classic's celebration of women's sports will feature some of the female athletes and moments that have helped shape the overall growth and impact of women in sports. They include Billie Jean King's triumph over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, the U.S. women's World Cup title in 1999, UConn completing its perfect women's basketball season in 2001-02 and a number of SportsCentury profiles highlighting some significant achievements by women in sports. Here's the complete schedule:
All times Eastern

Sunday, June 23
9 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET

9 a.m. - SportsCentury: Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King won a dozen Grand Slam singles titles, including six Wimbledon championships and four U.S. crowns and was at the forefront of the women's movement for equality. She was ranked No. 1 in the world five years and defeated such magnificent players as Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Margaret Court.

10 a.m. - Battle of the Sexes: Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs
The "Battle of the Sexes" captured the imagination of the country, not just tennis enthusiasts. On Sept. 20, 1973 in Houston, King, then 29, ran Riggs ragged, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a match the London Sunday Times called "the drop shot and volley heard around the world."

11:30 a.m. - SportsCentury: Dorothy Hamill
Dorothy Hamill was from 'do to toe the American ideal of a 1970s icon. As a child, she wanted to be a famous ice skater. She succeeded splendidly when, as a teenager, she captured the hearts of the American public by winning a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics.

Noon - SportsCentury: Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Babe Didrikson is a three-time winner of the U.S. Women's Open in golf. The Associated Press voted her the Greatest Female Athlete of the first half of the 20th century. The wire service also voted her Female Athlete of the Year six times -- once for her track dominance and five times for her golfing prowess.

1 p.m. - SportsCentury: Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova won a record nine Wimbledons, including six consecutively on the hallowed grass. Since the Open era began in 1968, no player -- male or female -- has won more tournaments than Navratilova's 167 or more matches than her 1,438 (against just 212 defeats). She was ranked No. 1 for 331 weeks, second only to Steffi Graf's 373 since rankings began in 1975. She earned a record $20,344,061. "But her influence went far beyond numbers," Robert Lipsyte and Peter Levine wrote in Idols of the Game. "As a lesbian, Navratilova expanded the dialogue on issues of gender and sexuality in sports."

2 p.m. - SportsCentury: Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph was the first woman to win three Olympic gold medals in track. She said her greatest accomplishment was creating the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, a not-for-profit community based amateur sports program. Honors kept coming for Rudolph. She was voted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in 1973 and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974. NBC made a movie about her life from her autobiography, "Wilma."

3 p.m. - SportsCentury: Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati captured two Grand Slam titles in 2001 and successfully defended her Australian Open championship in 2002. In March 1990, Capriati turned pro at the age of 13 and nearly fulfilled all the expectations.

4 p.m. - 1999 Women's World Cup Championship
United States vs. China
The United States put the happy ending on the fairytale, beating China 5-4 on penalties to win the Women's World Cup after a tense final ended scoreless after extra time. Brandi Chastain capped a perfect U.S. performance in the shootout, scoring past Chinese keeper Gao Hong and sending the crowd of 90,185 at the Rose Bowl into a frenzy. Foudy and Stone provide a unique perspective and inside analysis, taking the viewer inside the game.

6:30 p.m. - College SportsCentury: Sue Bird
Because of women like the aforementioned Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, athletes such as Sue Bird have risen to the top and represent the next generation of great women athletes. Bird, The Associated Press Player of the Year, averaged 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in leading UConn to its best season ever (39-0) in 2002. She led the nation in free-throw shooting at 89.2 percent. Bird scored 1,378 career points and had 585 assists, including a career-best 231 this season. UConn's floor leader, Bird was the first pick in the WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm.

7 p.m. - College Basketball
2002 NCAA Women's National Championship
Oklahoma vs. Connecticut
Senior Swin Cash had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help UConn complete its best season in history (39-0) with an 82-70 victory over the Sooners. Cash, the Final Four MVP, and her senior teammates closed out their careers with a 136-9 record at UConn. Asjha Jones added 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocks while Tamika Williams had 12 points and nine boards for the Huskies.

[Source: ESPN.com]