Who is Betty Bolyard? Harrison honors pioneer of female sports in Indiana
WEST LAFAYETTE — Former Harrison coach Betty Bolyard was a visionary for the success to come for women's high school athletics. Not just at Harrison, but all of Indiana.
"(Bolyard) gave her life for those students and that was her life," said 22-year Lafayette Jeff gymnastics coach and close friend Cindy Gregg. "She was there for them no matter if they were from Harrison or some where else. She was there for them."
Bolyard coached Harrison in track and field, gymnastics and volleyball from 1970-2007. She influenced multiple generations of women and coached future Olympians like 2016 Rio gold medalist rower Amanda Elmore.
With 37 years of service at Harrison, it is appropriate that the now 83-year-old Bolyard who still lives in West Lafayette receive an honor worthy of her trailblazing accomplishments in female athletics for future generations to appreciate.
Therefore, Harrison High School's track and field will be renamed the Betty Bolyard Track to acknowledge that legacy. Bolyard received the honor surrounded by friends and family during a halftime ceremony Saturday at Harrison.
"She was unique as a coach," Bolyard's daughter Michelle Ruweler (Bolyard) said speaking on her mother's behalf. "She encouraged and embraced first time athlete and took the time to train the athletes. She saw more enjoyment seeing the growth of athletes than her achievements."
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'She's really a pioneer' for female athletes in Indiana
Above all, Bolyard raised the bar and redefined what it meant to be a female athlete in the state, even before Title IX.
"She's always been an advocate in this community," said her granddaughter Ashley Huff who was a former gymnast at Harrison. "Her and other coaches pushed for women to get the facilities and the acknowledgement they deserve. It was a tough road and it wasn't very easy to make women what they are today. She's really a pioneer to get that all started in our area."
Bolyard guided Harrison to Indiana's first ever girls track and field state championship in 1974 as the IHSAA began adding more female high school sports. She also started the annual Harrison Invitational gymnastics meet beginning in 1998.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"It is a momentous moment for her life and I don't think it was expected," Huff said. "It's a once in a lifetime achievement. She is full of joy and gratitude."
Cathy LeGrande, Harrison's 1974 state high jump champion, recalled how Bolyard was instrumental in helping unite athletes from the former East Tipp, Klondike and Battle Ground high schools that consolidated into Harrison.
"Rival schools didn't play nice together but for the volleyball team she got us to be one cohesive team," LeGrande said. "She never yelled at anybody. And if anyone made a mistake, she would say encouraging things. And no one was ever upset."
"The Harrison athletics department is very appreciative of the Tippecanoe County School Corporation school board for allowing us to this," Harrison athletic director Jerry Galema said.
Harrison athletic director Jerry Galema was a student of Bolyard when he attended Harrison in the early 1980s and later became her supervisor as AD beginning in 1994.
"She was one of those throwbacks meaning she rarely missed a day of work," Galema said. "She really had a passion for the kids she was teaching and coaching."
Galema praised trustees of the Tippecanoe County School Corp. for signing off on the honor.
Who is Betty Bolyard?
Bolyard was obsessed with sports from a young age. She would read the Lafayette Journal & Courier and cut out box scores and stories from Purdue is a child, according to Huff, who describes her grandmother as a "lifelong Boilermaker" who graduated from Purdue in 1963 after completing high school at Lafayette Jeff in 1959.
Besides coaching, Bolyard worked as a driver's education instructor during the summer to provide for Michelle and her son Keith.
This was the first time we got to honor her and celebrate her for the first time," Ruweler (Bolyard) said. "She was a single parent but made us feel like we were the best in the world. We stood in her shoes, celebrate with her and celebrate with everyone.”
Bolyard still smiles and enjoys watching sports on television while living at Westminster Village in West Lafayette.
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Every time a record is broken, the name Bolyard will be hanging above the bleachers.
"It's an amazing feeling and it's something you can't put into words to know that her legacy will live on forever," Huff said. "They'll know the history of the woman who started it all. It's a magical moment for my grandma and for my family. We're proud of her. She gave her whole life to sports, girls sports and her school."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHansonand Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette Harrison High School renames track in honor of Betty Bolyard