The intercollegiate athletic program for women at the University of Arizona evolved from a rich heritage of activities of dedicated sportswomen. The first provision for physical pursuits on the University of Arizona campus was made in 1895 when President Howard Billman hired Gertrude Hughes to teach physical culture. From that foundation in 1895, a fully developed intercollegiate athletic program for women has developed. This study focuses on the people and events which have shaped that program. Chapter Two provides a survey of the development of women's athletics programs in both institutions of higher education and the society at large with some attention to the history of women in America in order to form a context and comparative format for the Arizona program. Chapters Three and Four center on the administrative leadership of physical education and athletics for women at the University of Arizona. The influences of Ina Gittings, Marguerite Chesney, Mary Pilgrim, and Donna Miller are presented. Chapter Five focuses on the transition period from women's club sports to an intercollegiate athletic program for women, the impact ot Title IX on the development of that program, the merging of women's athletics with men's, and the role that Mary Roby has played in the development of the University of Arizona's women's intercollegiate athletic program. From its fledgling beginning, due to the contribution of people and events, the program has developed into one of the nation's finest from which highly successful individuals and teams have emerged. The present program offers to current highly skilled female athletes at the University of Arizona the opportunity for a qualitative athletic experience in which they can maximize their capabilities both as students and athletes.