Recently, Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller made national headlines when she kicked two extra-points to become the first woman to score in a Power 5 conference football game.

But did you know that a similar gender barrier was broken in 1963 when Rosalie Passovoy took to the court as a member of the Orange State College (now CSUF) men's tennis team?

With no women's tennis team on campus until 1966, Passovoy, a senior, approached head coach, and former Titan basketball and tennis player, Neale Stoner about an opportunity to compete for a spot on the team. 

Passovoy, however, was no ordinary college coed in 1963.  She was a married, 33-year-old mother of three.  She was a passionate believer in women's rights, abilities, and for reaching for opportunities in what many considered then a man's world.

At just 5'3", Passovoy was known for her powerful serve, and forehand ground strokes.  To earn her spot on the squad, she had to play challenge matches with some of the Titan men's tennis players to be able to compete in intercollegiate matches as part of the six-player Orange State College team.

According to one of her 1963 teammates, Neil Stenton, "The fact that she was on the team was an amazing accomplishment in itself.  She was a pretty darn good player to able to be on that team."

Rosalie Passovoy remains the only female in Titan history to earn a varsity letter on a men's sports team.  She went on to earn her B.A. in Humanities, and a master's degree in Journalism from what is now Cal State Fullerton.  She was also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.

While playing competitive tennis into her mid-40's, she built an impressive career as a medical writer, public information officer for the UC Davis School of Medicine, and as the principal analyst for the University of California system. 

Rosalie Passovoy passed away at age 89 from complications related to Alzheimer's disease in October of 2019.  She was truly a Titan ahead of her time.