Indiana University Athletics
Softball Alums Honored by I Association
9/20/2021 3:02:00 PM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Former Softball Hoosiers Linda Bunce '81 and Suzanne Crump '84 were honored by the I Association with the Grotke Award this past weekend.
The Leanne Grotke Award is presented to living I-Women who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions to Indiana University through service to its athletics program.
Grotke played a pivotal role in establishing women's intercollegiate athletics at Indiana University. In 1972, Title IX legislation was passed. Grotke was named the first full time Associate Athletic Director for Women's Athletics in the Big Ten.
The Grotke Award perpetuates the same ideals as the Clevenger Award. The honor is bestowed upon living I-Women who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions through service to its athletics program. This is the highest honor given an I-Woman by the Association.
Linda Bunce (BS '81) was one of IU Athletics' pioneers, playing both softball and volleyball during an era when IU women's athletics were under the direction of the Department of Physician Education for Women.
Bunce was a catcher for the IU softball extramural team from 1969-73 and also an outside hitter for the Hoosier volleyball team from 1969-70. A Certificate of Merit recipient for her athletic contributions as an undergraduate, she was subsequently awarded a varsity "I" letter when IU Athletics honored IU's past female student-athletes who competed in the era before women's sports were under the direction of the Athletic Department.
Her contributions to women's athletics didn't end with her IU career. While she was working for 30 years as an Assembly and Fab Operator at General Motors in Kokomo, she was also volunteering a great deal of her time as both a youth volleyball, basketball and softball coach at the junior high school and high school levels. She also worked for the IHSAA as a softball, basketball and volleyball official, and for the ASA as a youth tournament softball umpire.
While her playing days at IU ended nearly 50 years ago, she has remained close to the sports programs throughout. She's been an IU Football season ticket holder for 43 years, an IU Women's Basketball season ticket holder for 18 years, and IU Varsity Club member for 46 years.
Suzanne Crump (BS '84) came to IU in 1980 as a highly-accomplished high school student-athlete, someone who had earned 10 varsity letters during her prep career at Western High School in Russiaville, Ind. Despite those successes, no one would have thought she'd depart IU four years later as Big Ten champion in softball and someone who had a chance to play in the College Softball World Series.
Why? Because none of those 10 high school varsity letters were in softball.
Crump was a four-year starter in high school in volleyball, a three-year starter in basketball and a standout in track and field. But it wasn't until she tried out as a walk-on at IU that she had ever played fastpitch softball. Despite that lack of experience, Crump showed IU Softball Coach Gayle Blevins enough to not only make the Hoosier team as a sophomore, but to be a key component of a team that won the 1983 Big Ten title and advanced to the College Softball World Series.
Crump has continued to make an impact on education and athletics in the Hoosier state during her professional career. She served as a girl's basketball coach at Cowan (Ind.) High School just outside of Muncie in 1997, and was then named Cowan's athletic director in 1999. She remained there until 2007, when she moved to Muncie Central to serve as assistant principal. In 2014 she added the title of athletic director, a role she held until her retirement in 2017. Her absence from the high school ranks was short-lived, as she returned to Cowan Junior/Senior High School in 2019 to serve as assistant principal and athletic director.
Suzanne and her husband, Michael, have two children – Kathryn Childress and Tyler Crump.
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#GoIU
The Leanne Grotke Award is presented to living I-Women who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions to Indiana University through service to its athletics program.
Grotke played a pivotal role in establishing women's intercollegiate athletics at Indiana University. In 1972, Title IX legislation was passed. Grotke was named the first full time Associate Athletic Director for Women's Athletics in the Big Ten.
The Grotke Award perpetuates the same ideals as the Clevenger Award. The honor is bestowed upon living I-Women who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions through service to its athletics program. This is the highest honor given an I-Woman by the Association.
Linda Bunce (BS '81) was one of IU Athletics' pioneers, playing both softball and volleyball during an era when IU women's athletics were under the direction of the Department of Physician Education for Women.
Bunce was a catcher for the IU softball extramural team from 1969-73 and also an outside hitter for the Hoosier volleyball team from 1969-70. A Certificate of Merit recipient for her athletic contributions as an undergraduate, she was subsequently awarded a varsity "I" letter when IU Athletics honored IU's past female student-athletes who competed in the era before women's sports were under the direction of the Athletic Department.
Her contributions to women's athletics didn't end with her IU career. While she was working for 30 years as an Assembly and Fab Operator at General Motors in Kokomo, she was also volunteering a great deal of her time as both a youth volleyball, basketball and softball coach at the junior high school and high school levels. She also worked for the IHSAA as a softball, basketball and volleyball official, and for the ASA as a youth tournament softball umpire.
While her playing days at IU ended nearly 50 years ago, she has remained close to the sports programs throughout. She's been an IU Football season ticket holder for 43 years, an IU Women's Basketball season ticket holder for 18 years, and IU Varsity Club member for 46 years.
Suzanne Crump (BS '84) came to IU in 1980 as a highly-accomplished high school student-athlete, someone who had earned 10 varsity letters during her prep career at Western High School in Russiaville, Ind. Despite those successes, no one would have thought she'd depart IU four years later as Big Ten champion in softball and someone who had a chance to play in the College Softball World Series.
Why? Because none of those 10 high school varsity letters were in softball.
Crump was a four-year starter in high school in volleyball, a three-year starter in basketball and a standout in track and field. But it wasn't until she tried out as a walk-on at IU that she had ever played fastpitch softball. Despite that lack of experience, Crump showed IU Softball Coach Gayle Blevins enough to not only make the Hoosier team as a sophomore, but to be a key component of a team that won the 1983 Big Ten title and advanced to the College Softball World Series.
Crump has continued to make an impact on education and athletics in the Hoosier state during her professional career. She served as a girl's basketball coach at Cowan (Ind.) High School just outside of Muncie in 1997, and was then named Cowan's athletic director in 1999. She remained there until 2007, when she moved to Muncie Central to serve as assistant principal. In 2014 she added the title of athletic director, a role she held until her retirement in 2017. Her absence from the high school ranks was short-lived, as she returned to Cowan Junior/Senior High School in 2019 to serve as assistant principal and athletic director.
Suzanne and her husband, Michael, have two children – Kathryn Childress and Tyler Crump.
Follow Indiana Softball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
#GoIU
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