Donnis Thompson, the first director of women's athletics at University of Hawai'i and a pioneer in women's sports, died today. She was 75.

Thompson moved to Hawai'i in 1961 to work as a professor. She also dreamed of starting a women's track and field program, but women's athletics was non-existent.

In 1971, Thompson had to fight for a $5,000 appropriation to get the women's athletic program started. That first year, the women's program had 20 students and two sports — track and volleyball.

Last year, there were 200 female athletes in 12 sports at the university with a budget of $4 million.

Thompson served as director of women's athletics from 1972 — the year Title IX began — to 1981. In October 2007, the university dedicated a bronze sculpture of Thompson that stands on the concourse of the Stan Sheriff Center.