Former NFHS Assistant Director Susan True Passes Away

Susan True, one of the leading administrators in the history of the NFHS for her contributions to the advancement of girls sports programs, passed away March 29 in Kansas City, Missouri, at the age of 87.

During her 17-year career (1982-99) at the NFHS, True was the rules book editor and national rules interpreter for the sports of boys and girls gymnastics, spirit, field hockey, swimming and diving, volleyball, and water polo. Following her retirement in 1999 when the NFHS moved from Kansas City to Indianapolis, True remained a consultant for gymnastics and continued to serve as editor of both the NFHS Girls Gymnastics Rules Book and the NFHS Boys Gymnastics Rules Book until 2006.

True was involved in starting the NFHS Equity Committee, as well as the NFHS Spirit Association. The NFHS Spirit Association, under True’s leadership, was instrumental in minimizing risk in spirit programs and bringing a new respect to high school spirit programs. True was involved in writing the first NFHS spirit rules in the late 1980s, and she initiated the first NFHS Citation for work in the area of spirit programs in 1998, and she also delivered numerous speeches and wrote several articles at the national and state levels regarding spirit.

During the 1980s and 1990s, True was the single-most recognized voice and expert on Title IX as it related to girls high school sports. A pioneer and advocate for opportunities for girls in high school sports, True worked with the Women’s Sports Foundation and gave numerous speeches on Title IX at conferences throughout the nation. She also developed outstanding working relationships between the NFHS and various national governing bodies, which helped the NGBs in their understanding of the NFHS. True served on the boards of directors of the USA Field Hockey, USA Gymnastics and USA Volleyball.

In the mid-1990s, True was largely responsible for starting the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City (WIN for KC) that was involved in the annual promotion of National Girls and Women in Sports Day in early February. Earlier this year, True was the recipient of the UMBFC Charitable Foundation Lifetime Sportswomen Award by WIN for KC.

“WIN for KC would not be here today if it wasn’t for Susan True,” said Taylor Obersteadt, current director of WIN for KC. “She has dedicated her life to tirelessly working to create opportunities for women in sport. We will be forever grateful for Susan and her decades of support.”

Prior to joining the NFHS, True was an assistant professor and women’s gymnastics coach at Washburn University in Topeka for 10 years. During that time, she served as state rules interpreter and clinician in gymnastics for the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA).

True was inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame in 2003 and the KSHSAA Hall of Fame in 2017. Among her many other awards, True received the George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball Award from USA Volleyball in 1999, and two NFHS Citations, one for service to the NFHS in 1999 and the other for spirit in 2000. Last year, she was inducted into the USTA (United States Tennis Association) Missouri Valley Hall of Fame.