Former University women’s track and field coach Sally Harmon has withdrawn a 2003 complaint against the athletic department alleging she was discharged because of her gender and says she plans to file a lawsuit.
Harmon said that two weeks ago she withdrew her complaint, which was filed with the civil rights division of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, because the agency was overwrought with cases. She said she intends to file a lawsuit to reach a resolution quicker.
Harmon’s attorney Suzanne Chanti said the lawsuit will be filed within the next 60 days, but she didn’t know who would be named in the suit.
“We think Sally was discriminated against,” Chanti said. “We haven’t received any response from the University to discuss the matter, so we plan to file a suit.”
Harmon, a University graduate who coached women’s throws events for 18 years, was fired in spring 2003 without a severance package. The University’s athletic department replaced her with Olympic hammer thrower Lance Deal, which prompted her to file a sex discrimination complaint with the civil rights division of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries in October 2003.
Harmon, twice inducted into the University’s hall of fame for coaching and individual athletic accomplishments, said her 18 years of coaching experience made her the most qualified applicant to coach the men’s and women’s throws programs, which merged in 2003. The position overseeing the javelin, discuss, shot put and hammer events was instead filled by Deal, hired as a volunteer men’s throws coach in 2002.
“When you have somebody with the experience, the authority and the accomplishments I’ve had, and you replace me with someone who does not have any comparable experience whatsoever, things are starting to smell,” Harmon said. “And you bet it’s based on a preference, and I can’t think of anything besides gender that’s playing into this.”
Athletic Director Bill Moos did not return the Emerald’s phone calls.
University General Counsel Melinda Grier, who is handling all phone calls to the University related to the complaint, said she felt the department’s hiring decision was probably justified.
“The reason you choose one person over another is you select the one you believe is most qualified based on what your criteria are,” Grier said. “That’s what happened here.”
In the complaint — which Chanti said will provide the basis for the ensuing lawsuit — Harmon said there has been a long-standing disparity between men and women employed in the University’s athletic department.
“Throughout my tenure at the University of Oregon, I was treated less favorably than my male peers in the terms and conditions of my employment,” Harmon said in her initial complaint. “I received less pay and benefits than equally qualified or less qualified, experienced and tenured counterparts.”
Harmon said in July 2000 she refused to sign her annual contract when she learned that a newly hired men’s assistant coach was being paid $50,000, while her salary was $35,724. Despite later receiving a raise, Harmon said her salary still did not reflect her years of coaching experience in comparison with many of the male coaches.
In a recent interview, Harmon added that the discrepancy extended to past athletic programs’ budgets, with differences in the amount of money, number of opportunities and amount of resources allocated to men’s and women’s programs.
Since she has left the University, Harmon has earned money through contracted coaching and by acting as an expert witness in track and field lawsuits.
“You’re practically going from caviar to rice,” Harmon said of her household. “I’m just short of picking my children up and moving across the country for a hope and a prayer to not have to deal with what I have here.”
Harmon said filing the lawsuit isn’t about money: it’s about values. She has spent years trying to empower women to get equal resources as men, she said.
“I’ve told athletes, ‘The world is your oyster, and with hard work, dedication and performance, it’s going to get you the same success as men,’” Harmon said. “Unfortunately, this has not been demonstrated by the University.”
“(The lawsuit is) not going to rectify the damage done to me,” Harmon said. “But walking away from this and not making a statement of what’s been done, and that it’s wrong, would be a slap in the face, and a resignation I don’t feel in any way compelled to make. That would send a poor message to women who want to aspire to greater prospects and who shouldn’t be subject to job loss based on gender.”

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