UMass Lowell Athletics is mourning the loss of a true pioneer. Associate Professor Emerita Claire Chamberlain of the Physical Therapy and Kinesiology Department, who is best known throughout UMass Lowell history as being a founder and champion of women's athletics, passed away on May 23, 2024 at the age of 79 after a short illness.
 
"Claire was truly a gift to UMass Lowell," said UMass Lowell Field Hockey Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "Her commitment to the advancement of women's athletics is something I am forever grateful for. Not only was Claire one to make history, but she was one to share it with many generations that have already come through our doors. I am thankful she shared so many great stories over the years that we will make sure are shared for years to come, so that her legacy and the history of women's athletics here are always remembered. She never wanted to be in the spotlight, but without her and Denise Legault, women's athletics would not be where we are today."
 
Chamberlain was first and foremost a teacher, beginning her career at Lowell State College, now UMass Lowell, in 1971 as an instructor in the Department of Physical Education, serving as Chair from 1984-1991. Chamberlain is remembered as being strong and steadfast as a leader during that time despite dealing with the challenges that arose from both having a newly merged university and overseeing a predominantly male staff.
 
In 1991, she joined the Department of Physical Therapy, serving as the first Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE) for the undergraduate exercise science program until her retirement. During her 37-year tenure in physical education and physical therapy, Professor Chamberlain taught 21 different courses within the undergraduate physical education program and she created the minor in coaching. She was known to be tough on her students, but with the intention of pushing individuals to be the best they could be.
 
Although it was not in her job description and despite teaching a full slate of courses, Chamberlain also took a leadership role in the university's athletics department. Driven to provide the best experience possible for her students, she founded and coached multiple sports programs, including women's basketball, women's tennis and co-ed archery, in addition to co-founding field hockey with Denise Legault.
 
"Claire and I were both hired as instructors of physical education. We were both hired to teach, period," explained Legault. "We did not have to do anything else at any point in our careers. Why did we do what we did? We wanted females to have an opportunity that we didn't have."
 
Chamberlain, along with Legault not only took on extra duties for the benefits of female student-athletes, but had to learn what those new sports entailed right along with her athletes. For example, having never played the five-player game of women's basketball, since it had recently transitioned from a six-player game, Chamberlain had to learn how to coach the sport after founding the team.
 
"We didn't have experience with all the sports we started or coached, and a lot of our players didn't have prior experience either, but it was all about providing the opportunity," Legault added. "Claire knew tennis, but what did she do with women's basketball? She went to the men's basketball practices, observed and learned some drills. When we decided we wanted to start field hockey, nobody told us we needed to do this, but we got into the car, drove to a store in Marblehead and purchased everything you needed to start a field hockey team."
 
Always looking to get more involved, Chamberlain served as the department's Title IX Coordinator, and as a chair and member of the UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame Committee for 27 years, as well.
 
"Claire was such a visionary leader and trailblazer for UMass Lowell, and her story will forever be a consequential part of UMass Lowell's story," commented former longtime Director of Athletics Dana Skinner. "Claire and Denise Legault did more than their share of the heavy lifting to lay the foundation for today's women's athletic programs at UMass Lowell. They also played a crucial role in educating me personally about women's sports during a time when I was just entering the field of athletics administration and had much to learn.  That education inspired many of the decisions I had to make during the decades that followed. For that, I am so grateful." 
 
Chamberlain was a driving force for women's athletics far beyond the limits of UMass Lowell's campus. She helped found the Massachusetts Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW), and was active within the Eastern Association for Physical Education of College Women (EAPECW), serving as a past-president for both organizations. She was also the first-ever commissioner of ethics and eligibility for the MAIAW, helping write the constitution, bylaws and championship handbooks.
 
"Claire used to talk with me about the challenges she experienced during her early days as an athlete and coach, and I know she felt great pride when she compared those days to the environment that exists for female athletes and coaches at UMass Lowell today," explained Skinner. "Claire's legacy is secure – she helped pave the way for what is a very different, and very exciting world of women's athletics."
 
During her career, Chamberlain earned several notable awards and honors, including being inducted into the New Agenda–Northeast Women's Hall of Fame in 1993 and the UMass Lowell Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 for her pioneering work for Title IX and women's athletics. She also received the UMass Lowell Francis Cabot Lowell Award in 2009, the UMass Lowell Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award in 1997, and the MAIAW Honor Award in 1984. She was also UMass Lowell's first Outstanding Faculty Advisor of the Year in 1998.
 
When she retired in 2008, Chamberlain stayed engaged with the university by attending events, mentoring new faculty and donating funds. In May of 2017, she established the Professor Claire Chamberlain Endowed Scholarship Fund to support students pursuing an undergraduate teaching degree in the School of Education at UMass Lowell.
 
"When I see the media coverage around WNBA games, and the crowds at college basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer games, and the recent record attendance at the Tsongas Center for the first PWHL championship game, it's clear women's sports are finally having a moment - a moment whose roots can be traced to leaders like Claire Chamberlain," concluded Skinner.
 
If you would like to make a memorial donation to the University of Massachusetts Lowell in support of the Professor Claire Chamberlain Endowed Scholarship Fund, please give online at www.uml.edu/givenow or mail to: UMass Lowell Advancement Office, 1 Perkins St., Lowell, MA 01854. Checks should be made payable to UMass Lowell and note that the gift is in memory of Professor Claire Chamberlain.