On the road toward parity for women in sports there have been myriad heroines--from Babe Didrickson Zaharias to Althea Gibson, from Billie Jean King to Anita DeFrantz. But on these pages, Women|Sport salutes six trailblazers whose more recent athletic exploits, along with Title IX (the 25-year-old law prohibiting sexual discrimination in athletic programs at schools that receive federal funds), opened doors, minds and the hearts of fans everywhere.

photographs by Dan Winters