DES MOINES -- E. Wayne Cooley made girls' high school athletics relevant, even celebrated, in Iowa. He did so long before Title IX made it mandatory.The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union executive secretary for 48 years, Cooley died Saturday in Des Moines. He was ...

 DES MOINES -- The 2004-05 women's basketball poster for the Iowa Hawkeyes featured a little girl in a long, blonde ponytail, facing away from the camera.The theme: DREAM BIG.The little girl? A 9-year old named Ally Disterhoft."I knew the coaches and they were looking for somebody about ...

 Mount Vernon High School is only a year removed from back-to-back appearances in the girls' state basketball finals."You'd think after the success we've had, some kids would jump on board," said Coach Bob Kintzel.Instead, only 15 girls are involved in the high school program this ...