Throughout the 1970s, the AIAW grew rapidly in membership and influence, in parallel with the national growth of women's sports following the enactment of Title IX.

Women's intercollegiate athletics were organized on a national basis in 1941, the year the first national collegiate championship was held in the sport of golf by the "Division for Girls' and Women's Sports" (DGWS) of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

During the late 1950s and the 1960s, many colleges around the country had started women's sports teams that competed with other schools in their respective geographic areas.

[1][2] In 1965, with the desire to consolidate governance of women's intercollegiate athletics under one organization, the NJCESCW disbanded and agreed to let the DGWS assume control over competition and extramural events.

[6] The AIAW continued the rules established by the CIAW, which were intended to prohibit unethical practices that were observed in men's sports.

[8] The AIAW was not without criticism however, as some outsiders and individual members complained that the association devoted too much time, efforts, and funds securing distinction and independence from the NCAA.

The AIAW started to take advantage of corporate sponsorships and television payouts not unlike its male counterpart, but on a smaller scale.

The bill provided that neither men nor women could "be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance".

[9] That year (aside from the exceptional Wayland College basketball team in the 1950s),[14] Ann Meyers became the first female to receive a full scholarship by committing to play for UCLA.

[12] In 1974 the Senate passed the Tower Amendment, which decreed that Title IX did not cover football or other revenue-producing sports.

The recently formed AIAW responded, hiring a lawyer, Margot Polivy, to fight the Tower Amendment.

[16] Their efforts were successful, as a joint Congressional conference committee decided to eliminate the Tower Amendment.

Several delegates on the losing side knew of one institution that had voted against the motion but whose faculty representative favored the NCAA position.

When the influencer of the school’s "nay" vote left the room, those delegates prevailed upon that representative to request reconsideration.

There were a few occasions when a school participated in both tournaments that year (Florida in gymnastics, 1982; Oklahoma State in softball, 1982; indeed the University of Tulsa won both the AIAW and NCAA women's golf championships in 1982).

[8] The University of Texas, where the last AIAW president, Donna Lopiano, was the women's athletics director,[18] was one of the stronger holdouts.

But when 17 of the top 20 basketball teams agreed to enter the NCAA tournament,[19] it proved to be the end for the AIAW.