University of North Texas Athletics

In 1914, North Texas President William Herschel Bruce hired Beulah Harriss to start women’s athletics and physical education at North Texas, and Harriss would spend the rest of her life in Denton, making an impact on the school and community.

In 1917-18, Harriss became the school’s first women’s basketball coach, and from 1918-19 to 1920-21, her team was undefeated. She soon also coached women’s tennis.

But in 1925, the Board of Regents for all Texas teachers’ colleges abolished women’s intercollegiate athletics on the belief that strenuous activity was bad for women’s health. In response, Harriss helped organize the Texas Women's Athletic Association and continued women’s athletics at an intramural level at North Texas.

She also founded the North Texas Green Jackets support group, helped establish a Girl Scout Troop in Denton, and was a founding member of Denton Area Teachers Credit Union. Harriss retired in 1960.