Josephine Austin’s legacy on the court may be overshadowed by her legacy off the court.

On the court, the three-time Lakeland Ledger girls coach of the year took the Winter Haven Blue Devils to three straight county girls basketball championships after coaching the Lake Wales Roosevelt High School women’s team to a state championship.

But off the court, her tireless battle for not just equal opportunity in sports but for women in general has changed the lives of generations of Polk County students.