Like all other student athletes, women and students of color have the challenges and rewards that come with the dual roles and identity of student and athlete. Yet neither can escape the limitations that come with so-called minority status. This chapter addresses the experiences of these growing populations in higher education.Athletes who are women or students of color-or both-like other college athletes, play the dual role of student and athlete. However, these two groups also share the distinction of being two of the most visible of historically underrepresented groups in higher education. As a result, they inherit the status of minority, which can affect their perceptions of themselves and the perceptions of others. For example, in a recent study at Brown University, black student athletes reported being stereotyped and prejudged due to their skin color and their student athlete role (Silverman, 1997). These students perceived that professors and peers assumed that they were at Brown only because of their athletic talents, not their academic abilities.Student athletes of color and female athletes are breaking ground in American higher education. It was not until the mid-1960s that students of color began to enroll in larger numbers at colleges and universities, and student athletes of color began to become more visible in sports. Before the 1970s less than 40 percent of girls participated in high school athletics; more recently, over 50 percent of high school girls participate in sports (Duquin, 1995). The NCAA reported that in 1999, 145,832 women participated in NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES, no. 93,