First Look: 1972 Pub

The sports scene in Texas just got a shot in the arm courtesy of Debra Hallum and Marlene du Plessis. The two women recently opened up 1972 Pub, a bar and grill dedicated to shining a light on women’s sports, just across the street from the University of Texas at Austin on the Drag.

Hallum says she and du Plessis first felt that a women’s sports bar could work in Austin when they went up to the Pacific Northwest and visited Rough & Tumble in Seattle. They also credit Jenny Nguyen’s The Sports Bra in Portland, the first women’s sports bar in the United States, as another inspiration.

They named their bar 1972 after the year that Title IX, which fostered the American women’s sports industry by prohibiting gender-based discrimination in federally funded educational institutions, was passed.

Austin’s growing profile in the sports industry is one of the reasons Hallum feels the business will work. “People thought Austin was never going to get a men’s professional soccer team. But the right people stepped up with the right vision, the right money, the right investment, and they made that happen,” she says.

“And Austin is big enough for this stuff,” she continues. “We know how people love UT women’s sports such as softball, volleyball, and basketball. We also think we’re on the forefront of what’s going to happen here as sports are going to grow in general, like League One Volleyball being here for their first year in Austin and winning.”

Opening the bar did not come without personal investment from the two owners. “People tell you there’s money out there for women trying to start their own business. We didn’t find that experience,” Hallum says. “We did some crowdfunding and we’ve used our own money because grants and stuff didn’t come.”

But since 1972 opened in March, she’s seen the impact they’ve made in the local community. “I think people are now seeing that women will support sports, they will spend their money with it. We’re proving to them that it can be done,” Hallum says. “Our biggest success is when someone walks up to us and says thank you for having the space. That’s what we wanted. We want to share it with everybody.”

As for the food and cocktail menu, Hallum says she and du Plessis strived to make it feel more inclusive than your typical sports bar fare. “Being in Austin, we knew we wanted it to be a step above the rest just because of how competitive the food and drink industry is here,” she explains. “We made having healthy vegetarian and vegan options very important as well, because we have friends and family members that have allergies or vegan diets. We also made sure to have non-alcoholic options at our bar as well.”

She counts the wings, burger, and elote hushpuppies as some of her personal favorites on the menu, along with their desserts. They also have a weekend brunch menu that includes steak frites as well as biscuits and gravy.

Although they had a big opening in March for the NCAA March Madness tournament – where the Lady Horns made the Final Four – the best is yet to come for 1972. With the WNBA season scheduled to start later this month, the sports bar will host watch parties for the games – especially for the Dallas Wings, the lone Texas WNBA team that just drafted three-time NCAA All-American Paige Bueckers.

Additionally, 1972 will host a not-yet-scheduled event with League One Volleyball to celebrate Austin’s first-ever professional volleyball championship, and plans to have kickoff events for the Tour de France Femmes later this summer. Hallum also says she and du Plessis will throw a big fall bash when the incoming UT freshman class comes into town.

“We want their players to come over and engage with fans,” she says. “We want the students to come over and support us, of course, and watch women’s sports. It’s a blessing to be here and we’re happy about that. We’re just gonna keep partnering with everybody and make it happen here at the UT campus.”

1972 Pub

This article appears in May 2 • 2025.