Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education Records, 1890-2015

Creator:

Columbia University. Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education

Extent:

70.83 linear feet 51 record cartons, 1 document box, 1 flat box, 19 card boxes

Language:

English .

Scope and content:

This collection consists of the official records of the Columbia intercollegiate athletic teams as well as the administrative records, minutes, press releases, media guides, programs, photographs, and scrapbooks from the Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education Department. It includes the records of former Director John A. Reeves.

Biographical / historical:

In 1867, the Trustees gave a student-led baseball team a $200 grant to purchase equipment and with that, Columbia went on to defeat NYU and City Colloege, but lose to Yale and Princeton, in its first season of intercollegiate athletics. In 1870, Columbia played its first football game, only the fourth intercollegiate contest in the history of the sport, on November 12, 1870. Columbia lost to Rutgers by a score of 6-3. In 1873 in its first outing, Columbia crew placed fourth in a field of thirteen, but, the very following year, they won the first regatta of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association. Track fielded its first team in 1876. Early sporting events such as these were both student-run and student- and alumni-financed. There were numerous alumni-controlled organizations in charge (e.g, Columbia College Athletic Union (CCAU) and later the Columbia University Athletic Association (CUAA), and some for separate sports (e.g. Columbia University Football Association).

In 1901, the University Council passed a resolution to appoint a University Committee of Student Organizations to supervise and control all student organizations, athletic and other. And so, the faculty were put in control of athletics at Columbia, but alumni remained involved. Each team had a graduate manager. It was in this period, that the Columbia Lion was adopted as a sports symbol (1910).

In 1931, the University Trustees took control over intercollegiate athletics when the Athletic Association's debt exceeded $200,000. The Trustees argued that athletics should be considered a student activity, conducted by the University for the benefit of students. The takeover also coincided with the glory days of Lou Little's football teams. Between 1931 and 1934, Columbia won 30 games, tied 2 and lost 4, and won the 1934 Rose Bowl.

Ralph J. Furey, who had been appointed Director of Athletics in 1943, was the first to be appointed Director of Physical Education and Athletics in 1946. Centralizing control under one department allowed administrators to enhance the educational value of the physical education curriculum. This joint arrangement has been in place since.

Ralph J. Furey (1946-1968); Kenneth G. Germann (1967-1973); Alvin Paul (1974-1991); John A. Reeves (1991-2004); Dianne Murphy (2004-2015); Peter E. Pilling (2015-present).

Acquisition information:

2015.2016.M022: Source of acquisition--Alex Oberweger, Department of Athletics. Method of acquisition--Transfer; Date of acquisition--6/25/2015.

Arrangement:

This collection in arranged in 8 series.

Accruals:

Additions are expected.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related material:

For materials related to the early days of athletics, please consult the Columbia University Committee on Student Organizations records (UA#0011), Nicholas Murray Butler football correspondence (UA#0305) and the Lou Little Papers (MS#0791)

For photographs of the sports teams, games, coaches, student athletes and managers from the 1930s to the 1960s, please consult the Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education negatives (UA#0319).

Materials about individual sports and the physical education curriculum can be found in the Historical Subject Files (UA#0002). For photographs, please consult the Historical Photograph Collection (UA#0003), John Mladinov Photograph Collection (UA#0204) and the Office of Public Affairs Photograph Collection (UA#0109).

Access and use

Restrictions:

All administrative records of the University are restricted for 25 years from the date of creation.

The following boxes are located offsite: 1-52. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least two business in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Gloves must be worn while handling photographic prints and negatives in the collection. All audiovisual materials must be digitized before use.

The RBML cannot provide access to original time-based media material which has not been first been reformatted for preservation. Researchers are welcome to examine archival time-based media items and decide whether they wish to place an order for Audio/Video reformatting. If copyright and/or condition restrictions apply, it may not be possible to digitize a requested item. Please note that A/V reformatting is handled by an outside vendor and typically takes 6-8 weeks.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred citation:: Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education Records; Box and Folder; University Archives, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.

Location of this collection:: Columbia University Archives

University Archives Home Page
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:: Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.

Contact:: uarchives@columbia.edu

Collection