The History of Baker University Men’s Track and Field Andrew McGregor HI 436 Senior Thesis Dr. Exon April 2, 2007 McGregor 2 Intercollegiate athletics came to national prominence in the late nineteenth century; football, baseball, and track and field were among the earliest organized.1 Football is often the most popular sport and has garnered more attention from universities, journalists, and historians. Success in football was important to universities as it led to enhanced name recognition, revenue, and elevated student and alumni morale. Track and field on the other hand is considered by journalists and universities to be a second tier sport; one that accrues no revenue, honors individuals over institutions, and where success is sometimes difficult to measure.2 Yet, as one of the few original Olympic sports sponsored by institutions of higher education, track and field serves as a showcase of the best athletes of the nation and the world, at least according to USA Track & Field (USATF) the National Governing Body for track and field.3 And historically, relay events or festivals were a primary means of collegiate institution promotion. Unfortunately, relay events typically occurred once annually at each college; therefore their impact was significantly less than football or baseball, which provided multiple home contests. Firmly implanted as a younger and less attractive athletics sibling to football, baseball, and later basketball; nevertheless the sport of track and field has endured and prospered according to its own measures. All-Americans and national place finishers indicate the level of programmatic success. Championship track teams are rare because of complex scoring as well as the individualized and broad scope of the sport. Institutional or programmatic affiliation affects the caliber and quality of competition as well as national prominence or ranking. The athletic conference in which a program is a member determines the opponents a program must face in order to claim certain honors such as a team championship. Because of this, institutions will seek to join conferences that are highly competitive to give more clout and esteem to championship teams and honors. McGregor 3 Finally, the quality of track and field facilities affects everything from daily training to recruitment of athletes and coaches and of course revenue from attractive high profile meets. Without top-notch, up-to-date facilities, all aspects of a track and field program become compromised as the recruitment of athletes and coaches make track and field teams successful. Likewise, the ability to host meets provide revenue, and a sense of pride and advantage to athletes as they compete in front of home crowds. In addition to these things, it is crucial to evaluate a program in terms of the broad purpose of intercollegiate athletics. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which serves as the governing body for Baker University’s athletic programs, states that its purpose “is to promote the education and development of students through intercollegiate athletic participation.”4 Furthermore, the NAIA believes “participation in athletics serves as an integral part of the total educational process.”5 Keeping this in mind, collegiate track and field programs must be evaluated according to the academic and future career success of their student-athletes as well. Academic All- American honors and the success former athletes achieve in their careers help to determine the program’s ability to live up to the NAIA’s goals for athletic programs. The means by which track and field programs are gauged are individual and team honors, program affiliation, coaches, facilities, and career and academics achievement. Baker University’s Track and Field program is no different. Overshadowed early on by football, yet prosperous by its own account, the Baker University Track and Field program is historically highlighted by exceptional coaches and athletes, a dominating streak of conference titles, and quality facilities. The track and field program at Baker University established its own relay meet, and changed conference affiliation in an effort to enhance the level of competition. The Baker University program faced adversity when political and religious pressures threatening the program’s existence. Historically, however such struggles have not impeded the program’s advancement and ability to McGregor 4 be successful. According to this analysis, the success of the Baker University Track and Field program has come as a result of skillful, dedicated coaches and strong university support. In order to document and recount Baker University’s Track and Field program, the 114 years of competition will be examined in five distinct periods. The first period will reflect the founding and early days of Baker University’s intercollegiate athletics and extend from 1893 to 1920. The second period will run from 1920 to 1943, and discuss the program’s rise to prominence and most successful years. The third period, 1945 and 1970, is characterized by strong individual performances. The period from 1971 to 1987 will reflect struggle and turmoil as the compliance with Title IX and instability in coaches affected the program. The final period, 1987 to present, will examine the modernization of facilities and the rebirth of Baker University Track and Field as a highly successful program will be detailed. In general this examination will highlight the caliber of Baker University’s coaches and the fact that facilities as well as the university’s support of track and field had a tremendous impact on the success of the program. The official start of track and field at Baker University is unclear although interclass competitions and field days were held at Baker University in the 1880s and early 1890s. Early Baker University yearbooks document failed attempts in forming an intercollegiate field day prior to the 1893 event.6 These yearbooks state that “the earliest history of athletics at Baker must be a reminisce rather than a record. It was not until [18]’89 that any organization was formed.”7 The first intercollegiate track and field meet that the university competed in was held in 1893 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.8 The final score of this meet placed Baker University second of three competing teams, the University of Kansas, Cooper Memorial College, and Baker University.9 The interest in hosting a track meet was not unique to these schools or the Midwest; nationwide track and field was coming to prominence. Bucknell University in Lewisburg, McGregor 5 Pennsylvania built a track in the mid-1890s.10 Wisconsin held the first ever State Track and Field Championship Meet for high school students in 1895.11 A year later the sport gained another endorsement in the form of the Olympic Games.12 With a such a hunger and zest for athletics in the late nineteenth century, it came as devastating news in 1894 when the Popular Amusements Committee of the Kansas Methodist Conference voted to abolish intercollegiate athletics.13 This directive contrasts from an 1893 resolution by the same conference that merely discouraged athletics.14 Baker University chose to ignore that resolution.15 Even though the 1893 resolution and 1894 abolition were primarily because of football, its violence, and an alleged link to alcohol, the Kansas Methodist Conference chose to rid its universities of all intercollegiate sports citing travel and competition as vices that good pious Christian students should not be exposed to.16 Reaction to this decision devastated the hopes of those involved with track and field and other intercollegiate athletics, but the university as a whole as well. The B.U Hatchet of 1895 reports on the condition of the student body following the decree: Few understood how dear these games were to the hearts of students or what pride they felt that their teams were champions of the West. Considering the depth of these feelings, it is a source of wonder that the decrees of those in authority were accepted with such good grace as they were. It must be admitted that there is a seeming decrease in that undefinable necessity known as ‘college spirit.’ There is no higher incentive to special work than class and society honors. Factional interests have become more prominent and permanent during the year. This decrease of college spirit has come with the reaction from the over-tense-enthusiasm-incident to intercollegiate games and will undoubtedly be revived through other more profitable agencies.17 With such sentiment it is no wonder that the Baker University Orange details accounts of mock funerals and marches held by students to mourn the death of football and other intercollegiate sports.18 Due to such enthusiasm it was not long before athletics reemerged on the campus of Baker University. Students founded the Baker University Athletic Association in 1902, which governed and conducted all business related to athletics.19 This organization was entirely student run.20 McGregor 6 However, football was not apart of this association. Football was did not return to Baker University until 1909 by the approval of the Baker University Board of Trustees, who were convinced the ban on football cost the university in terms of enrollment numbers.21 Track and Field, however, did not return until 1904 (see appendix A Figure A.1 for a picture of the 1904 team).22 Evidence of the student-centered administration of the Baker University Athletic Association can be seen in what were referred to