H91-1110. Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA)
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Hope College Hope College Digital Commons Collection Registers and Abstracts Archives and College History June 2013 H91-1110. Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Records, 1888-[ongoing]. 28.50 linear ft. PARTIALLY RESTRICTED Hope College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/collection_registers Part of the Archival Science Commons Recommended Citation Repository citation: Hope College, "H91-1110. Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Records, 1888-[ongoing]. 28.50 linear ft. PARTIALLY RESTRICTED" (2013). Collection Registers and Abstracts. Paper 570. https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/collection_registers/570 June 3, 2013. This Register is brought to you for free and open access by the Archives and College History at Hope College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Collection Registers and Abstracts by an authorized administrator of Hope College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. H91-1110. Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Records, 1888-[ongoing]. 28.50 linear ft. PARTIALLY RESTRICTED Abstract Records of the MIAA document the activities of the oldest existing college athletic conference in the United States. Collection includes correspondence, minutes, constitutions and by-laws, reports, manuals, statistics, press kits, programs, photographs, and videos. Also included is the MIAA publication Fact Finder which concluded publication in 2016-2017, but information contained in it can be found on the conference website (miaa.org). Major topics include administration, sports competition, the centennial anniversary, women’s sports, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Many documents that for years were added to this collection can now be found on the conference website (miaa.org). The conference also maintains an administrative website which has restricted access. Accession No.: H91-1110 Provenance: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Donor: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Photographs: 187 (in Box 13) Processed by: Geoffrey D. Reynolds, June 1997, July 2001, February 2019 Michael Douma, July 2003 Updated: Tom Renner, February 2019 History The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) is the oldest continuous operating intercollegiate athletic conference in the United States. On March 17, 1888, delegates from Adrian, Albion, Hillsdale, Olivet, and Michigan Agricultural College (now known as Michigan State University) met in Jackson to discuss the formation of an athletic conference among Michigan colleges. The idea was primarily driven by a desire to formalize a Field Day competition with baseball, track and field, and tennis. A constitution with nine articles was created at Albion only a week later on the 24th. The site was particularly appropriate considering that over the 131-year history of the MIAA only Albion has held continuous membership. Of the five schools that had met the previous week, Adrian did not attend the constitutional meeting, nor would they join the league for another 20 years. The first president of the MIAA was E. H. Barringer of Hillsdale and the first “Field Day” occurred from May 31 to June 2, 1888. Over the history of the MIAA only four schools have left the organization. Michigan Agricultural College left in 1907. Michigan Normal College (currently Eastern Michigan University) joined in 1892, left in 1902, rejoined in 1920, and left for good in 1926. Hillsdale College left the MIAA in 1960 in a dispute over participation in post-season competition. The MIAA went 45 years (1953-1997) without a change in membership. Two new members were added effective with the start of the 1997-1998 academic year, The Defiance College of Defiance, Ohio and Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, Indiana. The expansion gave the MIAA eight schools participating in men’s sports and nine schools in women’s sports. (Saint Mary’s is an all-women’s college.) It also marked the first time that the conference added members from outside Michigan. However, the Presidents Council decreed that the conference would not change its name and would remain the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Saint Mary’s was granted permanent membership with the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year. After three years as a provisional conference member, Defiance withdrew membership at Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) H91-1110 the conclusion of the 1999-2000 winter season to join the Heartland Conference. The MIAA marked a historic note in 2002 when the league accepted Wisconsin Lutheran College of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as an associate member for the purpose of competing in football. Wisconsin Lutheran ended its membership after the 2007 football season. Tri-State University of Angola, Indiana, upon its acceptance as a provisional member of NCAA Division III, became a full member of the conference with the start of the 2004-2005 school year. Tri-State became eligible to compete for conference championships, but was not able to participate in Division III championship competition pending entry as a full NCAA member. Tri-State University achieved full membership on August 1, 2007. Tri-State University became Trine University effective August 1, 2008. In 2018, the conference added Finlandia University of Hancock, Michigan as an associate member for the purpose of competing in football. The nine current full members of the MIAA are all private colleges, which do not award athletic scholarships. The years of participation in the MIAA by these colleges is as follows: Adrian 1908-1922, 1937-present Albion 1888-present Alma 1902-present Calvin 1953-present Hope 1926-present Kalamazoo 1896-present Olivet 1888-1940, 1952-present Saint Mary’s 1997-present Trine 2007-present There have been seven commissioners of the league: Clark Heeron from 1922 to 1931, when the position was known as Judge Advocate; James Hasselman of Michigan State University from 1931 to 1933, the only commissioner from a non-league school; DeGay Ernst from 1933 to 1961; Win Schuler from 1961 to 1965; John Hoekje from 1965 to 1971, who had the added responsibility as the Supervisor of Officials; Albert L. Deal from 1971 to 1991, when Supervisor of Officials was separated from the job; Sheila K. Wallace-Kovalchik became the first woman commissioner in 1991, serving until June 30, 2002; David L. Neilson served as the eighth commissioner from the spring of 2003 until the conclusion of the 2013-14 school year. Penny Allen-Cook became commissioner on July 1, 2014. Women first competed in the league in 1896. On March 20, 1941, the Women’s Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WMIAA) was formed. During the 1978-1979 season the WMIAA and the MIAA were brought under single governance. Currently the MIAA sponsors 23 men and women’s sports. What follows below is a summary of the various official league sports and the years of sponsorship. Archery (w) 1952-1981 Baseball (m) 1888-1929, 1948-present Basketball (m) 1911-present Basketball (w) 1973-present Cross Country (m) 1922-1932, 1946-present Cross Country (w) 1981-present Field Hockey (w) 1968-1990 Football (m) 1894-present * 2 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) H91-1110 Golf (m) 1934-present Golf (w) 1991-present Lacrosse (m) 2013-present Lacrosse (w) 2013-present Soccer (m) 1970-present Soccer (w) 1989-present Softball (w) 1977-present Swimming (m) 1971-present Swimming (w) 1977-present Tennis (m) 1888-present ** Tennis (w) 1938-present ** Track, Indoor (m) 1936-1948, 2016-present Track, Indoor (w) 2016-present Track, Outdoor (m) 1888-present Track, Outdoor (w) 1979-present Volleyball (w) 1972-present Wrestling (m) 1969-1982, 2018-present * There was an official champion in 1894, but football was not an official sport until 1904. ** Tennis championships from 1896 to 1925 were coed. Scope and Content The records of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) consist of materials from 1913 to present that document the activities of the oldest existing collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The record group contains folders divided into eight subgroups, Administration, Competition, Centennial, Objects, Oversized, Photographs, Publications, and Restricted. The Administration subgroup consists of records from 1913 to 2002 that document the administrative activities of the organization. Materials include minutes, correspondence, constitutions and by-laws, reports and manuals. The subgroup is arranged alphabetically by topical folder headings. This subgroup forms the core of the collection and the researcher will find rich sources of information in the correspondence and minutes folders. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) materials document to a limited degree the relationship between a regional and a national athletic association. The NCAA reports illustrate some of the issues that have been faced by college sports. One major subject represented in this section is women’s participation in college sports. Information on this will be found in Athletic Director’s meeting minutes, correspondence (mostly late 1970s), NCAA reports, and the constitution of the Women’s Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WMIAA). One weakness of the collection is how few WMIAA materials it contains. Another interesting subject is the wide variety of eligibility questions that have arisen over the years that are primarily documented in the correspondence files. The Eligibility