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UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ARCHIVES RECORD GROUP NUMBER 100 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF SPORTS INFORMATON, ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT 1896-1999 COMPILED BY Sarina R. Wyant R. E. Roberts KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND 2000 Table of Contents �11,11.111111 For more information contact us at [email protected] or by telephone at ii:iiiiiiiiii (401) 874-2594. © University of Rhode Island The University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Disclaimer All rights reserved. tni\'crsity LibrariesHome Hours SeNlces& Site Index Contactlrlonnatlon ,ifRhodc University Libraries Island Special Collections RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF SPORTS INFORMATION, ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT AG# 100 TABLE OF CONTENTS Historical Note Scope and Content Note Series Boxes I Sports 66, 2 <;>versize II Press Releases 7 storage boxes, 2 half size Ill Photographs 15, 3 half size, 14.5 photo storage Athletic Event Head shots Proofs. negatives. slides Glass slides IV Yankee Conference 2 V Subject Files 7.5 VI Game Films 5 Total Boxes: 128, 2 oversize Linear footage: 67 .5 Return to Special Collections University Hours -Services & Site lnd�ontact Information ,ifRhodc University Libranes Island Special Collections RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF SPORTS INFORMATION, ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT AG# 100 Table of Contents Historical Note HISTORICAL NOTE Scope and Content Note When the athletics program was in its first stages of development there was no specific administrative structure for what was to become the Athletic Department or as far as the records tell an official publicity department for athletics. During 1930s William G. Mokray, a clerk in the Physical Education Department and an avid sports historian and statistician Press Releases began publishing game statistics and handling athletic publicity. He is credited as being the first Director of Athletic Publicity. Tom Doherty took over the post sometime after Mokray left Photographs to take a public relations post with the Boston Celtics organization in 1942. The Department Athletic Event of Publicity officially became Sports Publicity Office (1951-1969) and was subsequently Headshots renamed the Sports Publicity and Information (1970-1976), Sports Communication (1977- Proofs. negatives and slides 1992), Sports Information (1993-1997), Athletic Media Relations (1998- present). The Glass Slides director's position title changed over the years as well to Sports PublicityOfficer (1951-1969) and then Assistant Director, Sports Publicity and Information (1970-1972). When Doherty Yankee Conference retired, Jim Norman became Assistant Director of Sports Publicity and Information in 1972 and Assistant Director, Sports Communication in 1977. He held the position until his retirement in 1992. Charles J. Lamendola held the position of Assistant Director, Sports Subject Files Information for the year 1993. It is unclear who held the position for the year 1994. Michael Ballweg became the Assistant Director, Sports Information in 1995 and currently holds the Game Films position. Return to Special Collections The promotion of an athletics program was begun at the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892 by a group of students. At the time, the College did not have a Time Line, gymnasium nor an athletics instructor. These students formed a club known as the Athletic URI Athletics Association. The purpose of the association was to help raise money for equipment by implementing a tax on all players. Baseball was the first sport started under the Association. It would play high school teams and the Brown freshman squad. Football was added in 1894. Athletic Dept. The football team did not play a collegiate team until 1903, losing 3 of the 4 games played. Established Neither baseball nor football teams were very successful in winning games due to the lack of EJFootball added as a organization, sporadic interest by the student population, and inadequate funding by the � colleqiate sport College Administration. Men's Basketball added as Men's basketball was recognized by the Association during 1904 and was coached by P.H. a collegiate sport Wessells. In 1905 Marshall Tyler a chemistry teacher became the faculty advisor to the EJ athletic program and was subsequently appointed as football and baseball coach. Due Appointment of Marshall Taylor as primarily to Tyler's efforts, the Association expanded it's game scheduling by adding some Faculty advisor college freshman teams Ounior varsity) as well. Prior to this, the only competition came from EJ local high school teams. George A.Cobb appointed Director of Athletics Women's sports was not recognized by the Athletic Association. Aside from basketball 1909 practice, the women at the College had no official athletic program. (It wasn't until 1907 that there were even enough women to form any kind of team. Coach Wessells would give them Tennis and Track pointers and acted as coach and referee. (See Grist, 1907) This changed in 1910 when Miss Recoanized Nellie A. Harral became the women's physical education instructor. Women were then required to take physical training for one laboratory credit unless "excused by a physician's � Women's Athletic Assn. Established certificate." This was subsequently changed to include a freshman and sophomore year James Baldwin, requirement. In 1911, two years after the school was renamed Rhode Island State College, appointed Director of the Women's Athletic Association was formed by a group of women to promote athletics Athletics among women of the College and help provide financial assistance for women's athletics EJ (see RG#40 Women's Athletic Association Scrapbooks). The women had a series of Frank Keaney, dedicated instructors. One of which was the wife of Frank Keaney. Winifred Keaney was appointed Director of appointed instructor from 1921- 1934. The first competitive sport organized under this EJAthletics Association was basketball. Field hockey was added as a varsity sport in 1931. It was under William G. Mokray, the Bressler administration (1931- 1940) and the direction of Josephine Lees as the Director Director of Athletic for Women's Athletics (1938-1942) that women's athletics began to flourish. For a sketch of lca19301 Publicity women's athletics during the formative 30's, see Rammettes, call number LD4706 P49 R4 Josephine T. Lees, appointed Director of In 1909, George R. Cobb, a former athlete from the University of Massachusetts, was Women's Athletics appointed as Physical Instructor and assumed Marshal Tyler's responsibilities as advisor and EJ coach with Tyler becoming his assistant. Also during this year, tennis and track were Tom Doherty, Director of Athletic recognized by the Athletic Association. As Instructor. Cobb made an impact on the 1 Publicity association by increasing student and alumni interests through the creation of a more � competitive schedule for all sports. The schedule for basketball included varsity teams of Fred Tootell, colleges and universities such as Brown University, Worcester Polytechnic institute, Boston appointed Director of College, and Connecticut College (University of Connecticut). But scheduling difficulties and EJAthletics I the continuing lack of money lead to dropping the sport for the years 1913 to 1915. Cobb left Harold Kopp, in 1916 and was replaced by James Baldwin. Appointed as Director of Athletics, Baldwin appointed Head stayed for two years. The position of Director of Athletics changed leadership frequently until EJCoach, Football 1920, when Frank Keaney was hired. Refrigerator Bowl, � first bowl game As Director, Frank Keaney restructured the athletic program and took most of the Maurice Zarchen, responsibilities out of the hands of the students for both the men's and women's athletic appointed Director of associations. He assumed responsibility for coaching baseball, football and basketball. He Athletics then hired Fred Tootell, a former Olympic gold medal winner in the hammer throw in the 1924 EJ Olympics, as an assistant. Keaney made many contributions to the program. The building of Jim Norman, a field house and a football stadium with capacity of 1,500 people occurred during his tenure. Assistant Director of The stadium was built in 1924 and was located where the present football stadium stands. Sports Publicity and Keaney served as coach of baseball, football, and basketball but it was in basketball in which Information he made his national reputation. In basketball, the Rams won 402 games and lost 124 EJJohn during Keaney's 28 years. His most successful season was in 1946 when the basketball Chuckran ,appointed team went to the National Invitational Tournament finals in Madison Square Garden as an EJDirector of Athletics underdog and lost by one point to the University of Kentucky Wild Cats. For more about McKinley Keaney's basketball years see Keaney, If You Don't Love to Play, Pivot and Go Home by Boston.appointed William Woodward. An historic event in URl's basketball history occurred when in 1946 the Director of Athletics Rams played the then undefeated Holy Cross College in Boston Garden where 13, 900 fans EJ cheered the Rams victory, 65 to 58 (see Woodward, p. 221). It was also during this time that Ronald Petro, appointed Director of Ernie Calverly shot from back court tied the game and lead to an overtime victory against Athletics Bowling Green (see Woodward, p. 226). Keaney was coach until 1948. It was under his EJ leadership that "fast break" basketball was first introduced into the sport (see Woodward, Charles J. p. 126). Frank Keaney retired as the Director of Athletics in 1956 on his seventieth birthday. Lamendola, After Keaney's retirement, Fred Tootell took over the position. Assistant Director Sports Information Although the fame of the Rams basketball team peaked during the Keaney era, mention EJMichael must be made of track star Bob Black. He won many national championships in cross country Ballweg.Assistant in the late forties. Among his many accomplishments was winning the National Collegiate Director Sports Athletic Association Championship for two years straight in 1948 and 1949, braking the Information national record in 1948.