The History of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1920-1970
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71-27,425 BECKER, John Emil, 1942- THE HISTORY OF THE MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE 1920-1970. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1971 Education, physical University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan © Copyright by John Emil Becker 1971 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED THE HISTORY OF THE MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE 1920-1970 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Education By John Emil Becker, B.S., M.A. * * * * - * The Ohio State University 1971 Approved by Advisor School of Physical Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge all those people who made this study possible. First, to my advisor and friend Dr. Bruce Bennett I owe a deep debt of gratitude for his patience and encouragement, not only with this study, but throughout my college experience. To my advisory committee of Dr. Lewis Hess and Dr. Walter Ersing and to Dr. Robert Bartels for their suggestions and criticisms in getting this study off to a good start I am also deeply indebted. To all those people connected with the M.I.A.C. who gave of their time and efforts to assist me in gathering the data necessary to complete this study I am grateful. 1 am especially grateful to Mr. G.eorge Durenberger who supplied me with a great deal of informa tion about the M.I.A.C. and the athletic directors and faculty repre sentatives of the various M.I.A.C. schools. Many thanks are also due the library staffs of all the M.I.A.C. schools without whose help this study would not have been possible, and especially to Mrs. Ruthmary Penick of Carleton College who devoted many hours of her own time and a great deal of energy in helping me to gather information. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the long hours of hard work and the endless sacrifices by my wife Betsy. Without her dedi cated and tireless efforts and her loving encouragement and support this study would still only be a dream. ii VITA May 2, 1942 Born - Detroit, Michigan 1964 B.S., The Ohio State University 1964-1966 Elementary Physical Education Teacher, Pontiac, Michigan 1966-1969 Teaching Assistant and Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University 1967 M.A., The Ohio State University 1969 Instructor, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota PUBLICATIONS "Ice Hockey", The Journal of Health, Physical Education. and Recreation, pp. 69-70, November-December, 1967. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Physical Education Minor Field: Higher Education TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................ ii VITA......... iii Chapter I INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 II HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS 1882-1920 ...................... 9 Earliest Beginnings Student Activism Influence of the Church Women's Athletics Facilities Conference Origins Early Leaders Faculty Control The Black Athlete III GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 1920-1930 ...................... 28 Women's Athletics Chronology Presidents' Meeting Finances Rule Changes Conference Championships Facilities Outstanding Individuals IV THE DEPRESSION 1930-1940 ............................. 48 Austerity Measures Chronology Finances Rule Changes Conference Championships Facilities Outstanding Individuals iv V THE WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH 1940-1950 63 Chronology Finances Rule Changes Conference Championships Facilities Outstanding Individuals VI THE SETTLING PERIOD 1950-1960......................... 86 Chronology Finances Rule Changes Conference Championships Facilities Outstanding Individuals VII MATURITY AND STABILIZATION 1960-1970 ................. 98 Chronology Finances Rule Changes Conference Championships Facilities Outstanding Individuals VIII SUMMATION............................................ 113 APPENDIX A. MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHRONOLOGY. 119 B. RULES OF THE MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE.......................................... 121 C. SECRETARY-TREASURERS. ......................... 123 D. PRESIDENTS............................................ 125 E. CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS................................... 128 F. YEARLY BALANCES OF THE MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE .................................. 135 BIBLIOGRAPHY 137 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in March of 1970 completed the first fifty years of its existence. In marking this occasion it seems appropriate at this time to review the growth of this conference over the past half century. Understanding the growth and development of this conference takes on added significance in light of current severe problems associated with the rising cost of intercollegiate athletics and the potential danger that these problems pose for the entire system of intercollegiate athletics as we know it. In many ways this con ference is an outstanding example of the "ideal" in intercollegiate athletic administration. At a time when the rising cost of inter collegiate athletics can be traced in a large part to subsidization of athletes through athletic scholarships and grants-in-aid, the M.I.A.C. stands out as an example of a highly successful and respected athletic conference in which there is no athletic aid given to pro spective students. In their book Administrative Policies for Inter collegiate Athletics Shea and Wieman delimit a basic policy of financial aid and subsidization in these words: Financial assistance in the form of loan funds, scholarships, grants-in-aid, and remunerative employment should be directly administered by the institution and independent of any of its departments not specifically organized for that purpose. All financial assistance should be administered on a common basis in which demon strated academic ability and economic need should be the primary requisites. All students, including those of special abilities, should be given equal consideration commensurate with their qualifications and the published requirements and amounts for each type of financial assistance available.^ This policy is a fact of life in the M.I.A.C. What factors helped to shape the M.I.A.C? There have been, of course, many factors that have helped to shape the present con ference. The M.I.A.C. developed in much the same way as did other athletic conferences.^ Smaller schools with strong religious affiliations, similar in size, financial backing, and academic re quirements in the same geographical area were bound to come together for the control of intercollegiate athletics. Certainly throughout the fifty year history of the Conference events and people have left their mark on the Conference. But even before the formal organiza tion of a Conference in March of 1920, forces were at work which helped to create a Conference stable enough to endure fifty turbulent years of intercollegiate athletics. Previous leagues and conferences in a steady succession since 1891 helped to mold the rules that would guide the young Conference. The schools themselves being small liberal arts institutions with strong religious foundations brought to the Conference a somewhat different view of the role of athletics in 1 Edward J. Shea and Elton E. Wieman, Administrative Policies For Intercollegiate Athletics, p. 122. 2Harry Alexander Scott, Competitive Sports in Schools and Colleges, p. 35. higher education than state supported or larger institutions. Even other conferences, particularly the Big Ten, had' important influences on the Conference. The Big Ten was used in particular as a guide in forming Conference policy in matters such as faculty control. The schools which have been members of the M.I.A.C. since 1920 are located throughout the state of Minnesota. Figure 1 gives the locations of these schools: 1. St. Olaf College, Northfield (2500)3, 2. Carleton College, Northfield (1350), 3. College of St. Thomas, St. Paul (1900), 4. Macalester College, St. Paul (1800), 5. Hamline'University, St. Paul (1200), 6. Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter (1800), 7. St. John's University, Collegeville (1500), 8. Concordia College, Moorhead (2300), 9. Augsburg College, Minneapolis (1500), 10. St. Mary's College, Winona (1100), 11. University of Minnesota at Duluth, Duluth (5200). (A chronology of the Conference is given in Appendix A.) Upon formation of the Conference in 1920, numerous factors played a part in its development. One factor that has made this Con ference unique among conferences which survived this period is the number of schools which have severed relations with the Conference at one time or another yet returned to Conference membership. During the entire history of the Conference only eleven schools have been members and today (and for the last eighteen years) there are still nine schools as members. This ability to endure one internal crisis after another and yet remain cohesive is a very interesting aspect of the O ^Approximate current enrollments in parentheses 4 FIGURE 1 history of this Conference. It is especially so when one considers that for at least the first four decades after the formation of the Conference perilous national and international situations placed the Conference under considerable stress. In the twenties and again in the fifties college athletics came under fire from without and within. Demands for sweeping changes and revelations of misdeeds shook the academic community. During the Depression a young athletic conference could easily have collapsed, and indeed it is easy to see how great were the pressures brought upon the