FINDING AID TO THE PURDUE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS COLLECTION, 1880s-2016 Purdue University Libraries Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center 504 West State Street West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2058 (765) 494-2839 http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol © 2014 Purdue University Libraries. All rights reserved. Processed by: Mary A. Sego, July 15, 2014 Descriptive Summary Creator Information Legacy collection, creator unknown Title Purdue University Athletics collection Collection Identifier MSP 160 Date Span 1880s-2016 Abstract A legacy collection featuring Purdue University athletics; includes artifacts, booklets, brochures, clippings, Women’s Athletics Association constitution and bylaws, handbooks, newsletters, newspapers featuring stories about the 1947 bleacher collapse, posters, photographs, 1967 and 2001 Rose Bowl press releases and marketing material, programs, records, scrapbooks, scorecards from the earliest years, statistics, tickets and yearbooks. The majority of the collection consists of material from the football team. Also featured in the collection is general Purdue athletics information, intramural and recreational sports material. Extent 10.5 cubic feet (25 mss boxes, 1 c.f. box and 1 small flat grey box) Finding Aid Author Mary A. Sego Languages English Repository Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries Administrative Information Location Information: ASC Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research. Acquisition Legacy items; donors various and unknown. Numerous Information: football programs and football final statistics were donated by Robert and Melinda Bain, 2010. Some additional football programs were donated by Tom Haworth and Katie Markee. Bob Lackey, BCE 1891, donated the scrapbook of 1880s football clippings. 9/26/2016 2 Preferred Citation: MSP 160, Purdue University Athletics collection, Karnes Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries Copyright Notice: Purdue University Related Materials See MSA 5, Neil A. Armstrong papers for related 1967 Information: Rose Bowl items. 9/26/2016 3 Subjects and Genres Persons Tiller, Joe, 1942- Brees, Drew, 1979- Painter, Matt, 1970- Organizations Purdue University. Athletics department Purdue University. Dept. of Recreational Sports Purdue University--Intramural sports Topics Purdue University--Sports Purdue Boilermakers (Football team) Purdue Boilermakers (Football team)--History Purdue Boilermakers (Basketball team) Purdue Boilermakers (Baseball team) Purdue Boilermakers (Track team) Purdue Boilermakers (Hockey team) Purdue University--Field Days Purdue University--Intramural sports Rose Bowl (Football game) Purdue University--1947 bleacher collapse Women’s Athletic Association of Purdue University College sports for women--United States Purdue University. Mackey Arena Purdue University. Ross Ade Stadium Purdue Pete Form and Genre Types Artifacts Booklets Brochures Clippings Constitution and Bylaws Handbooks Newspapers Newsletters Posters Photographs Press releases Programs Records Scrapbooks Scorecards 9/26/2016 4 Statistics Tickets Yearbooks Occupations Student Coach and athlete 9/26/2016 5 Early History of Purdue University Athletics It is noted by Winthrop E. Stone, Chairman Faculty Committee on Athletics in an Annual Report of the Officers of State of the State, 1900, “…Since Purdue students first began to evince an interest in athletics, the Faculty has, as a matter of policy, presented an attitude of sympathy and co-operation; at the same time insisting upon a constant recognition of the principles of clean, manly sport, and of a proper subordination of athletics to other important interests of the University and students. In the pursuance of this principle, Purdue has acquired an enviable reputation in athletics, and has been at times recognized as one of the most progressive institutions of the middle West in its athletic policy.” It is noted in this report that there is no record of the first intercollegiate contests in which Purdue students participated, but it is highly likely that baseball games were played with neighboring institutions early in Purdue’s history. The first field day contests were held by the graduating class of 1887. In the fall of 1887 the first intercollegiate football game was played with Butler College. Stone notes in the report, “Since that time, which may be considered as about the beginning of the introduction of this game in the West, Purdue was engaged regularly in this sport with all of the leading colleges of the Middle West.” In 1893 a group of citizens of Lafayette offered a silver Tiffany cup to the college which was able to hold the football championship of Indiana for three successive years. The cup was won by Purdue, and from 1891 to 1899 Purdue was acknowledged champion of the State in football. Stone also states, “Previous to 1891, games of baseball and football had been played on grounds located in the city, and Field Day sports were conducted upon the drives and lawn of campus. In 1891 the Trustees voted to set aside a plat of eight acres, immediately to the north of the campus, to be used as an athletic field, and to be known as Stuart Field, in honor of the President of the Board, the late C.B. Stuart. Money was appropriated to enclose the field, and the work was completed on April 15, 1892. The field was dedicated the following day by a baseball game with Butler College. From funds derived from admissions fee, the Athletic Association constructed in 1892 bleachers capable of seating about eight hundred persons.” In 1898, the sophomore class contributed money, labor and material for the construction of a banked racing track around the outer edge of Stuart Field, oval in form and one-third of a mile in length, and also a cinder path for straight-away running events. The same class, upon graduation, gave President Smart $500 to be used for the construction of a covered pavilion for the athletic field. This pavilion was able to hold 600 persons and was erected during the summer of 1899 on the west border of the field. 9/26/2016 6 Stone also notes in his report,”…The organization of athletic affairs at Purdue has been based upon a fair representation of all interested, and upon a systematic and business-like management. Previous to 1890 each athletic sport represented in the University had its own directors, selected from the student body. In June, 1890, an athletic association was organized which, however, did not reach its full development until May, 1891, when at a student mass meeting, a constitution was adopted, and the machinery of the Purdue Athletic Association was set in operation.” In the fall of 1894, President Smart issued a call for a conference on athletic matters between the Presidents of Illinois, Chicago, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Purdue. The meeting was held in Chicago, January 12, 1895, with all the Presidents reporting, with the exception of President Angell of Michigan. A draft of rules for the regulation of intercollegiate sports had already been prepared by President Smart and was adopted at this meeting. Indiana and Iowa later joined this “College Conference on Athletics.” Source: Stone, Winthrop E. “Report On Athletics at Purdue University.” Annual Reports of the Officers of State of the State of Indiana (1899): 34-38. Web. 28 July 2014. 9/26/2016 7 Collection Description Scope The Purdue University Athletics collection (1800s-2016; 10.5 cubic feet) documents Purdue athletics from the earliest years to recent times. The majority of the collection consists of items related to Purdue football; a scrapbook of clippings from the 1800s that contains Purdue football related articles from Lafayette, Indianapolis and Chicago newspapers. The clippings include an article about Purdue’s first football win on November 16, 1889, an article about the game against Wabash, November 23, 1889, that prompted the nickname “Boilermakers,” and the first game played against Indiana University in 1890. Also included are numerous football programs, yearbooks and press releases and marketing material from Purdue’s participation in the 1967 and 2001 Rose Bowl games. Other items of note are newspapers that feature headlines and stories about the 1947 bleacher collapse, a record book from the earliest years of the Purdue Women’s Athletic Association, items related to Purdue Field Days and memorabilia dating back to the earliest years of Purdue sports. There is also a collector set of five Purdue Pete bobble heads, featuring the various Purdue Pete designs from 1956- 2016. Types of materials include: artifacts, booklets, brochures, clippings, Women’s Athletic Association constitution and bylaws, handbooks, newspapers containing information on the 1947 bleacher collapse, posters, photographs, press releases, programs, records, scorecards, statistics, tickets and yearbooks. The collection is organized into six series and corresponding sub-series: Arrangement Series 1. Football, 1880s-2012 (6.5 cubic feet). The football series is comprised of the following six sub-series. Materials in the series are arranged chronologically, unless stated otherwise. Sub-series 1. Historical Information and Clippings, circa 1880s-1976 (0.25 cubic feet). This sub-series includes 3 scrapbooks containing clippings; the first album contains Purdue football related articles from Lafayette, Indianapolis and Chicago newspapers. The clippings include an article about Purdue’s first football win on November 16,