72-4525 HIRCOCK, Charles H., 1942- CHARLIE HAYSE FOSTER: HIS LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION, ATHLETICS, AND STUDENTS * The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1971 Education, physical University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan .f 3 Copyright by Charles H* Hircock 1971 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED CHARLIE HAYSE FOSTER: HIS LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION, ATHLETICS, AND STUDENTS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Charles H. Hircock, B.A., M.S The Ohio State University 1971 Approved by Advisor Department of Physical Education PLEASE NOTE: Some Pages have indistinct print. Filmed as received. UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS W £ £ POSTER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express his sincere thanks to the many people who have helped In the preparation of this dissertation. Appreciation is expressed to Dr. Bruce L. Bennett, advisor, for his guidance and suggestions throughout the study; to the members of the reading committee, Dr. Robert L. Bartels and Dr. James M. Sweeney; to the subject of this writing, Charlie Hayse Foster, for his utmost cooperation; and to the many friends, colleagues, and former students of Charlie Foster who gave of their time through letters, interviews, and response to questionnaires. Special acknowledgment is due my wife, Bonnie, for without her understanding, devotion, and dedication this dissertation would never have been completed. ii VITA August 9 , 19*f2 . Born - Douglas, Nebraska 1965 ........... B.A., Kearney State College, Kearney, Nebraska 1966 . « ....... M.S., Kearney State College, Kearney, Nebraska 1966-69......... Teacher, coach, Medina Junior High, Columbus, Ohio I969-7I ......... Teaching Assistant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Physical Education Minor Field: Health Education iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................. 11 VITA .......................................... ill LIST OF PLATES .............................. Viii LIST OF FIGURES.............................. lx Chapter I. INTRODUCTION........................ 1 II. EARLY LIFE IN NEBRASKA............... 6 EARLY EDUCATION - COUNTRY SCHOOL .... 13 GRAND ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL ............. 15 EDUCATION AT GRAND ISLAND COLLEGE. ... 18 III. THE CLAY CENTER EXPERIENCE........... 30 TEACHING ............................ 31 COACHING............................ 35 F o o t b a l l .......................... 36 B asketball........................ 39 FAMILY LIFE.* .* * .................. 46 DEPRESSION . .................... 48 IV. THE ANSLEY YEARS ..................... 52 TEACHING ............................ 53 GRADUATE SCHOOL...................... 54 ADMINISTRATION...................... 55 COACHING........................... 59 F o o t b a l l .......................... 59 B asketball........................ 62 Track............................. 63 FAMILY LIFE.......................... 68 V. THE MOVE TO COLLEGE................... 75 HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE ............... 82 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Contd.) Page Chapter VI. THE PHYSICAL E D U C A T O R ................. 87 PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS............. 87 PHILOSOPHY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION....... 91 TEACHER ............................. 93 VII. THE ADMINISTRATOR.................... 104 ATHLETIC DIRECTOR .................... 104 Intramurals ........................ 110 Varsity Sports...................... 111 Athletic Facilities ................ 113 Athletic Philosophy ................ 116 DIVISION CHAIRMAN .................... 121 Personnel .......................... 121 Budget. .......................... 126 Curriculum.......................... 128 Graduate Program.................... 130 Physical Education Facilities ....... 133 Women's Department.................. 138 Resignation ........................ 142 VIII. THE COACH ............................ 143 FOOTBALL............................. 143 BASKETBALL............................ 148 CROSS-COUNTRY ........................ 150 TRACK AND FIELD ...................... 154 Conference Championships............. 154 Relationship v/ith NAIA............... 157 Reasons for Success .... ......... 157 Organization of Track Meets ......... 164 Awards and Outstanding Achievements in Track and Field................ 172 Innovations in Track and Field....... 193 Coaching Clinics.................... 197 IX. FOSTER'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS. 200 ROME TRIP ........................... 221 FOSTER FIELD.......................... 223 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (Contd.) Page Chapter CHARLIE FOSTER APPRECIATION NIGHT....... 231 X. RETIREMENT AND PERSONAL LIFE IN KEARNEY, , 236 HOBBIES............................... 237 COMMUNITY SERVICE...................... 240 PERSONAL LIFE.......................... 243 IX. SUMMARY................................ 2^8 APPENDIX A. Foster Family Geneology.................. 252 B. Grand Island High School Final Record. 254 C. Clay Center Coaching Records ............ 256 D. Ansley Coaching Records.................. 258 E. Letter From Foster To Ansley Football Team . 261 F. State Association Recognition............ 263 G. Research Study Titles.................... 265 H. Graduate Program in Physical Education . 270 I. Final Draft of Cushing Coliseum........... 274 J. Kearney Football Records ................ 2?6 K. Kearney Basketball R e c o r d s .......... 280 L. K e a r n e y Cross-Country Records................ 284 M. Master Practice Schedule ................ 286 N. Organization and Administration of a Track and Field M e e t .................. 295 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS (Contd.) Page APPENDIX 0. Copy of Questionnaire.................. 507 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................. 311 vii LIST OF PLATES Page Plate No. I. Charlie As A Collegiate Footballer ....... 23 II. First Foster Coached Football Team ....... 41 III. Charlie Foster and Leland Copeland ....... 124 IV. Some of the Better Athletes of the Early Sixties................................ 160 V. Foster After His Election to the Hall of Fame ........................... 17? VI. Foster Off to Europe ................... 186 VII. Foster With the Bowl Emblematic of Coach of the Tear in 1968................ 191 VIII. President Cushing and Mr. Foster at the Naming of Foster Field .............. 228 IX. Foster Field .......................... 230 viii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure No. 1. Football Play — Off Tackle Run. • • « • 146 2. Football Play — Reverse .............. 146 3. Football Play — Reverse Pass........... 147 4. Football Play — Running Pass........... 147 ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION There are those individuals in every walk of life who must be classified as the unsung heroes of their profession. These people must be said to make up the backbone of their profession. There are those who accomplish a great deal of the work that is performed by physical education without ever receiving much acclaim or notariety. Such a man was Charlie Hayse Foster. Perhaps too often in physical education a man's worth is Judged by the amount of national acclaim he has received, or his achievements as a ranking officer of the American Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, or by the number of his publications. The writer does not wish to intimate that these factors are not important but merely to indicate that the subject of this work did not contribute in this manner. It should be pointed out that Charlie Hayse Foster has gained national recognition only as a track coach. He has not served as an officer in the na­ tional organization or as a chairman of association commit­ tees, nor has he written extensively. Rather, his accom­ plishments can be measured in other important ways. The contributions he has made are numerous and signi­ ficant. He was outstanding in the area of high school teaching, coaching, and administration. He was active in college administration, both as an athletic director and division chairman, and was a fine teacher and coach on the college level. In addition, he made many professional con­ tributions in the state of Nebraska. Foster worked diligently in the business of education throughout his entire lifetime. It was Ruskin who said of education: Education does not mean teaching people what they do not know. It Is a painful, continual and difficult work to be done by kindness, by watching, by warning, by precept, and by praise, but above all — by example.1 Few have set a better example than Charlie Hayse Foster. As an educator he touched the lives of numerous young men in the forty-three years of his teaching and coaching career. He was a man who understood, helped, and truly cared for the individual. It shall be the purpose of this study to examine Mr. Foster*s early life and education; service rendered during his high school teaching, administrative, and coaching career; his qualities as a physical educator, administra­ tor, and coach on the college level; his contributions to ^-Lewis C, Henry (ed.), Five Thousand Quotations for All Occasions (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc*7 1945) p. 7 2 1 the growth and development of the department of physical education at Kearney State College; his Influence upon students and colleagues; and his contributions to physical education and athletics In the state of Nebraska and throughout the nation. In search of primary sources of data, the author traveled to the family home near Doniphan, Nebraska, in order to gain insight into Foster's family background