Call Number:

07.001

Repository:

Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections

Extent:

11.33 cubic feet

Language:

English

Date:

1948-1997 (inclusive)

Creator:

Drexel University. Dept. of Athletics., East Coast Conference., Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference., Nelson, Al, and Verb, Doug

Abstract:

The Department of Athletics at Drexel traces its origins back to 1892, a year after the institution’s founding. Originally formed as the Department of Physical Training, it was re-named the Department of Physical Education less than a year later. Athletics at Drexel Institute were, at the time, based on the physical well-being of the students rather than organized competition. 1898 heralded the first formal, institutionally-sponsored competitive teams: the Football and Track and Field squads. Official intercollegiate competition began in 1914, while a policy of hiring professional coaching staff was introduced in 1920. The Faculty Athletic Council, an advisory board, was officially established in 1924, though a student council had existed since 1895. In 1928, W.J.Stevens was appointed manager of athletics; the first individual position established with the responsibility of unifying and supervising the whole of the athletic program. With the support of then-President Kenneth G. Matheson and successor Parke R. Kolbe, Drexel added additional sports to a growing competitive schedule, including Lacrosse, Riflery and Ice Hockey. Athletics were briefly suspended entirely between 1943 and 1944, but continued increasing in success and popularity over the next thirty years. In 1973, Drexel Football was officially discontinued, coinciding with the construction of the university’s first all-purpose gymnasium and ending Drexel’s reliance on borrowed or rented facilities. The Drexel Athletics Department currently runs intercollegiate programs for eight men’s sports and eight women’s sports, as well as 33 club sports and a recreational sports/activities program. Dr. Eric Zillmer, the current Director of Athletics, has held the position since 1999.

The Department of Athletics Collection is divided into eight series; Administrative Subject Files, Athlete Name Files, Varsity Club Files, Sports Banquet Files, Press Information, Athletic Conferences, Sports Schedules and Newspaper Clippings. Series are arranged chronologically, except the subject files which are arranged alphabetically. Certain series have subseries which are themselves arranged chronologically.

Administrative Subject Files are available in boxes 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9. This series contains a large quantity of alphabetically organized administrative records concerning an equally large quantity of specific endeavors, departments, activities or clubs. Materials in this series include records concerning athletic summer camps, advertising rates, Drexel Image self-studies, athletic policies and program budgets. Certain subject files also contain photographs and photograph negatives. This series contains records covering the years 1933 through 2004, but individual subject files may only represent a one or two year period.

Athlete Name Files are available in boxes 2 and 3, and cover information pertaining to the performance and athletic careers of specific individual students. This series is arranged alphabetically by inverted student name (last,first), and covers a date range of 1933-1991. Individual files include student information, press releases, team rosters, athletic career summaries, newspaper clippings and photographs in some cases.

Varsity Club Files are found in box 4, and contain records produced by the Drexel University Varsity Club between 1950 and 1962. Available materials include Varsity Varieties programs and photographs, newspaper clippings, administrative records and a large quantity of correspondence dating from 1963 to 1971. Contents are arranged chronologically.

Sports Banquet files can be found in box 5, and primarily contain programs for banquet and award ceremonies hosted by the Faculty Council on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Drexel Athletics Department between the years of 1950 and 1971. Included are programs from Fall, Winter and Spring sports banquets, though not all seasons are available for every year. The contents of this series are arranged chronologically. Also included are 24 portrait photographs of Drexel homecoming queens, taken between 1950 and 1975.

Press Information records are located in boxes10 through 16, and are composed primarily of news releases issued by the Office of Press Information between the years of 1962 and 1997. News releases are issued by collegiate athletic departments to local and national news outlets to provide official information concerning university sports programs. Also contained in this series are a number of official media guides produced and distributed by the Office of Press Information between 1960 and 1974, with a gap between 1963 and 1970. A single item is also available from 2001. Documents in this series are arranged chronologically.

Athletic Conferences records are available in boxes 17 through 20, and contain documents produced by the East Coast Conference and Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference between the years of 1948 and 1991. East Coast Conference records are primarily news releases produced by the conference’s Publicity Bureau and distributed to member institutions between 1978 and 1991. Media guides and other printed material issued by the ECC in 1983 and between the years of 1987-1990 are also included. MAC records include seasonal meeting minutes and news releases issued by the Publicity Bureau to member institutions between the years of 1948 and 1964. All records are arranged chronologically, with separate orders for ECC and MAC subseries.

Sports Schedules can be found in box 21. This series contains records that document the schedules of Drexel’s intercollegiate athletic teams between the years of 1948 and 2003. In addition, information concerning the schedule and activities of intramural sports and physical education and recreation programs are also included. Bulk records end at 1996, with one item included from 2003. Schedules and program guides specifically for Drexel Women’s Athletics are included as a subseries, covering the years from 1976 to 1999. There is a gap between 1989 and 1999, with one item from the latter year.

Newspaper Clippings can be found in box 22, and include sports-related selections from Philadelphia-area newspapers produced in 1970 and 1972. Also included are sports-related article clippings from the Drexel Triangle dating from 1980 to 1981. This series is arranged chronologically.