Main content
Haverford College Athletics scrapbooks
Notifications
Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The sport of cricket was introduced to Haverford College around 1833 by William Carvill, the English landscape artist who planned Haverford's campus. In the 19th century, cricket was one of the most popular sports at the College, and a rivalry quickly developed between Haverford and the University of Pennsylvania. The first intercollegiate cricket match was played between the two teams in 1864, and won by Haverford, thus beginning one of the oldest rivalries in college sports history in the United States. Today, Haverford's cricket program is the sole team at the varsity level in the country.
Football was played at Haverford from 1879 to 1972, during which time it occupied an important role in athletics at the College. The football season culminated each year in a highly anticipated match against rival Swarthmore College. From 1904 to 1915, president Isaac Sharpless cancelled this end-of-season match, citing the distraction the game caused across campus. The sport was discontinued by president John R. Coleman in 1972, after the team shrunk from 30 members to 12 during the off-season. He determined that there were too few players to safely continue the program.
Information from Haverford College Athletics, the Haverford Magazine, and the New York Times.
There are three scrapbooks in the collection. The first (1896) deals primarily with the Haverford cricket team, providing information on players and matches. It also includes several articles on the Yale Crew Team. The second scrapbook focuses on the Haverford football team from 1905-1906, and includes write ups on players, photos of the team, game results, and anticipations for games, especially the end of season Haverford-Swarthmore match. Additional athletic clippings are present for Haverford cricket, relays, gymnastics, debate, and soccer. This scrapbook also includes clippings about general college happenings, such as registration, new faculty hires, and college antics. The third scrapbook (1906-1907) again focuses on Haverford football, and was kept by the mother of fullback/captain, Carrol Brown. Athletic material includes articles on football games, recruits, and alumni activity, as well as pictures of members of the team. There is also some information on Haverford soccer and gymnastics. Outside athletics, there are write ups on Haverford registration numbers and student self-governance.
Three volumes, arranged chronologically.
Processed by Anna Neuheardt; completed December, 2018. Revised by Allison Hall; completed July, 2020.
Organization
- Haverford College -- History -- 19th century
- Haverford College -- Athletics
- Haverford College -- History -- 20th century
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- Anna Neuheardt
- Finding Aid Date
- December, 2018
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).