Legacy of the Blues: a Century of Athletics at the W: A Century of Athletics at the W

By Garrett, Burdeshaw, Spearman and Wells

Mississippi University for Women was a pioneer in the Southeast Region as well as the State of Mississippi in encouraging, promoting, and sponsoring intercollegiate
athletics for women. The programs were always of the highest quality and conducted with integrity. The students and coaches involved were dedicated and committed to their respective sport.

Loss of the Physical Education Assembly Building, destroyed by a tornado in 2002, and the subsequent decision (2003) by the university to cease participation in intercollegiate athletics prompted the writing of this book. Physical resources and historical records had been destroyed. Concern that the knowledge of this program would be lost along with its signifi cance to the university alumnae, and womens sport history, challenged five retired Health and Kinesiology faculty members to write this book. They knew that their collective knowledge and experiences were invaluable in recording a century of athletic competition at the W.

These women promoted the educational model of sport believing that the opportunity to participate in sports brings both value and pleasure to the quality of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469164205

Book preview

Legacy of the Blues

A Century of Athletics

at the W

Dorothy   Barbara   Jo   Joan   Martha

Burdeshaw, Garrett, Spearman, Thomas, Wells

Copyright © 2012 by Burdeshaw, Garrett, Spearman, Thomas, Wells.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Abstract

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

References

Appendices

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Allegra Brigham, Interim President of Mississippi University for Women, for her support of this project. Her enthusiastic efforts ensured cooperation by several departments at MUW.

Sincere appreciation is extended to the MUW Library for freely opening the archives for use by the writers. Special thanks go to Gail Gunter and Cathy Young for their help in retrieving materials and their willingness to always be available for assistance.

There are two other campus departments the writers would like to recognize for their help in retrieving and compiling documents. The Public Affairs office worked with the authors on archived pictures. Chris Jenkins and Nick Adams were most willing and able to provide these much-needed records. The Health and Kinesiology Department supplied files and other materials essential for researching, and provided meeting space and assistance with the list of athletes and athletes’ memories.

Other campus individuals who responded to the authors call for support include: Tom Richardson and Bridget Pieschel who gave advice at the early stages of the writing; Jessica Robinson who compiled the athletes’ memories; Claudia McDavis who was the go to person for collecting and compiling the script from all authors and sending it to the publishers. In addition, she took on the tedious job of listing the athletes and coaches by years.

One individual went above and beyond all expectations for assistance. Lou Boland used her expert computer skills to clean up technical problems the writers encountered, thus saving many hours and incredible frustration. In addition, she helped with citing, references, and editing of the various chapters of the book. Each writer extends deepest gratitude for all of her assistance.

With the help of former coaches, the writers have been able to reconstruct the sports history section. Gratitude is expressed to all these coaches who added valuable information. This includes Lavon Driskell, Andrea Farrow, Rita Higginbotham, Ellen Jackson, Samye Johnson, Dot Easterwood Murphy, Jane Robertson, Glenn Schmidt, Carole Stewart, and Jill Upon.

Special thanks are extended to Johnny Armstrong for sending materials of early professional organizations; to the late Sue Ross for her encouragement and help in finding people, and for the loan of relevant materials that helped in writing the early history of professional organizations and athletic competition in Mississippi.

The response of many student athletes, when the call was sent out for their recollections and information, was rewarding and brought back many forgotten memories. Those who offered special assistance include Catharine Church Ahl, Serena Edgar Wilcox, Lil Lea Black, Jan Walker, Sandra Wade Freeman, Sylvia Williams, Janis Hodges Bond, Sara Thompson, Beverly Brown Durborow, and Brenda Burnett Pictor. They provided needed information, pictures, tournament brackets, and newspaper clippings about their W years in the athletic program. To each of these athletes, we extend heartwarming thanks. Special thanks are extended to Stevey Gaddis and Beverly Henson for their assistance in networking with former students which was instrumental in helping establish an Athletic Group on Facebook.

The photographs in this book are the property of Mississippi University for Women and the five authors. The Mississippi University for Women photographs may be used with permission of MUW. All rights reserved.

Preface

On Sunday, November 10, 2002, an F-3 tornado roared through Columbus, Mississippi, and the Mississippi University for Women (MUW or W) campus. The south side of the campus was hit the hardest. The worst destruction was the complete loss of the Emma Ody Pohl Physical Education/Assembly Building (PEAB), which housed the Health and Kinesiology Division, including the physical education, recreation, intramural, and intercollegiate athletic departments. The storm destroyed memorabilia, pictures, trophies, and information of all four areas. These losses meant that MUW’s significant contributions to the development of intercollegiate athletics for women were in danger of being forgotten.

The W was a pioneer in the state of Mississippi and the Southeast region in encouraging, promoting, and sponsoring intercollegiate athletics for women. Women’s intercollegiate athletic programs were not initiated with big budgets and strong support personnel. It is important to make everyone aware of the sacrifices those student-athletes, teacher/coaches, and administrators made in order for women to have opportunities in intercollegiate athletics and to develop an educational model of intercollegiate sport competition.

The loss of the PEAB building and its mementos, along with President Claudia Limbert’s decision to cease participation in intercollegiate athletics, has been the impetus for the writing of Legacy of the Blues: A Century of Athletics at The W. The decision to end intercollegiate athletic participation had been under consideration for quite some time. With the tornado’s impact, the decision became easier to make. It would be a mistake and a disservice to all the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, support staff, and fans not to undertake this endeavor. Athletics have always been a very important part of the total history of MUW. Since more than just physical resources were destroyed with the tornado and the loss of the program, it becomes historically important to document this significant program.

The information available for the writing of this book was compiled from personal memories, resources in the MUW library, yearbooks, student newspapers, annual reports, the internet, several books by MUW faculty, and the Columbus Commercial Dispatch. With athletic information scattered in differing areas, it was felt that primary participants who created and lived part of this history should write it as accurately as possible.

The five women who wrote this book are typical of women’s athletic history. All were trained as physical educators and took on the additional role of intercollegiate athletic coaches. Most early women’s coaches were primarily physical educators. Each writer coached at least one sport and most coached two while also teaching a full academic schedule and/or in combination with administrative duties. Three of the women started the modern athletic program (1960-2003) at MUW and two others became athletic directors. Providing female students opportunities to participate in intercollegiate competition was a Legacy of Love for each of these women.

The writers are listed in alphabetical order along with a short biographical sketch:

Dr. Dorothy Burdeshaw served as professor and chair of the Division of Health and Kinesiology (HPER) from 1973 to 1994. This position included administration of the intercollegiate athletic program and subsequently the designation of athletic director was added to the title. Burdeshaw coached the badminton team from 1973 to 1977. In 1989-90, she served as MUW interim vice president of Academic Affairs and as MUW chairperson of the SACS Accreditation Self-Study in 1993. Burdeshaw’s background included officiating with DGWS ratings in tennis, badminton, and swimming. After retirement in 1994, she served for nine years as scorekeeper for the MUW basketball team.

Dr. Barbara Garrett, a 1956 alumna of MSCW (MUW), was a member of the first MSCW extramural tennis team. Following physical therapy school, she practiced at Vanderbilt and the University of Alabama Medical Centers prior to joining the MSCW faculty in 1967. She served three different times as tennis coach (1966-74, 1975-77, and 1983-87). As tournament director of the Southern Collegiate Tennis Tournament, a sanctioned USTA tournament, she coordinated the planning and the implementation of the event with members of the HPER Tennis Technique class. Before retiring in 1991, Garrett had the privilege of coaching state and sectional players as well as an All-American.

Dr. Jo Spearman joined the HPER Department in 1974. She was the assistant volleyball coach in 1974-75, head volleyball coach from 1975 to 1979, assistant track and field coach from 1974 to 1976, and the head coach in 1976-77. From 1981 to 87, she served as supervisor of the athletic training area. In 1987, she began serving as the MUW Faculty Athletic Representative to the NCAA and continued in that position until she became the chair of the Health and Kinesiology Division and athletic director in 1994. Spearman retired in 2005.

Dr. Joan Thomas, a 1953 alumna of MSCW (MUW), returned to MUW in 1963. She started and coached the modern basketball and track and field teams and was head volleyball coach from 1964 to 1971. As chair of the North Mississippi Board of Officials, she officiated and trained men and women officials in volleyball, basketball, and softball at the high school and college level. For many years, she directed the intramural program for the university. When MUW athletics became a part of the NCAA, Thomas was asked to be the first MUW Faculty Athletic Representative and served until her retirement in 1987.

Dr. Martha Fulton Wells came to MSCW in 1964. She started and coached the gymnastic team and coached the volleyball B team for seven years and the tennis team for one year. When gymnastics was eliminated as an intercollegiate sport, Wells began the Children’s Gymnastic Program, which was open to community children. This was a highly successful program for over twenty years. Wells served as interim chair of the Health and Kinesiology Division in 1989-90. She retired in 1996.

Abstract

The purpose of this book is to trace, record, and document the history of women’s athletics at Mississippi University for Women from 1884 to 2003. The primary focus centers on the pioneer role of Mississippi University for Women in providing intercollegiate athletic programs for women, both in the early twentieth century as well as the modern era.

Traditional methods of historical research were employed to locate and investigate primary and secondary sources. The collection of the data was obtained by the utilization of official records, personal memories, newspaper accounts, relics, personal interviews, yearbooks, written interviews, pictorial records, annual reports, and published materials, including books by MUW faculty. A request for personal memories from athletes who had participated in the athletic programs was requested through the Alumni Office publication of Visions and through e-mails and Facebook. Interviews were also made available to alumni at the 2010 Homecoming.

The Preface describes the reasons for compiling the information and the significance of providing this documentation.

Chapter 1 reviews the early development of sport programs at I I & C which led to the initiation of intercollegiate basketball competition in the early twentieth century (1907). The rationale for the subsequent dormant period nationally in women’s intercollegiate athletics is explored. During the intervening dormant period (1918-55), the development of MSCW’s physical education instructional program and intramural sports program is traced. These programs provided a strong foundation for the intercollegiate athletic program which emerged in the late 1950s and reflected MUW’s pioneering role in the initiation of intercollegiate sports for women in the Southeastern states.

Chapter 2 traces four decades (1956-2003) of the legacy of the educational model of sport, progressing from extramural play days and sports days to the modern intercollegiate athletic program. MUW’s role as an initiator of modern intercollegiate athletics for women is presented. An overview of the policies, challenges, and outcomes is provided.

Chapter 3 traces the governance of women’s sport from the 1920s through 2003. It is an effort to highlight some of the forces and people that brought governance of women’s programs to its current status. The authors explored the significance of the changes and forces and the effect they had on athletics at MSCW/MUW.

Chapter 4 is the heart of the book and gives a history of all the intercollegiate sports MUW sponsored throughout the years. Different authors attempted to write an accurate documentation of each sport.

Chapter 5 provides the role, scope and importance of each of the ancillary areas of officiating, school colors, mascot, cheerleading, sports medicine, building and facilities, and sports information. Each author developed a section as it related to the women’s athletic program at MSCW/MUW.

The final chapter explores the rationale for and outcome of the discontinuation of intercollegiate athletics at MUW in 2003.

Chapter 1

The Beginning Years (1884-1955)

The focal theme of this book centers on the role of Mississippi University for Women (MUW) as a pioneer in providing intercollegiate athletic programs for women both in the early twentieth century as well as the modern era. In order to document this contribution, it is appropriate to begin with the early history of the institution and trace the development of participation in athletics among MUW students.

When the Industrial Institute and College (II&C), now MUW, opened in October, 1885, 341 students matriculated to the campus in Columbus, MS (Pieschel and Pieschel 1984). II&C was a trailblazing institution as the first state-supported college for women in the United States. As early as 1838 there were private colleges for women in the Southern states which were sponsored primarily by religious denominations (Hamilton and Wells 1989). The expense of attending the private colleges limited the opportunities for women in higher education. The inception of a state-supported college for women was most significant. According to McCandless (1999), Mississippi’s ground breaking effort in this process was followed by the initiation of state-supported colleges for women in the states of Georgia (1889), South Carolina (1891), North Carolina (1891), Alabama (1893), Texas (1901), Florida (1905), and Oklahoma (1908).

A parallel development in the late nineteenth century was the introduction of team and individual sports in the recreational programs of the United States. Staley (1935) recorded that several types of European physical training systems had been absorbed in the physical education curricula of the nineteenth century. The prevalent type of physical education program included various systems of gymnastics with activities such as calisthenics, exercise on apparatus, rope climbing, and the use of wands, barbells, and Indian clubs. According to Van Dalen et al. (1953), many competitive sports were introduced in the United States in the nineteenth century. These included baseball (1839), football (1869), badminton (1878), tennis (1874), basketball (1891) and volleyball (1894). Initially, these sports were played mainly by men in amateur recreational leagues. Incorporation of sports into school physical education programs did not occur until near the end of the nineteenth century.

A striking development of the late nineteenth century was the burgeoning interest of women in sports participation. Women were attracted to croquet, roller skating, cycling, horseback riding, tennis and archery (Van Dalen et al. 1953). Due to the clothing fashion of that era, these were activities in which women could participate while wearing full, long skirts, and petticoats. The divided skirts and bloomers were introduced in the mid-1880s, allowing women more freedom of movement while participating in sports. Palmer (1938) stated that women had already broken the ice of national sports competition in the nineteenth century by participating in amateur tournaments such as archery (1879), tennis (1887), and golf (1896).

Thus, in the late nineteenth century, these parallel movements converged: 1) the introduction of women’s state supported higher education, 2) the introduction of team and individual sports in the school and recreation programs, and 3) the participation of women in sports. This convergence of events provided the impetus for development of collegiate intramural and extramural athletic participation for women. The history of this development at II&C will be presented in three parts: 1) early twentieth-century athletics (1900-17), 2) the dormant years of extramural competition (1918-45), and 3) the emergence of modern intercollegiate athletics (1946-55).

Early Twentieth-Century Athletics (1900-17)

When students matriculated to II&C in 1885, they undertook mastery of a very demanding and structured curriculum. No physical education classes existed in the beginning. The II&C Annual Catalogue (1886-87) indicated that the late afternoon schedule included daily walks in the open air. Neilson (1952) recorded that there was a Department of Physical Culture in 1891-92 under the direction of Miss A. Wade. This first effort to provide physical education was abandoned due to lack of funding. However, a by-product of this effort included the sectioning off an exercise room on the fourth floor of Old Main (Callaway Dormitory). This room contained dumb-bells, wands, clubs, chest weights, stall bars, flying rings, and other equipment which reflected the prevailing gymnastic approach to physical training in the nineteenth century.

According to Neilson (1952), this make-shift gym was inadequate because of the small size and poor ventilation. Dr. Robert Frazer, President of II&C in the 1890s, was supportive of physical education and was able to obtain funds for an outdoor recreational area. There was a thirty-acre tract of land in the rear of the campus with a wooded area and an artesian well. This area was used for exercise in the open air in the late afternoon. Funds were obtained for outdoor sports, and gradually, this area included tennis, croquet, and basketball courts. However, the Mississippi Legislature did not honor Dr. Frazer’s request in 1897 to build a gymnasium. In 1897, Frazer hired Dr. May Jones as II&C’s first resident physician. Jones had a great interest in promoting the health of the students. In addition to teaching anatomy and physiology, Jones was designated as Mistress of Physical Culture, and she directed physical exercises using the small room on the fourth floor of Old Main. She campaigned for more indoor space due to the lack of lighting and ventilation in the exercise room (Pieschel and Pieschel 1984).

Van Dalen et al. (1953) documented the introduction of sport activities into the public school physical education programs and community recreation programs in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This trend was mirrored at II&C. Students began to participate in tennis and basketball. The 1902 yearbook, Meh Lady, depicts basketball teams which were formed by classes (freshmen, sophomores, etc.) and intramural competition among classes had been initiated (Edwards 1902). A tennis club had also been formed. The basketball games were played on outdoor courts. It is noteworthy that Mississippi State College (now MSU) utilized the II&C outdoor area for a men’s track meet against the University of Alabama in 1915 (College games and track, 1915). Also, the men’s basketball team from Mississippi State College played a game on II&C’s outdoor court in the early 1900s according to Rufus Ward, local historian (pers. comm. August 6, 2011).

The fact that college women were engaging in athletic competition at the turn of the century reflected not only the change in women’s clothing that allowed more freedom of movement, but also the popularity of sport competition. It also reflected the phenomenal speed with which women had been drawn to sports participation. Tennis had only been introduced into the United States twenty years earlier and basketball had been devised by Dr. James Naismith at Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1891, only a decade earlier (Paul 1991). Often physical educators of that era went to New England for graduate study because the colleges in the Boston area had initiated graduate programs. The physical educators were exposed to the sports in that area and subsequently introduced the sports when they returned to their home areas. Spears (1991) indicated that Senda Berenson of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, is credited with introducing basketball to women. In 1892, Berenson saw the men at nearby Springfield College playing basketball. She adapted the game for women by dividing the court into three areas and confining players to specific areas. Basketball spread rapidly across the country. Before the turn of the century, there were inter-institutional games involving women’s teams such as the University of California versus a girls’ prep school in 1892 and Stanford University versus the University of California in 1896 (Emery and Toohey-Costa 1991).

According to Paul (1991), Clara Gregory Baer deserves the credit as the prime catalyst in bringing the game of basketball to the Deep South. Baer had studied at the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics where she learned to play the game of basketball. She became the head of the physical education program at Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans, Louisiana, and introduced basketball there in 1893. Baer is credited with publication of the first women’s rule book in 1895 for a game called basquette which modified Naismith’s basketball rules. She organized basketball exhibitions and taught the rules in New Orleans as well as several neighboring states. Speculation leads to a belief that Baer’s influence was the source of the interest in basketball among the girls in Mississippi.

II&C had developed an Athletic League by 1904 which sponsored intramural competition in tennis, roller skating, and basketball (Annual Catalogue 1903-04). The purpose of the Athletic League was to arrange matches and tournaments among classes. There was a large membership, with teams adopting colors and cheers. Students were requested to bring tennis rackets and tennis shoes from home. By 1907, a gym outfit was required which consisted of a navy blue blouse, bloomers, and gym shoes (Annual Catalogue 1907-08). Intramural competition expanded to include baseball and field hockey. All of these sports were played on the outdoor courts (Facilities are delineated in chapter 5).

The 1907-08 school year became a pivotal time in II&C’s history when Henry L. Whitfield became president. According to Pieschel and Pieschel (1984), Whitfield wanted to establish a strong physical education program. He thought it important to educate women concerning health issues because they would be most directly responsible for the health of children in Mississippi. When Whitfield formerly traveled through Mississippi as the superintendent of education, he had observed the work of Emma Ody Pohl, a dynamic young physical education teacher in Greenville, Mississippi. Whitfield employed Pohl as the director of a new department of physical education at II&C. Sanders (1967) stated that Pohl had studied with Helen Bender at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and returned home to Greenville where she established the first physical education program in Mississippi public schools. Pohl also had studied part-time at the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois, Chicago. Pohl’s first year at II&C was on a part-time basis while she concluded teaching responsibilities in Greenville. Blanche Gardner, a graduate of Sophie Newcomb College, served as interim director of physical education in 1907-08 (Annual Catalogue 1907-1908).

According to Sanders (1967), Pohl visited the campus once a month in 1907-08 and then became a full-time teacher in 1908-09. Her remarkable career at the W spanned forty-seven years. She continued to study and travel in the summers and was on the forefront of new developments, introducing numerous new programs at II&C. These programs included classical dance, May Day, and the Zouave Drill (French military drill) which eventually included the entire student body. Whitfield credited Pohl’s leadership and contributions in all phases of campus life as the catalyst in the development of a most distinctive and loyal college spirit (Pieschel and Pieschel 1984). Additionally, Neilson (1952) stated: Nothing that has ever been done at the college has been more far reaching in its effects than the introduction of the physical education program. The students acquired a college spirit that had been lacking (pp. 73-74).

While Pohl is better known for dance productions and the Zouave Drill, she developed a balanced physical education program. The introduction of a Department of Physical Education verified the importance of developing physical health and vitality along with cultivation of the mind. According to the Annual Catalogue (1908-09), the physical education offerings included corrective, hygienic, and recreational exercise. Each student was required to take physical education and was screened for participation through a physical examination by the college physician and through anthropometric measurements by the physical education faculty. Indoor activities included free gymnastics and apparatus work, marching, fancy steps, wands, clubs, and games. Outdoor activities included basketball, tennis, field hockey, baseball, and May-pole. Lectures in hygiene were also provided. Athletic competition was strongly encouraged but not required. Within the normal courses (teacher training), a student could obtain a concentration in teaching physical education by taking anatomy, physiology, medical gymnastics, and teaching methodology in gymnastics, games, and sport activities. One of Pohl’s strengths as an administrator was the employment of well-trained teachers, often from the outstanding colleges in the Northeast and Midwest.

When Pohl came to II&C on a full-time basis in 1908, the intramural sports program had been operative for several years and the intercollegiate program actually started during her part-time year (Hamm 1908). Indoor facilities continued to be limited. The Physical Education Department was located on the unheated fourth floor of the Science Building. In Pohl’s first full year, the Henry Whitfield Gymnasium was constructed. The building housed a gym, lockers, showers, and a swimming pool, and subsequently, all students were required to take a swimming class. This building was later called the Student Activities Building (Pieschel and Pieschel 1984).

There is a dearth of information relating to the beginning of intercollegiate competition at II&C in 1907. Obviously, the popularity of a flourishing intramural basketball program was a key factor. The students must have desired competition beyond the intra-class level. Due to the influence of Clara Baer in popularizing basketball in this geographical area, one could hypothesize that II&C students had experienced interschool play in basketball at the high school level. It is certainly remarkable that colleges developed intercollegiate competition in the early twentieth century, considering the Victorian attitude about the role of women, the limited means of communication, and the lack of transportation. Travel was dependent on passenger trains.

Nevertheless, Whitfield and two officers of the Athletic League went to West Point, Mississippi, on Oct 6, 1907 and met with Rev. A. M. Eshman (Rogers 1907). Eshman was president of Belverino College, a Presbyterian women’s college (Williams 1991). Before 1906, Belverino College was known as Southern Female College. The two presidents wanted to form an intercollegiate league for women among the colleges in Mississippi, and they planned to invite the other colleges to join. The ambitious plan never came to fruition, but it did lead to the trailblazing intercollegiate event on December 10, 1907 when the II&C Basketball Team defeated Belverino College 29-8 (Interesting event, 1907). The II&C varsity basketball team was composed of the best players selected from the class teams in intramurals. Michelle Finch was listed as both the captain and coach of the team (Hamm 1908). Finch was actually a freshman from Greenville, Mississippi, and Pohl had been her teacher in Greenville. An assumption can be made that she was a skilled basketball player who fell into the role of coach and captain. The members of the historic first basketball varsity were: Bettie May Boswell, Earnestine Partee, Sadie Hamm (business manager), Vivian McQuiston, Josie Rouseau, Alice Cook, Lillian Dagenhart, Cary Rainwater, B. White, and Michelle Finch (captain and coach). There was a second game in that school year in which II&C defeated Greenville (school where Pohl was teaching) by a score of 17-1 (Hamm 1908). It was not uncommon in that era for a college team to play against a high school or academy team. II&C’s intercollegiate basketball competition would continue for the next decade.

In Pohl’s first full-time year at II&C, the varsity played one game. The Meh Lady (1909) depicts the outdoor game with the University of Arkansas in which II&C lost by the score of 11-9 (Cottrell 1909).The student body of II&C, dressed in their blue uniforms, filled the bleachers at the outdoor court on back campus. Information on the 1910 year is limited. However, due to extremely bad weather, II&C cancelled the game scheduled at the University of Arkansas (Atkinson 1910). The challenge to play a basketball game against Northwestern Louisiana College in Natchitoches, Louisiana, had been declined because the expense of travel was unaffordable (Atkinson 1909). Thus, the early lack of funds foreshadowed the ongoing problem with which women’s athletic programs have struggled throughout the modern era.

In the 1910-11 year, II&C defeated the University of Chattanooga 20-2 and won over Greenville 17-1 (Clower 1911). By this time, an indoor court would have been available in Whitfield Gymnasium. No record of games in 1911-12 was found.

In 1912-13, II&C traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, and defeated the University of Mississippi 17-6 (Harris 1913a). It was noted that Pohl was the coach and there were six players on a team. Until 1914, II&C had a preparatory division on campus (Neilson 1952). The preparatory students were often referred to as under freshmen. The under freshman basketball team defeated Franklin Academy of Columbus, Mississippi, in the spring of 1913 (Harris 1913a).

II&C branched out in the 1913-14 year and played Hattiesburg Normal College (now USM) and won by a score of 35-9 (Green 1914). This score would indicate that the offense was improving! The under freshmen gained another victory over Franklin Academy but lost to Winona, Mississippi, by an 8-4 score (Spragins 1913). The freshman class team played Oxford High School and won 24-11. They also played a basketball game at Scooba, Mississippi. At the end of the game, the score was tied 11-11. The tie could not be resolved because the II&C girls would miss the train back to Columbus if the game continued (Green 1914).

In 1914-15, II&C again defeated the University of Mississippi 22-9 (Fitzgerald 1915). A game with Mississippi Normal College was cancelled due to illness on that campus. According to Housel (n.d.), several colleges were fielding intercollegiate basketball teams by 1915. Among those mentioned were Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), Birmingham Southern College, University of Georgia, Howard College (now Samford University) and Oglethorpe College. II&C’s schedule in 1915-16 reflected this expansion. II&C journeyed to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and was victorious over Hattiesburg Normal College 23-10 and Hattiesburg Woman’s College (now William Carey) by a score of 15-13 (Cain 1916a). These teams played return games on the II&C campus. II&C lost to Hattiesburg Women’s College 15-11 but won again against Hattiesburg Normal College 26-11 (Cain 1916b).

The schedule increased to six games in 1916-17, and II&C had an undefeated team! The year began with 29-24 win against the University of Mississippi (Varsity team wins, 1916). The college newspaper subsequently published a letter from the Ole Miss Basketball Team in which they expressed appreciation for the wonderful hospitality of the II&C students (Ole Miss girls, 1916). The varsity basketball team also had two victories over Mississippi Woman’s College, two victories over Mississippi Normal College, and a single victory over Beason College in Meridian (Varsity team wins six, 1917). When the varsity traveled to Meridian to play Beason College, their passenger train encountered a freight train which had derailed ten miles outside of Meridian. The passenger train was stranded until the derailment could be cleared. As unlikely as it seems, Beason College sent automobiles out to the train and transported the II&C girls to the campus. The game must go on (Varsity players win second, 1917)!

During these years of intercollegiate beginnings, the intramural program remained vibrant and added track and field events (hurdles, broad jump, relays, and dashes) (Harris 1913b). As intramural and extramural opportunities increased, the value and meaningful role of athletic competition to II&C students were best expressed by Minor White Latham in the 1909 Meh Lady:

If the Industrial Institute never plays another intercollegiate game and never breaks a record, its athletics have demonstrated their power, their usefulness, their right to be; its athletics have been tried and not found wanting. Never again will the college world be cold and apathetic, never again college life a grinding monotonous routine. Athletics have changed the face of our college earth. And those of us who know, will give unstinted praise to the well-trained body, the honest effort, and the fair spirit of our college girls. There will be no one of us who can fail to cheer for athletics, the Varsity and the glory of II&C (Cottrell 1909).

The student athletes at II&C, such as Minor Latham, did not realize that they were trailblazers. They could not have envisioned the meaningful experience which the process of intercollegiate athletics would provide for hundreds of W girls over the next century. The contour of the road ahead took many unexpected turns. The abrupt cessation of the intercollegiate program in 1918 was the first unexpected occurrence. For the ensuing three decades, there was a dormant period in women’s intercollegiate competition, not only at II&C, but throughout the United States.

The Dormant Years (1918-45)

After a decade of intercollegiate basketball competition, in which II&C had a pioneering effort, the program ceased in the 1917-18 school year and would not be revived until the late 1950s. There were several immediate, short-term reasons for the discontinuation in 1918. First, the United States entered World War I in April 1917 (President signs war, 1917). Limited transportation and a lack of necessities resulted as railroads were utilized for purposes of war. Secondly, Columbus had one of the coldest winters on record (Columbus has coldest, 1918). It was reported in the Columbus Commercial that Columbus had the worst snowstorm in the history of this section of Mississippi, and an acute shortage of coal resulted. When Columbus ran out of coal entirely, local schools and businesses closed. II&C was reported to have enough coal to last thirty days (Columbus is now out, 1918). Additionally, an outbreak of measles could have been a major factor. One II&C student died as a result of the measles outbreak (Death enters student ranks, 1918). These circumstances would certainly have precluded team travel and interschool competition in the short term.

However, the long-term dormancy of women’s intercollegiate athletics indicated that other forces were operative. The following underlying reasons are plausible: 1) medical opinions concerning the injurious effect of intense sport competition on women, 2) the opposition of women physical educators who attempted to avoid problems inherent in a commercial model of sport, and 3) a philosophical commitment of professional organizations of physical education to the development of an academic or educational model of sport.

First of all, according to McCandless (1999), many physicians in the early twentieth century believed that the aggressive nature of intercollegiate sport competition for women posed a threat to feminine health and psyche. Some argued that intense athletic activity would cause amenorrhea, infertility, and damage to reproductive organs. Others expressed concern over the possibility of an enlarged heart as well as injuries to joints and bones. Lee and Bennett (1960) confirmed that many of the leaders/professors of physical education in the early twentieth century were medical doctors. These doctors advocated physical education for girls and justified its addition to school curricula on the basis of the benefits to health and physical well-being. If medical doctors stated that athletic participation was not good for women’s health, it would be difficult to refute that argument. This opposition to intense competitive sports for women had a severe dampening effect on efforts to continue intercollegiate athletics.

The second underlying reason for the cessation of women’s intercollegiate athletics is related to the symbiotic relationship of women’s physical education and women’s athletics. Whereas men’s intercollegiate athletic programs arose outside of the supervision of an educational administrator or a faculty of physical education, the development of women’s intercollegiate athletic programs was always linked to the leadership of women physical educators (Scott 1951).

When men began intercollegiate competition in the middle to late nineteenth century, sports such as rowing, track and field, baseball and football grew rapidly and were largely student-managed endeavors (Van Dalen et al. 1953). Football was especially popular. According to Scott (1951), students had such an eagerness to win for their college that they resorted to unregulated recruitment of players and had no eligibility rules. Some players were not even registered as students. Gambling was openly practiced, and there were irregularities in financing. There was a problem with injuries as well as with intentional injuries being inflicted. Officials were often unqualified. Alumni could sponsor and manage teams. While educational institutions did not fund these events, administrators were forced to try to govern this chaotic competition. Yet they had no means of institutional control. Ultimately, in 1905, with the assistance of President Theodore Roosevelt, delegates from leading colleges formed the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States. This group standardized the rules and regulations governing intercollegiate athletics and developed penalties for violations. This organization was the forerunner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The lingering effect of the origin of men’s intercollegiate athletics has been the creation of a commercial model of sport. Thus, a separate athletic department for men operated outside the financial and educational framework of an academic department. The physical education department for men and the intercollegiate athletic department were separate entities. Scott (1951) concluded that numerous efforts at regulation and institutional control failed because of the nature of alumni and public support in funding a marketplace model of sport.

In contrast, the early women’s intercollegiate athletic programs were fostered and developed by women physical educators. These leaders were dedicated to providing opportunities for women to compete in sports, but they did not condone unethical or cut-throat competition. These leaders did not desire to have a win at all cost mentality. According to Ziegler (1975), at a meeting in 1915 of the Directors of Physical Training in Women’s Colleges (forerunner of National Association of Physical Education for College Women), a strong stand was taken against intercollegiate athletics for women. This position statement was endorsed by the National Amateur Athletic Federation. Two years later, in 1917, the Women’s Committee of the American Physical Education Association also discouraged women’s intercollegiate athletics and even opposed women competing in the Olympic Games (Scott 1951). It is evident that II&C’s extramural competition ceased in the aftermath of these organizational position statements by women physical educators.

Finally, women physical educators in the early twentieth century were committed to developing an educational model of sport participation. As professional organizations grew, physical educators had the opportunity to share their philosophies relating to athletic competition. The physical welfare of the student was the top priority. Physical educators advocated the use of sport activities for the harmonious development of physical, social, moral, and intellectual abilities (Staley 1935). A primary emphasis was the concept of a program for all students, not just athletic teams for the highly skilled. A pyramidal concept was implemented by providing instruction in physical education for all students. To this fundamental base of instruction, intramural competition was added for those who enjoy competition in a specific sport. Extramural competition was the culminating apex of this pyramidal model, but it was not in the form of varsity sports. Rather the leaders advocated play days where the emphasis was on students from two or more colleges meeting to play sports in informal groupings. The purpose of the play days was enjoyment, the inclusion of many students, and the promotion of good sportsmanship. Hult (1991) concluded that women physical educators were not anti-competition, rather they were guarding against the wrong kind of competition such as fielding varsities at the expense of opportunities for the majority of students. This philosophy became an embedded tenet which guided the conduct of women’s physical education and athletic programs.

Pohl echoed this philosophy in an interview reported in the Spectator (Girl’s schools verify, 1932). Pohl stated that students had asked her why Mississippi State College for Women (MSCW) did not participate in intercollegiate athletic competition. She noted that she had sent a query to several prominent colleges (Wellesley, Smith, Randolph-Macon, Mt. Holyoke, Vassar, Barnard and Swarthmore). She had inquired about their policy relating to intercollegiate athletics. Pohl confirmed that MSCW’s policy was congruent with the policies of those colleges. The policy at MSCW focused on the development of the skills of each student in activities which would benefit her health and provide enjoyment rather than exploiting the skill of a few on intercollegiate teams. It was also mentioned that objections to intercollegiate programs included the expense of travel and the distractions from academic studies.

II&C dropped intercollegiate athletics in 1918, but it did not drop athletic activities. Instead II&C (name changed to MSCW in 1920) became a prime mover over the next three decades in developing an exemplary educational model of sport for the entire student body.

The Emergence of Modern Intercollegiate Athletics (1946-55)

The modern intercollegiate athletic program at Mississippi State College for Women (MSCW) emerged in the late 1950s. In the interim period since the cessation of intercollegiate athletics in 1918, strong instructional and intramural programs were developed which later paved the way for an early and successful entry into intercollegiate athletics. Emma Ody Pohl and the faculty of the MSCW Physical Education Department implemented these programs. Integral to their success was the stability of the faculty over three decades. Pohl, Grace Massengale, and Romayne Berryman formed a cohesive faculty unit which functioned from the 1920s to the 1950s. Harriett Barnes was added to the group in the 1940s. Additional physical educators were employed over shorter periods, but this core group formed a consistent foundation. The instructional program in physical education consisted of activities including dance, gymnastics, aquatics, team/individual sports, and fundamental body mechanics. Each student was required to take physical education for four years. The objectives of the program were: 1) to acquire and maintain health, 2) to foster hygienic living habits, 3) to overcome faulty posture and abnormal functioning, and 4) to develop skill in wholesome sports and swimming and develop a lasting interest in recreational activities (Annual Bulletin 1934-35). Upon entrance to MSCW, each student was required to have a medical examination, a physical/anthropometric evaluation, and a posture rating. An overall A rating meant the student could enroll in strenuous activity courses. A B rating restricted a student from some strenuous activities. A C rating designated that a student take corrective/adapted physical education. A D rating restricted the student from taking physical education. In addition, all A rated students were required to pass a swimming test as a graduation prerequisite (Annual Bulletin 1936-37).

The scope of course offerings and the variety of skill levels were indicative of a superior physical education program. The following list illustrates the wide selection of courses available to MSCW students during the decades of the 1940s and 1950s (Annual Bulletin 1944-45, 1954-55):

The evolution of uniforms over the decades is interesting. In the early 1900s, students were required to have gym suits made of medium weight flannel or serge. This suit was a one-piece, full bloomer of navy blue color. The bloomer was pleated into a waistband and the top part was a high-cut, square neckline. Gym shoes were furnished by the college for $1.50 (Annual Catalogue 1907-08). By 1922, the gym suit was a one-piece black serge garment with short sleeves, a square yolk, a narrow, loose belt and two box pleats, front and back. Three white, washable undergarments were required to go with this outfit (Annual Bulletin 1922-23). In 1934, the gym suit consisted of black bloomers and a white shirt. The regulation swimsuit was a one-piece, blue tank suit (Annual Bulletin 1933-34). The required outfit changed to navy blue shorts and a white shirt in 1937 (Annual Bulletin 1937-38). These changes mirrored the gradual cultural change in which women’s clothing was adapted for improved mobility in sports participation.

Of special note was the development of an academic major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. The degree was initiated in 1920, and the original requirements were steeped in a foundation of science courses such as anatomy, physiology, anthropometry, and hygiene (Annual Bulletin 1919-20). During this period, the course in methodology of teaching physical education was listed in the Education Department. Neilson (1952) stated that the physical education major was discontinued in 1926 and reinstated in 1938-39. The theoretical courses required for a major were rather standard by 1940 (Annual Bulletin 1939-40) and continuing into the 1950s (Annual Bulletin 1954-55). These courses included: General Therapeutics, Techniques of Sports, Methods of Teaching Physical Education, Therapeutic Gymnastics, Theory and Practice of Play, Kinesiology, History and Administration of Physical Education, Physical Diagnosis and Health Education, First Aid and Massage, Physical Education for Atypical Children, and Recreational Leadership (included Camping).

In an educational model of sport, the intramural program is added to the foundation of a broad instructional program. As noted in an earlier section, II&C had intramural competition as early as 1902. The early intramural program followed a national trend in that it started as a student-managed program. According to Means (1973), intramural programs gradually came under the supervision of physical education departments because of the need to coordinate usage of facilities and equipment. The intramural programs were an outgrowth and complement to the required physical education instructional program. Participation in intramurals was voluntary, and initially, teams were formed by classes (Freshmen etc.). Later, team formation