Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Jamming the building to the roof to see the Cats in action, students find that Nichols Gymnasium is far from adequate. As emphasis on sports, particularly basketball, grew stronger, fans demanded that action be taken. Teams of the past played without the ben- efit of today ' s padded uniforms and headgear. Despite the poor field conditions and threat of bad weather, they faith- fully sought gridiron recognition for KSAC. 21

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Sports Reflect Trend To Improve, Expand Perhaps most symbolic of the tradition of any school to those not directly associated with it is the story of its athletic program. Although Kansas State ' s sports competition began relatively late in the school ' s life, its growth and high quality have brought national attention to the campus. The birth of two major sports took place just before and shortly after the opening of the 1900 ' s. Football was the first major sport officially accepted when it came on campus in 1896. It was followed by the acceptance of basketball competition in 1904-05; then came several minor sports. Although not presently acclaimed for outstanding football teams, K-State has been the home of four Ail-American football standouts. The first of these was Henry Cronkite in 1931. It was 1934 when the school won the crown of the Big 6 in football. Basketball has brought far more focus to the school and justly so. Since the Wildcats, then called Aggies, won the Missouri Valley championship in 1917, they have proceeded to win 11 crowns. Five of these have been won in the past six years. Six All-Americans have received their recognition while wearing the K-State colors. The first of these was Frank Reynolds in 1917; the last, Bob Boozer who received the honor in both 1958 and 1959- The remaining sports should not be underempha- sized. Under the long-time leadership of Coach Ward Haylett, track has come to national prominence, pro- ducing record holders in many areas. Even baseball has had its glory. It was 1932 when Eldon Aucker, a Wildcat hurler, was named All-American. The broad expanse of the athletic program reflects the expansion of the University in every field. K-State now has teams competing in over a dozen major and minor inter-collegiate sports. Seated in the center of this KSAC basketball team of ' 06- ' 07 is Mike Ahearn in his first year of coaching at K-State. Ahearn was influential in greatly expanding and improv- ing the sports program. The fieldhouse is named for him. 20

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Completed near the turn of the century this building, dedicated as a library and agricultural science hall and Denison Hall, also named for a former president, housing chemistry, physics and electrical engineering opened in ' 02. named after former president George Fairchild, opened an era of rapid expansion that lasted until the latter 1920 ' s. Construction Surges At Turn of Century The turn of the century brought with it an increased emphasis on education and K-State was no exception among the institutions of higher learning in sharing in this growth. In the first decade and a half of the 1900 ' s, eleven new structures were com- pleted on campus, enlarging the available facilities. The enrollment jumped from 1,089 to 3,094 and admission standards were tightened to improve the quality of students. In 1910 entrance require- ments were set at eight high school units and just three years later this was raised to fifteen. In an effort to constantly improve the school, the curricula was revised in ' 04, ' 08, ' 10, and again in ' 13. It was 1912 when the college was first separated into what we know as schools, then called divisions. An addition to the excellent financial support already being received to allow growth, was the Nelson Amendment of 1907 to the Morrill Act, allowing land-grant schools the then large sum of $25,000 annually after 1911. 22