Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

Page 16 text:

'Nineties brought sports to Normal 'if' njune of 1897 the Attorney General of Indiana stated that the Normal School had the legal right to pro- P vide courses in physical education. Departments of Physical Education for both men and women were set up during that year. The established Student Athletic Association pre- sented a petition to the Board requesting that a suit- able field or grounds for athletic games and practice be provided. The problem of meeting this request was not an easy one. In fact, it was to wait forty-eight years for an adequate solution. The Board asked President Parsons to confer with the officers of the Athletic Association. and after a few years Parsons Field was added to the facilities of the Normal School. The sec- ond field, located on South 17th Street, was purchased in 1909 following sale of the first field. The first outdoor sport to be taken up by the Normal School students was baseball. From year to year baseball teams were hastily organized after the opening of the spring quarter. Since traveling expenses made inter-collegiate contests impossible, a strong rivalry arose between the Normal School and Rose Polytechnic Institute. The schedule generally consisted of two games per year. Twelve Baseball was the first outdoor sport to be played by Normal students. -sl'.f.i21' Parsons Field was the scene of many baseball and football contests.

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-V.. The second Normal Building. Old Main , opened for classes in the fall of 1888. After the extinguishing ofthe fire, all that was left was smoking, broken walls of the building, six-hundred earnest students, about thirty faculty members, and the intangible real spirit of the Indiana State Normal School . After the fire, President Parsons and Vice- President Howard Sandison announced that classes would resume at 8:50 a.m. the following morning, Through the courtesy of the churches and private citi- zens of Terre Haute, temporary classrooms were made available. The Centenary Methodist Church was the main center until the second floor of the city high school was sufficiently equipped and conditioned to serve as quarters until the end of the school year. Steps were immediately taken to erect another building on the old foundation. As a result of a petition signed by more than twelve hundred citizens, the City council appropriated 325,000 for the school on April 17. This was clone by a unanimous vote. while there was only one dissenting vote on july 5 when an addi- tional 325,000 was appropriated. At the next session of the state legislature a total of 3100,000 was ap- propriatedg 360,000 for the restoration of the main building, 313,000 for the boiler house, 315,000 for the library and 312,000 for the science equipment, fur- niture, and incidentals. This money was used to com- plete the new building, referred to as Old Main , which opened its unfinished doors for the fall term of 1888. Eleven ll , l MII! ,..-as aqua- N do -'vs - fs 5 ' 'il , III' ' .Nl ' N , te Q . A -ti. ,,.!!. , H3 gf, ill. , . .1 V , J , Q I M- i g zu . ,, , i as .,..,'- . x ,few N' L - .. - V ' fr. X' '-ai o: f. Q N 'e-' 1.-T . .- J ' ' 5 A . V rs 1 ' A-.41 . ,. A .,, , t , it - -0 :af ,faj.,Wfm0?t1e, 1 r' f- . '- ' , ,....Qi-Q.,-A . .. Qi , -Z -'73 . ' '1Z'a,g1 ,,.'.'-, 'I .- .Ti-13? 'sfo ' Students were packed and ready to leave Terre Ha-ute from Union Station when President Parsons and Vice-President Sandison .in- nnunced that classes would resume at 8,50 A M the following day. After the second floor of the City High School building was equipped, classes were moved there from Centenary Church, .xi

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Football and basketball were initiated at Normal in 1894. The first football game ever played in Parke County was scheduled on Thanksgiving Day between college players from Rockville, Indiana home on va- cations and the Normal. The game was witnessed by a large crowd. most of whom had never seen such a contest. Students organized the Athletic Association in the hope that regular contests would be established. How- ever, the Association had to be reorganized several times and it was many years before Normal School teams were formalized and a schedule of games played each season. From 1908 to 1920 the football program was banned by the faculty. In the first recorded basketball game Normal started off on the winning side with a 20-17 victory over the Terre Haute YMCA. The Normal Athletic Association became a mem- ber ofthe Indiana Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association in 1895. This state organization soon started an annual track and field meet which was held at the various state institutions. In addition to the standard track and field events. the meets included bicycle races. the running hop-step-and-jump, the mile walk, and the high kick. Normal School, as a member of the state organization, was able to enter a number of track and field men in the various. The late 1890's brought football to the Stare Normal School. The basement of Normal Hall was a gymnasia However the ground floor was supported by sturdy posts Even when well padded, these posts proved to be awkward obstacles to basketball players. gf nf 'X' Thirteen 5 5