MASSACHUSETTS
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.
Records, 1906-1970?
Archival Collection - AC 70
Access
| Copyright | Agency History
| Provenance Note
Scope and Content Note | Series List
| Series Descriptions
Container List
Exhibit: MIT Field Day
Program, 1943
28
manuscript boxes; 1 half manuscript box
Accession numbers: 1981-3, 1989-48, 1993-69
Processed
August 1981 by Joan Haas
Updated June 2002 by Alyson Reichgott and Judith Janec
ACCESS
There are no restrictions on access to this collection.
COPYRIGHT
Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should
be directed to the head of the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Athletic activities in the earlier years after MIT's establishment in 1861 were student run and supported; in order to participate, individual students paid their own expenses. Competition was largely intra-mural, with keen competition between classes. Intercollegiate events were also held, involving sports such as football, baseball, track and field, and tennis. Each team was responsible for raising funds to support its activities and for regulating and managing competitions, which after some years resulted in confusion sufficient to necessitate the establishment of an umbrella organization to provide oversight of athletic activities.
In 1904 the MIT Athletic Association (MITAA) was founded to manage and promote athletic activity at MIT, under the supervision of the Alumni Advisory Council on Athletics. A student organization, MITAA was responsible for distributing Institute funds to various sports teams, for providing general management and promotion of athletic activities at MIT, and for participating in planning and policy decisions. Membership included captains and managers of individual Institute teams and undergraduate members of the Alumni Advisory Council. When the campus moved from Back Bay, Boston, to the much larger site in Cambridge in June 1916, new facilities and space were available for athletic activities.
MITAA oversaw the activities of several athletic teams, including baseball, basketball, crew, fencing, golf, hockey, lacrosse, swimming, and tennis during the first half of the 20th century. The Association also sponsored various events, including Tech Field Day. Field Day, an annual MIT tradition of intramural competition between the freshman and sophomore classes, included favorite contests such as tug-of-war and the glove fight, a free-for-all in which participants attempted to capture the gloves and clothing of opponents.
After World War II, increased enrollment in undergraduate programs and in the Graduate School led to an awareness of the limitation of an advisory body to serve the sports, recreation, and athletic needs of MIT's larger student population. Governance of athletic activities was reorganized, and more responsibilities were assumed by the Institute. In 1947, Ivan J. Grieger became the first athletic director and director of physical education at MIT.
For more information about athletic activities at MIT and the role of MITAA, the following sources may prove helpful.
MIT Athletic Association, AC 70. Box 29, "Constitution and By-Laws of the Advisory Council on Athletics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletics Association."
Balch, Richard L., "The Role of Athletics at M.I.T.," Technology Review, November 1959, pages 30-50Berg, Warren, "Athletics at M.I.T.," Technology Review, April 1950, pages 315-330
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Athletics at M.I.T., A Handbook, Cambridge, Mass., 1978
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Intercollegiate Athletics at M.I.T., Cambridge, Mass., 1971
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Intercollegiate Athletics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., 1966
Technique, 1887-
The collection was transferred from the MIT Museum in January 1981. Additional records were accessioned in 1993.
The records of the MIT Athletic Association (MITAA) document the activities of MIT athletics during the early and mid-twentieth century. The records provide a window into a substantial activity of student life from the perspective of student leaders and athletes, and illustrate a long-standing tradition at MIT that encourages student self-governance. The bulk of the collection covers the time period 1925-1955.
Records in this collection reflect the day-to-day business of conducting athletics at MIT and chronicle the results of a wide variety of team sports in the 20th century.
Field Day, an annual MIT tradition of intramural competition between the freshman and sophomore classes, is detailed in the reports of Field Day managers (Series II. Manager's Reports) and in Field Day programs (Series IV. MITAA Events).
The management of the MIT Athletic Association and information about its membership and committee activities is also included. Programs from various MITAA events and MITAA publications (including their constitution and by-laws) chronicle the history of athletics at MIT and the role this student association played in promoting sports activities.
Two volumes covering the years 1929-1931 were removed and discarded due to mold and water damage.
Series
I. Athletic Budgets and Financial Records, 1917-1958
Series II. Manager's Reports, 1921-1955
Series III. MITAA Committee Records, 1915-1965
Series IV. MITAA Events, 1906-1950
Series V. MITAA Publications, 1911-197?
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
SERIES
I. ATHLETIC BUDGETS AND FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1917-1958.
This series constitutes the bulk of the collection. It consists mainly
of financial statements and related material, with the exception of the
academic years 1943-1944 and 1944-1945. In the athletic budget volumes
(1917-1948), each entry includes current and previous year budget statistics,
itemized travel and equipment expenditures, season schedules with scores
and meet outcomes, and income lists. Please note that date ranges refer
to academic years, not calendar years.
SERIES
II. MANAGER'S REPORTS, 1921-1955.
This series consists of annual reports of the managers of various teams.
Sports covered include: baseball, basketball, boxing and wrestling, crew,
fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, pistol, rifle, sailing, skiing,
soccer, squash, swimming, and tennis. Also included are annual reports
on equipment and field days, which contain clippings and programs. Please
note that date ranges refer to academic years, not calendar years, and
that for some years reports are not included.
SERIES III. MITAA COMMITTEE RECORDS, 1915-1965.
This series consists of Publicity Committee reports, Executive Committee
reports and minutes, and membership lists for some of these years.
SERIES
IV. MITAA EVENTS, 1906-1950.
This series includes programs from events sponsored by MITAA, including
dual track meets between Harvard and MIT (1920-1922), Tech Field Days
(intermittent issues between 1906-1950), and the 1947 Tech's-A-Poppin,
a weekend of athletic competition and social activities.
SERIES
V. MITAA PUBLICATIONS, 1911-197?
This series is composed of publications produced by MITAA, including various
editions of the constitution and by-laws of the MIT Athletic Advisory
Board and MITAA (1911-1932), informational brochures about athletic activities
at MIT, and "Beaver Sports Brief," a summary of sporting activities
and results in the 1940s.
Box Folder Contents SERIES I. ATHLETIC BUDGETS AND FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1917-1958 1 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1917-1922 1 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1923-1924 1 3 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1924-1925 2 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1925-1926 2 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1926-1927 3 1 Budget Committee, MIT, athletic budget, 1927-1928 3 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1928-1929 Records for 1929-30 and 1930-31 have been withdrawn. 4 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1931-1932 5 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1932-1933 6 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1933-1934 6 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1934-1935 7 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1935-1936 7 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1936-1937 8 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1937-1938 8 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1938-1939 9 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1939-1940 9 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1940-1941 10 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1942-1943 10 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1945-1946 11 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1946-1947 11 2 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1947-1948: vol. I 12 1 Budget Committee, MIT athletic budget, 1947-1948: vol. II 12 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1948-1949: vol. I 13 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1948-1949: vol. II 13 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1949-1950: vol. I 14 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1949-1950: vol. II 14 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1950-1951: vol. I 15 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1950-1951: vol. II 15 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1951-1952: vol. I 15 3 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1951-1952: vol. II 16 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1952-1953: vol. I 16 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1952-1953: vol. II 16 3 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1953-1954: vol. I 17 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1953-1954: vol. II 17 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1954-1955: vol. I 17 3 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1954-1955: vol. II 18 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1955-1956: vol. I 18 2 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1955-1956: vol. II 18 3 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1956-1957 19 1 Financial records, MIT Athletic Association, 1957-1958 SERIES II. MANAGER'S REPORTS, 1921-1955 19 2 Baseball, 1924-1925, 1931-1933, 1935-1936, 1947- 1948, 1949-1950 Basketball, 1929-1932, 1933-1934, 1935-1942, 1949- 1951, 1953-1954 19 3 Boxing, 1921-1922, 1936-1937 Wrestling, 1929-1934, 1935-1942, 1946-1954 20 1 Crew, 1930-1931, 1932-1940, 1943-1948: vol. I 20 2 Crew, 1948-1951: vol. II 21 1 Equipment, 1935-1942, 1946-1949, 1950-1951, 1952- 1953, 1954-1955 21 2 Fencing, 1930-1933, 1934-1939, 1940-1943, 1946- 1947, 1950-1951, 1952-1953, 1954-1955 Golf, 1930-1931, 1935-1940, 1941-1942, 1949-1951, 1954-1955 Gymnastics, 1929-1937, 1938-1940, 1941-1942 22 1 Field Day, vol. 1: 1929-1936 23 1 Field Day, vol. 2: 1937-1941, 1943-1944, 1946 24 1 Field Day, vol. 3: 1947-1949, 1951, 1954 24 2 Hockey, 1930-1931, 1936-1940, 1941-1942 Lacrosse, 1930-1931, 1932-1943, 1945-1947 Pistol, 1938-1941, 1946-1947, 1948-1949, 1951-1952 25 1 Rifle, 1931-1933, 1935-1940, 1948-1950 Sailing, 1950-1953 Skiing, 1951-1954 Soccer, 1930-1933, 1934-1941 25 2 Squash, 1931-1935, 1936-1941, 1943-1944, 1946-1949, 1950-1951 26 1 Swimming, 1929-1932, 1935-1941, 1942-1943, 1945- 1954 26 2 Frosh swim results, 1923-1957 26 3 Swimming team meet reports, 1915-1948 26 4 Swimming team meet reports, 1948-1954 27 1 Tennis, 1930-1932, 1933-1935, 1936-1939, 1940-1942, 1943-1946, 1952-1955 SERIES III. COMMITTEE RECORDS, 1921-1965 28 1 Publicity Committee reports, 1930-1932, 1936-1938 Executive Committee reports, 1921-1922, 1942-1943, 1944-1945 Executive Committee minutes, 1940-1950 28 2 Executive Committee minutes, 1956-1963 28 3 Athletic Association minutes, 1956-1965 28 4 Athletic Association membership lists, 1952-1965 SERIES IV. MITAA EVENTS, 1906-1950 29 1 Dual Track and Field Meet, Harvard vs Technology, 1920-22 29 2 Tech Field Day, 1906, 1922, 1939, 1941, 1943-44, 1946-47, 1950 29 3 Tech's-A-Poppin, 1947 SERIES V. MITAA PUBLICATIONS, 1911-197? 29 4 Constitution and By-Laws of the Advisory Council on Athletics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletic Association, 1911, 1919, 1922, 1929, 1932, 1937 29 5 "Athletics at MIT," n.d. and "Intercollegiate Athletics at MIT, " 1966-197? 29 6 "Beaver Sport Briefs," n.d.
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