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In the latter years
of the 19th century, when many American colleges and universities
began to establish formal sports programs, Northwestern President
Henry Wade Rogers endorsed student athletics on many counts.
However, Rogers
thought that athletic activities should be regulated so that they
did not interfere with studies, become an end in themselves or
be carried to the point where they became dangerous to life and
limb.
"In the West,"
he noted, "college athletics have never been carried to the
excess that has characterized the eastern institutions."
And thus, a University
faculty committee was formed in 1891 to consider the entire question
of the conduct and control of athletics at Northwestern. The following
year the committee adopted rules forbidding competition with professional
teams and requiring players to meet certain academic standards.
A year later supervision was tightened further with the appointment
of a Committee on the Regulation of Athletic Sports, made up of
three alumni and three undergraduates.
In 1895 Rogers
joined the presidents of the universities of Chicago, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue at a conference in Chicago
to consider the regulation of intercollegiate athletics.
This initial meeting
produced what became known as the Presidents’ Rules. The
rules included the following: each college was to have a supervisory
athletic committee; each contestant was to be a bona fide student
of six months’ residence; no coach or professional athlete
could compete; and players could receive no payment for their
participation.
A year later in
1896 representatives of the seven universities met again to create
a permanent faculty organization to supervise sports among the
group. Named the Intercolle-giate Conference of Faculty Representatives,
this board was subsequently enlarged and became The Big Ten Conference.
In 1899 Indiana
University and the University of Iowa accepted invitations to
membership, and Ohio State University became the 10th member in
1912. The University of Chicago withdrew in 1946 and was replaced
three years later by Michigan State University.
In 1952 the conference
created the Council of Ten composed of the presidents of each
institution. The council was empowered to appoint the conference
commissioner and to approve the annual budget of the office. The
presidents’ powers did not extend much further as control
of rules and regulations remained in the hands of the faculty
representatives and athletic directors.
Throughout the
1900s, Northwestern’s performance in athletics (including
tennis, swimming, track, wrestling, golf and fencing) garnered
several championships. The fortunes of the football team, though,
slumped to a point in 1955 at which time the Daily Northwestern
demanded the University withdraw from The Big Ten. Only six years
removed from a triumphant Rose Bowl win over California-Berkeley,
the team fell to last place.
President J. Roscoe
Miller rejected the idea of withdrawal, however, emphasizing the
benefits of student athletics to the undergraduate experience.
Further, he felt that withdrawal from the conference – of
which Northwestern had been a founding member – would jeopardize
alumni and student support. In any case, Miller saw no other group
comparable to The Big Ten in prestige, competition and tradition.
Today, the tradition
of the conference endures. It continues to be known as The Big
Ten despite growing to 11 schools with the addition of Penn State
University in 1990. The conference now sponsors 25 annual championships
– 12 for men and 13 for women. From its headquarters near
Chicago, it manages more than 250 live television events, provides
legislative and compliance services, oversees championships and
tournaments, and services more than 400 coaching and administrative
personnel.
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