Northwestern took its
first steps into intercollegiate athletics during the term of
President Henry Wade Rogers, who served from 1890 to 1900.
Rogers believed that
student athletics could improve student health. It could "teach
self-mastery, the ability to control one's temper, and to work
with others," not to mention suppress that "annoying feature of
college life:" the college prank.
In 1895 Rogers joined
the presidents of several top Midwestern schools to consider the
regulation of college athletics. (A future issue will feature
the creation of The Big Ten Conference.) What resulted from that
initial meeting was the Presidents' Rules, which included a provision
that all games would be contested on grounds owned by one of the
participating schools.
While Northwestern
did not distinguish itself in intercollegiate competition during
the 1890s, a growing interest in the contests focused attention
on the need for better playing facilities. Early in the decade,
the trustees directed the creation of a field and grandstand,
named Sheppard Field in honor of Robert D. Sheppard, University
business manager and donor of lumber for the area's fence. It
served as the University's primary athletic grounds until 1905,
when Northwestern Field opened on Central Street west of Ridge
Avenue.
In 1910 Patten Gymnasium
rose on the site now occupied by the Technological Institute.
The building was considered a hallmark work of architect George
W. Maher and vastly improved Northwestern's prospects in athletics.
It included an indoor track, a swimming pool, exercise rooms and
a baseball practice area. The gym's showcase event came in 1939,
only months before it was razed, when it hosted the first NCAA
basketball championship. By 1941, a new gym of the same name was
constructed on the north campus.
Upon taking office
in 1920, President Walter Dill Scott made the construction of
an outdoor stadium a top priority. At the urging of Business Manager
William A. Dyche, the trustees appointed a committee to plan the
new facility. Dyche Stadium was completed in 1926 and named in
honor of Dyche for his part in promoting the project.
One of the key gifts
of the University's Centennial Campaign of the 1950s came from
Foster G. McGaw, founder of American Hospital Supply, with whom
President Roscoe Miller had developed a warm relationship. The
two often discussed the University's most pressing needs, including
a top-notch gymnasium to replace the old Patten Gymnasium. For
a little more than a decade, Northwestern's basketball team had
been forced to play its home games at Evanston High School, a
practice that ran counter to the earlier provision of the President's
Rules. However, in 1953, McGaw Memorial Hall opened and provided
not only a first-class home for basketball, but also a venue for
major convocations as the Chicago area's largest auditorium north
of the Loop.
In 1956, Northwestern
hosted its second NCAA basketball championship there. In 1983,
the University completed a dramatic interior renovation that included
the creation of Welsh-Ryan Arena, the current home for men's and
women's basketball and high profile events such as commencement
ceremonies and rock concerts.
Over the last half-century,
as interest in intercollegiate athletics reached new heights,
demands have intensified on the student-athlete. Northwestern
has kept pace by adding facilities designed to enhance training,
practice and sports medicine. The Byron S. Coon Strength and Conditioning
Center and Trienens Hall, an indoor practice facility, sit at
the north end of the recently renovated football stadium, renamed
Ryan Field to honor the support of the family of current Board
Chairman Patrick G. Ryan. The centerpiece of the Campaign for
Athletic Excellence, Ryan Field features a three-tiered press
box with luxury seating and the state-of-the-art Buehler Sports
Medicine Center.
Northwestern's pursuit
of athletic excellence continues into the new century. An indoor
tennis center is currently on the construction drawing board.
The Combe Tennis Center, eventual home to the men's and women's
tennis teams, will include six courts, locker rooms, training
facilities and spectator seating.
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