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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1950)
Page 2 THE BATTALION Thursday, November 9,1950 Football Team of 1900 First ’Mural Teams Paid $10 to Play; Program Has Expanded Since 1910 The football team of 1900 won two games, lost two and tied one. Both losses were to the Uni versity of Texas, 5-0, and 11-0, and W. A. Brown was the Aggies coach while R. tained the team. Brown cap- Editorials - Enjoy All Sports' The Battalion, Oct. 17, 1906— At the beginning- of the football season, when the interest of all is centered on one of the most strenuous of sports, it may be well to suggest that football is not the only American game, though it is now the most important one. In other words, this may be an oppor tune moment to call your attention to' the fact that no one need de spair who cannot play football; that there are games in which all may take part. We want the students to keep up their interest in football, but at the same time to take more in terest in the lighter sports. It cannot be denied that many men are barred from playing football by the very nature of the game. Some do not like its roughness, and perhaps are not strong enough to play. Others cannot give suf ficient time to the game to enable them to gain any proficiency in it. These men should not drop all ex ercise but what they get at drill. They should go in for something like tennis. Under the present conditions, a few men do the playing for the whole corps. We want to make every man a player. We believe that if all took part in athletics the intellectual and moral tone of the College would be raised; and we know that the students would be in better physical condition. College and company athletics would be benefited accordingly. March 18, 1908—With the ap proach of summer our gi’ay uni forms begin to feel uncomfortably warm. We hope soon to be allowed to wear drill shirts—a privilege which is usually granted with seeming reluctance and rather late in the season. The authorities never seem to have any great love for “Uniform No. 2” no matter how comfortable its wearers may feel. Perhaps it might be better to have a uniform of Khaki for hot weather wear. This could be worn on almost all occasions, and there would be no objection to it on the score of looks. As the cost of a Khaki uniform is not more than what one pays for two drill shirts and a campaign hat, no one could object to the innovation as being too expensive. Wearing Khaki we believe the cadets would present a more pleasing appearance and feel more comfortable than when wearing the drill shirts and heavy gray trousers of “No. 2.” A&M's Third SWC Champioship The early intramural program at Texas A&M was carried out by | company teams playing each other in football and baseball. The plan called for each team to put up $10.00 which, at the end of the season would be used to buy sweat ers with company letters on them for the winning team. This plan was successful until the expansion of the college ne cessitated another broader pro gram, and in 1910 a league was formed which comprised teams from each Battalion. The company adjutants served as team manag ers. In 1911 a Student’s Athletic Council was formed for the pur pose of settling all disputes and protests, but this plan did not live up to expectations and on October 7, 1912 a Company Athletic Coun cil was organized. This council was composed of three Majors, one Captain from each Battalion, a Secretary, and the college Athletic Director. Later the council was re vised and consisted of a President, a Secretary, and six voting mem bers. Prexy Directed The college Athletic Director was the President and the Secre tary was elected by the council it self. The six voting members in cluded three Majors, two company Captains who were elected by all the company Captains, and the last member was the Captain of the var sity team whose sport was in sea son. In 1914 an All-Company team was selected and those men chosen were presented with miniature sil ver footballs. Basketball was an other innovation to be introduced in 1914. Basketball did not prog ress too rapidly until 1916 when two leag-ues were formed, the Na tional and the Amex-ican. A “worlds series,” which consisted of three games, was played by the winners from each league to determine the college champion. Driven Submits Plan In 1918 during the time when the Student’s Athletic Training Council was at A&M, C. K. Driven, the Athletic Director, submitted a plan to train 1500 students in ath letics daily between the hours of 4:30 and 5:30 in the afternoon. The success of this plan was rath er doubtful, but it was significant in that it produced a large scale interest in intramural athletics at Texas A&M. Crosb-country teams were fielded by the battalions in 1922 and jer seys xvere awarded to the partici pants. Intramural interest widened con siderably at Aggieland and this ne- j cessitated a more comprehensive organization in the administration of intramural activities. A com mittee which was composed of H. H. House as chairman, E. E. Mc- Quillen, Dr. J. O. Morgan, N. J. Dansby, and P. V. Wasburn drew up a constitution and a set of by laws which was submitted to and approved by the Athletic Council in May, 1925. An intramural board which was to be the supreme being in intra mural athletics was created. This jumped from 220 man sports to board included one professor of physical education, one member of the faculty who was appointed by the athletic council, a senior manager of Intramural Athletics, one senior student representative to act as secretary, and the direc tor of intramural athletics who reigned as chairman of the Board. Certain rules of eligibility were set forth which stated that— @ Each man will play with the unit with which he lives. © Any students who has repre sented any recognized senior col lege in a conference contest is in eligible. ® Any student barred from Var sity Athletics because of profes sionalism shall be barred from the sport in intramurals in which he is a professional. During the 1926-27 school year under the directorship of H. H. House the intramural program in cluded Football and Basketball, and in 1928 D. X. Bible, the Athletic Director, hired W. L. Penberthy from Ohio State, who set up the present intramural program. Years of 1927-28 The 1927-28 intramural program included four Basketball leagues; 118 men playing Tennis; 16 Cross- Country teams; fou’r leagues in Volley Ball; seven Battalion Foot ball teams; 41 men Boxing; 44 men Wrestling; 96 men participating in singles and doubles Handball; txvo leagues in Speedball; Swimming meet in which 72 men swam; a Track meet which included all events; four leagues in Horse shoes; and a league in which there were 22 softball teams. “F” Co. Infantry won the first Intramural Championship. The 1928-29 program showed an addition of Golf and Rifle teams and Handball became a team sport. During the 1934-35 school year touch football replaced battalion football because the athletic de partment was not able to supply the needed equipment for the many new teams resulting from college expansion. Also, on the advice of Art Adamson, who • had noticed a tremendous increase in the interest for water polo, this water sport was added to the intramural pro gram. Program in 1936 In 1936 a separate program was initiated for freshmen which dup licated the upperclassmen’s pro gram. The following year the phy sical department and intramurals were administered by the physical education department. 1938 saw the addition of open tournaments in handball and ten nis to the regular team competition. 1939 marked a change of policy in the officiating of intramural sports in that the officials were paid while the managers were not. This was brought about by the N.Y.A. program instituted by the federal government. Participation Jumps During the years 1927 through 1942 participation in intramurals Ag Nine Wins 13 Games, SWC Title Upllege Station, April, 1937 — By winning 13 out of 15 games the Texas Aggies have brought home to' Aggieland the 1937 Baseball Championship. The Aggie diamond- men were not the most polished ball players, but were CHAM PIONS in every sense of the word. When the chips were down and defeat was imminent they turned the tide and emerged victors, and this was possible through team spirit and determination and the able coaching of J. V. Sikes, him self a nine letter winner at Texas A&M. The Athletic department turned over to the Treasurer, $1,880.00 and received from the Treasurer $606.00. It gained for the season $1273.40. 1876 It is our sincere hope and desire that every man will continue to do his part so that Texas A&M will grow into an even greater builder. Through these trying years, Texas A&M Col lege has proven itself to be a leader among build ers. Not just builders in an educational sense, but builders of men. 1956 CAMPUS CLEANERS TEXAS AGGIES since 1876 We have made every effort to progress as much as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas 75 GLORIOUS YEARS CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES ON has in these past 75 yeras. MENDL And HORNAK has been serving you since 1920 with the best in military uniforms. To Dr. Harrington we extend our sincere good wishes, and congratulations. Let us strive together to build an A & M College that will be bigger and better in every way. your uniform tailor MENDL& HORNAK 24,000 and closest behind the Ag gies was the University of Michi gan with 18,000 man sports. In 1942 Spike White, who had been director of intramurals since 1940, was called to military duty and was relieved by Nicky Ponthieux who served in this capacity for a year. Penberthy took over until the re turn of White in 1946, and in 1947 Barney Welch was apopinted direc tor. During the war with the col lege on the three semester sched ule the intramural program was also on this schedule and awarded three championships a year. In 1946 with the return of so many veterans a three program schedule was instituted; veterans, military, and freshmen. There were 15 veteran teams the first year and they participated in all sports which were offered by the intramural department. Duplicate at Annex With the annex came a duplicate of the intramural program on the main campus and was directed by Luke Harrison until he was reliev ed in 1948 by Nicky Ponthieux who canned on the program until the annex was abolished in 1950. Due to all this expansion the intramural program was transferred to the Office of Student Activities. Beginning in 1947 touch football was changed to flag football and A&M was the first college to adopt this form of intramural football. Soon afterward colleges all over the nation were incorporating it into their intramural programs. Another memorable event in in tramural history came this year when sports clubs were formed for the purposes of furthering com petition and sponsoring inter-col lege competition in sports not han dled by the athletic department. The first of these was badmin ton, volleyball, and handball. The senior cjfass of 1947 built and dedicated to W. L. Penberthy an intrmural message center which now stands in front of Duncan Mess Hall. Laid in concrete in front of the Message Center are the names of the team champions and their managers since 1926. Along either side, and also recorded in concrete, are the names of the six intramural managers who wer# killed during World War II. Those names recorded are Kyle Drake, A. F. Rideout, Bill Trodlier, J. P. Olsen, Webb Lipscomb, and Jack Nagle. Program in 1948 In 1948 weightlifting, gymnas tics, tumbling, soccer, and wrestl ing were added to the Sports Club Program along with the engaging of other colleges and YMCA teams in contests throughout the state. Intramurals at A&M have pro duced a number of outstanding stu dent assistant directors, among them being Joe Hovsepian, Don Proctor, A. F. “Bud” Denton, Les Palmer, and Wally Beck. The leadership of the intramural pro gram is built from a graduated managerial system in which nine junior managers are selected from an unlimited number of sophomore managers and from these nine jun iors who served the previous year are selected four senior managers. To facilitate the seventeen sports offered by the intramural program the college maintains 22 concrete tennis courts, 3 doubles handball courts, 4 basketball courts, 20 soft- ball diamonds, one of which is light ed, 5 flag football fields, 18 horse shoe courts, 6 volleyball courts, a gym, and the P. L. Downs Jr. Na- tatorium. CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Fins Experienced Help and Prompt Service, Too! Prompt efficient supply service, top quality materials, and a will ingness to help with all construc tion problems built this business. Experience has taught us many solutions to construction prob lems resulting in quicker, cleaner installations and dollars saved. Delivery where you want it. . . . is the byword at Lofland. Our help and advice is yours for the asking. Call Kurt Seidel ’36 for detailed information and prices . . . anytime. Never any obliga tion. The Lofland Company 5211) Maple Ave., P.O. Box 1210 Phone LO-5223 Dallas, Texas Our Compliments To Dr. M. T. Harrincjton and to TEXAS A&M on its 75 th ANNIVERSARY Dr. M. T. Harrington ADA OIL CO. Gulf Coast Distributors Bryan, Texas PHONE 2-5822