The Dawn of a Sport : Roanoke College's Track and Field Athletics Program - 1895-1930

The Rise and Fall of a College Sport

On the campus of a small southwest Virginia college, students and coaches struggled to begin and sustain their new sport of track and field athletics. The program originated in annual field days, which consisted of running, jumping, and throwing, along with fun events like sack races. By the 1920s the school tried to schedule a limited program of intercollegiate track and field meets annually. In some years, there were no meets. In others, there were only a few, although individual performances by athletes were very acceptable for a small school. Unfortunately, after 1930 the sport was eliminated altogether from campus activities, despite the recent addition of a new 440-yard cinder track. Why? Was it a lack of coaching, little money to meet expenses, or perhaps a clash with football and basketball for the best athletes? In this book, you will read about the many reasons. You will also get a meet-by-meet summary of track and field athletics at the college during the years from 1895 through 1930, with a full listing of school records.