Virginia Tech History Resources: Athletics
About Athletics at Virginia Tech
While some sports were played in the early days of the College, the first formal effort to organize campus sports was in 1891 with the formation of the Athletic Association. In 1901, the president appointed a faculty committee to administer the expanding athletic program. Then, a reorganization plan entrusted control of athletics to three committees: an advisory council, executive committee, and a faculty committee on athletics. In 1904, the general manager position was created, along with an Athletic Council to control college athletics. The Athletic Council governed the body of athletics, and the Athletic Association was the operating organization and a non-stock corporation under state law until 1990. In 1990, Virginia Tech athletics were reorganized and put under the direct control of the university. The Association founded the student newspaper in 1903 and operated it as their official organ until the student body assumed control in 1931. The Association also owned and operated the College Bookstore from 1911 until 1968 when VPI Facilities, Inc., assumed control.
General Information
See also the Administration subpages as many of the collections listed may contain information related to the Athletics Association.
Online Histories, Exhibits, and Digitized Materials
- "Athletics" page on VT History websiteIncludes the history of specific sports, information about the Hall of Fame and All-Americans, athletic directors, and more.
- Pre-World War II Thanksgiving at V.P.I. (Archived)
This is a digitized version of Harry Temple's publication, Pre-World War II Thanksgiving at V.P.I., which discusses the annual VPI vs VMI football game. (Some links may be broken as this is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 1996.) - VT Athletics on ImageBaseImages from Sports Information (now part of University Relations) includes photos of athletes, games, and memorabilia. You must have VT login to access images. However, if you search ImageBase for athletics, you will be able to find some of these images in the search results.
- Sports and Games at Virginia Tech in ImageBaseImages of athletics, held by Special Collections and University Archives
- Black History at Virginia Tech digital collectionThis digital collection from SCUA Online documents the history of Black people and organizations at Virginia Tech. It contains digital versions of SCUA collection materials and is categorized by topic, including athletics, Black organizations, Board of Visitors, Events, Issues, People, and more. This material is also used as part of the Black History at VT Timeline.
Collections
These record groups contain official records, flyers, photographs, and more pertaining to the Virginia Cooperative Extension and affiliated organizations. The records are divided into assigned Record Groups designated by the prefix, RG. The Department of Athletics records are designated as RG 10/x, while Recreational Sports are in RG 8/8/1 and RG 17/5/x. RG 31/14/x and RG 31/15/x include related student groups and the Cheerleading Association.
- Record Groups in the University ArchivesThis list includes the major overview of the University Archives' Record Groups. Record Groups are the official records of the university held by Special Collections and University Archives. This includes official records, newspaper clippings, and printed material. There are two versions, a spreadsheet for sorting and filtering and a document that includes a page per RG number.
- Record Group Vertical FilesThe Record Group Vertical Files contain newspaper clippings, pamphlets, brochures, posters, flyers, and more related to departments, schools, colleges, and administrative offices in the university, including press releases, courses, buildings, public events, and more.
- Virginia Tech and Local History Mounted ClippingsPrinted material in this collection are organized by subject, dated from the 1870s thru 1960s. There are sections on individuals, marriages, war service, academia, athletics, and more. If you know the unit an individual worked or studied in, you could look thru that unit in case they are included.
- Historical Photograph CollectionThe photograph collection at Special Collections and University Archives consists primarily of historical photographs of Virginia Tech, dating back to the 1890s. The collection is also home to historic images of Blacksburg, Montgomery County, the New River Valley, and Southwest Virginia in general. A photograph collection of faculty and staff from the university is maintained separately.
- Records of the Office of the President, William E. Lavery, RG 2/12William Edward Lavery (1930-2009) was president of Virginia Tech from 1975 to 1987. The collection contains mainly incoming and outgoing correspondence (1975-1987) concerning college activities and issues of Lavery's administration including admission and records; commencement exercises; inaugural activities; homecoming; the Alumni Association; faculty and student affairs; the College of Veterinary Medicine; speeches and speech material. The collection also contains correspondence from alumni expressing their perspectives on the negative publicity surrounding the Athletic Association and Virginia Tech Basketball.
- Clarence Paul Miles Papers, Ms1961-003Papers of Virginia Tech graduate, professor of modern languages, director of athletics, and dean of the college Clarence Paul "Sally" Miles, including grade books for courses in French and German, together with personal memorabilia and photographs.
- C. Hunter Carpenter Collection, Ms1970-006Packet of material assembled to nominate C. Hunter Carpenter, a Virginia Tech graduate, for the National Football Hall of Fame (today known as the College Football Hall of Fame). Includes photostatic copies of biographical information, photographs and letters from teammates and opposing players, including Charles D. Daly, J. Ambler Johnston, John R. Hutcheson, and George C. Marshall.
- Hard Times Blues Collection, Ms2019-038The Hard Times Blues Collection contains materials about the play Hard Times Blues by Lucy Sweeney and its production by the Dumas Theatre Troupe in 2003. Items include background research, correspondence, and a 2019 revised copy of the play as well as programs, flyers, photographs, and a newspaper article about the 2003 production. The play is about Blacksburg local and Virginia Tech employee Floyd "Hardtimes" Meade (1882-1941), who was influential as a mascot performer and turkey trainer for football games. His turkeys served as an early predecessor to the HokieBird mascot representing Virginia Tech today.
Publications
- Publications and videorecording related to the HokieBird and mascots in the University LibrariesIncludes fictional children's books as well as info on the tradition of the HokieBird
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Land & Labor Acknowledgement
We thank the American Indian & Indigenous Community Center for providing this statement:
Virginia Tech acknowledges that we live and work on the Tutelo / Monacan People’s homeland and we recognize their continued relationships with their lands and waterways. We further acknowledge that legislation and practices like the Morrill Act (1862) enabled the commonwealth of Virginia to finance and found Virginia Tech through the forced removal of Native Nations from their lands, both locally and in western territories.
We understand that honoring Native Peoples without explicit material commitments falls short of our institutional responsibilities. Through sustained, transparent, and meaningful engagement with the Tutelo / Monacan Peoples, and other Native Nations, we commit to changing the trajectory of Virginia Tech's history by increasing Indigenous student, staff, and faculty recruitment and retention, diversifying course offerings, and meeting the growing needs of all Virginia tribes and supporting their sovereignty.
We must also recognize that enslaved Black people generated revenue and resources used to establish Virginia Tech and were prohibited from attending until 1953. Through InclusiveVT, the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence, we commit to advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.