HIS301: Historical Writing: UB Athletics History
UB Athletics History - An Introduction
The University at Buffalo has a long and colorful college sports history starting in 1894 when 14 UB students formed the first football team. One notable event was the 1958 football team winning the Lambert Cup, followed closely by an invitation for the team to participate in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando. The team ultimately decided not to attend as Florida was segregated, and Black teammates Willie Evans and Mike Wilson would have been banned from playing.
A key moment in the history of women's sports at UB was in 1922 when Lillias MacDonald, Dean of Women, established a physical education program for women, which included the Women's Athletic Association (WAA). Another milestone was the passing of Title IX in 1972, stating "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." After 1972, Women's Cross Country, Track, Soccer, and Softball were added as varsity sports. A Title IX trailblazer, Nanette (Nan) Harvey served the Bulls for 30 years, first as a two-sport student-athlete, then as a coach, and finally as an administrator. Nan Harvey softball field at UB is named in her honor.
Notable athletic events hosted at UB were the Empire State Games (1985-1986) and the international collegiate World University Games (1993). UB is also known for it's Marching Band, the Thunder of the East.
Images
Willie Evans, UB Varsity Football team player, 1958-1959 season. #UBS_1958F_0511, UB Sports History
UB Women's Tennis Club team, 1923 season. #UBS_1923WS_0101, UB Sport History
UB Women's Basketball team player takes a free throw in a game with Alfred University, 1984 season. #UBS_10206_001, UB Sports History
Illustration of a UB Hockey team player, 1923. #UBS_1923H_0036, UB Sports History
Thunder of the East Marching Band trumpet player performing at Homecoming, 2006. #20224002, UB Photo Database Archives
UB Women's Field Hockey players at practice in front of Hayes Hall, 1953-1954 season. #UBS_1954WS_0061, UB Sports History
World University Games opening ceremony at Ralph Wilson Stadium, 1993. #2078, UB Photo Database Archives
UB Women's Diving team member in action, 1990 season. #UBS_15100_001, UB Sports History
Cheerleader in air during game, 2000. #1004066, UB Photo Database Archives
Online Resources
Use the following resources to supplement your primary source research.
- Finding Aids database
- Finding aids are documents that describe/list the items in archival collections
- Navigate to the link to conduct a search for a subject or topic to reveal relevant collections in the University Archives
- If you see the description of an item you would like to view, contact lib-archives@buffalo.edu
- UB Sports History database - Browse for timelines and images of UB Athletics
- UB Digital Collections
- UB Sports History image collection
- Buffalonian yearbooks - Click on yearbooks to see action and team shots of UB Athletics
- University Archives Historical Film Collection - Search for the word "football" to see film of games
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- UB Homecoming guide - Information about Homecoming football games, events, and Queens and Kings
- UB Bee (1921-1950) via NYS Historic Newspapers
- Full-text searchable database, allowing you browse issues of the Bee, 1921-1950
- Navigate to the search bar to conduct an advanced search
- UB Spectrum (1955-1979) via NYS Historic Newspapers
- Full-text searchable database, allowing you browse issues of the Spectrum, 1955-1979 (missing a couple years in the '60s)
- Navigate to the search bar to conduct an advanced search
- See other years, 1950-1952 and 1952-1955 here
- After 1979, you can browse the Spectrum via Digital Collections, but this does not have a search feature
Recommended Collections
Please use these recommend resources to identify a collection or primary source of interest for your project. You can also conduct your own keyword search via our Finding Aids Database. If you see the description of an item you would like to view, contact lib-archives@buffalo.edu.
- 31-0-173, 31-0-855, 31-0-1102: Division of Athletics media guides
- 31-0-1238: UB Athletics History records
- 31-0-1349: Division of Athletics History collection [analog material]
- 31-0-1349: Division of Athletics History collections [digital material]
- 31-3-1355: Willie Evans collection
- 31-13-1415: Pete Weber University at Buffalo Play by Play collection
- 31-1-931: Athletics NCAA Self Study Materials
- 31-11-1411: Frank J. Cipolla Marching Band collection
- 31-3-1303: Tom Borrelli University at Buffalo football programs collection
- 3-4-1408: Bruce A. Kolesnick World University Games collection
- 3-4-700: Empire State Games ephemera and artifacts
- University Archives Historical Film Collection
- Nan Harvey biographical file