University of Virginia Library

XVI. Athletics—Continued

By the year 1896, the Faculty had become so philosophically
reconciled to the existence of the acute interest
now felt by the students in every branch of athletic sport
that they actually, on one occasion, granted to the baseball
team an extra day to enable it to play an important
game. It should, however, be mentioned that, in this
instance, the proceeds were to be used to swell the restoration
fund; but not even so patriotic a motive as this
would, at an earlier day, have caused that body to consent
to the suspension of any lectures for an additional
twenty-four hours.

The University baseball team was now intrepidly challenging
the most carefully drilled teams in the entire
country. Among the competitors whom it faced in the
field in the course of 1897, were the players of Lafayette
and Lehigh Colleges, and of the Universities of Pennsylvania,
Yale, Princeton, and North Carolina. In April
of this year, the team of Yale University was defeated
by a score of thirteen to five, but that of Princeton
triumphed by a score of nine to three. Previous to
1898, the University team had been trained by a coach
from one of the Northern colleges, at an annual expense
of six hundred dollars; but, during this year,—with
the enthusiastic consent of the players themselves,—the
preparation of its members was undertaken by Murray
M. McGuire, and the success that followed reached the
highwater mark in the history of the game at the University
of Virginia. The baseball team, during 1898,
was the winner in as many as two hundred and seventeen
runs, and the loser in but one hundred and four. In at

least two games the team defeated the team of Yale University,
—once by a score of thirteen to zero, and once by
a score of four to zero. Yale, in the interval, succeeded,
on one occasion, by a score of five to zero. The University
team also triumphed over the Princeton team, in
one instance, by a score of fourteen to ten; but, in turn,
was beaten by the team of Harvard University by a
score of seven to five.

A more remarkable record still was established in the
spring of 1899. In two games played with Yale University,
the team of the University of Virginia was victorious
by a score, in one instance, of ten to four, and in
another, of ten to three. On two occasions also, this
team defeated the team of the University of Pennsylvania
by a score of eighteen to three and six to four. On another
occasion, the team of the University of Virginia
won a victory over the team of the University of Princeton
by a score of nineteen to four; but, subsequently, was
beaten by a score of eighteen to six. The same fate overtook
the team in a game played with the team of Harvard
University,—it was defeated by a score of nine to
three; but compensation for this rout was found in a victory
obtained over the Cornell team by a score of fourteen
to five. In the course of 1899, there were one hundred
and seventy-six games won by the University team
and one hundred and twelve lost.

The record for 1900 was less brilliant in achievement.
The team was defeated by its Harvard, Yale and Princeton
competitors, and was only successful in winning one
game of several played with the University of Pennsylvania.
The total number of runs made by the team in
1900 was one hundred and fifty-five, and by the opposition
only, sixty. The general proportion for the year 1901
was one hundred and sixty-nine runs, and one hundred

and twenty defeats; but the contests with the great
universities, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Cornell,
seemed to have ended in discomfiture. A somewhat similar
upshot marked the history of the University team in
1902,—its only conspicuous victory, during that year,
was achieved in a game played with the team of Princeton
University, which, in one instance, was defeated by a
score of fourteen to one, after it had, in another, won by a
score of nine to eight. There was, on one occasion, a
tie between the team of the University of Virginia and
the team of Yale University. In one contest with Harvard
University, the score in favor of that Northern
competitor was eleven to eight. The total number of
runs made, during this year, was two hundred and three,
to one hundred and twenty-five by the opposition. The
corresponding numbers for the year 1903 were one hundred
and fifty-five, and eighty-one.

Summing up the results of the games played with the
teams of the principal colleges, the record down to 1902
was approximately as follows: In eighteen with the team
of Yale University, five were won by the team of the University
of Virginia; in eight with the team of Cornell
University, five again; in fourteen with the team of Lehigh
College, seven; in fourteen with the team of Lafayette
College, ten; in twelve with the team of the University
of North Carolina, nine; and in seven with the
team of Johns Hopkins University, five. In the numerous
games played with the team of Princeton University,
the team of the University of Virginia was successful on
five occasions. When it is recalled that, with the exception
of three only, these Universities were attended by a
far larger number of students than the University of Virginia,
and thus possessed a wider margin within which to
select the individuals of their teams, the record of the

champions of the Southern institution was one which
could very properly be contemplated by them with an
emotion of pride, and even of enthusiasm.

During the year 1896, track athletics received such
stinted encouragement from the students at large that
the manager was, at one time, compelled to put aside all
hope of a public exhibition. A like condition in this
important branch of sport seems to have prevailed during
several of the previous sessions, for, in the course of
1897, College Topics commented with stinging disgust
"on the miserable showing for the past five years in track
athletics." There was, nevertheless, carried out a public
day in May, 1896, on which occasion the Faculty promptly
assented to the petition for a suspension of lectures. At
the meet in April of next year (1897), a series of track
events took place; namely, the 100 yard dash, the 220
yard dash, the half-mile run, the mile run, the running
high jump, the pole vault, putting the shot, throwing
the hammer, throwing the baseball, the one mile bicycle
race, and the hurdle race. The trophies delivered on
this occasion were contributed by Professor W. M. Lile,
while one cup was presented by Mr. Charles Maphis, and
additional cups by other persons; and there were also a
medal and several prizes awarded by mercantile firms of
the town of Charlottesville. In spite of the elaborate
efforts to bestow distinction on this particular exhibition,
it was regretfully stated by persons who remembered the
earlier events that the interest which the students once
displayed in track athletics had now fallen away. This
was not to be attributed to any discouraging attitude on
the Faculty's part,—in 1897, and again in 1898, that
body ordered lectures to be suspended on the occasion
of the public day.

In the autumn of 1902, there was an interscholastic

and field meet, in which, at the instance of the General
Athletic Association, representatives of the most conspicuous
preparatory schools of the State took part as competitors,
such as the Episcopal High School, Woodberry
Forest Academy, Pantops Academy and Jones' Academy
in Charlottesville.

In 1903, the champions of the University of Virginia
contested for the first time in track athletics with the experts
of other colleges. In the beginning, the University
team was beaten in Baltimore by the team of Johns Hopkins
University, but was afterwards successful in a meet
held on Lambeth Field, in which the University of North
Carolina was the opponent. At this time, the field com
mittee of the University players was composed entirely
of members selected from the Faculty. This was the
first exhibition to be given within the bounds of the new
field. It was admitted in 1904, that, in spite of this
improved track and the increasing number of candidates
for the prizes in the different events, the records made
upon the primitive area of the Ficklin farm had not, in
some instances, been again equalled at the University of
Virginia. The session of 1904 marked the third since
Lambeth Field had been in use, and yet only two points of
the older teams had been surpassed. Nevertheless, it
began to be noticed at this time by the lovers of that
branch of sport that the interest in track athletics at the
University was slowly extending to a wider circle of the
students. Stimulated by this fact, an elaborate schedule
was arranged by the manager for the exhibition of this
year. A trainer was brought upon the ground and a
large number of the young men,—having placed themselves
under his supervision and control,—assembled
daily for the exercises which he prescribed.

During the session of 1896–97, lessons were given in

light gymnastics to classes which came together in the
Fayerweather Gymnasium. This was in addition to the
special instruction which each individual privately received,
—there was marching and running, and also calisthenics,
and the wielding of the dumbbell and the Indian
club. The extensive course of winter exercises was usually
terminated in the spring with a gymnastic tournament,
an episode that always aroused a more vivid spirit
of competition than the track public day. The large
number of prizes which were offered on this occasion
never failed to raise up a crowd of aspirants who were
willing to devote their leisure hours to practising in view
of the rewards to be won by superior skill. Professor
James A. Harrison, with characteristic generosity, presented
at least six medals annually to successful particpants,
three of which were given for remarkable feats
on the horizontal bars and three for the like feats on
the parallel. The three medals conferred by Professor
Peters seem to have been restricted to agility in tumbling.
A gold medal valued at fifty dollars was presented by
Richard Anderson, of the firm of respected booksellers of
that name so long established in business just without
the precincts of the University. This medal was
awarded to the "best all round" gymnast of the year.
The events in the tournament for 1897 embraced the horizontal
bars, the parallel bars, vaulting, Roman ladders,
flying trapeze, flying rings, German horse, the high kick,
and tumbling.

So valuable had the services of Doctor Lambeth, as
the director of the gymnasium, proved to be, that, in
1898, a substantial addition was made to the amount of
his salary. A few years later, he was appointed associate
professor of the School of Hygiene and Materia
Medica.

Some falling off in interest in the gymnastic exercises
was observed, in 1902, on the part of students who were
passing through their first session; this led the director to
suggest to the Faculty that physical training should be required
of every matriculate, and that specific credit for
successful work in the gymnasium should be given in the
markings for diplomas. This proposal was not favorably
received, on the ground that it was repugnant to the
spirit of the elective system as enforced at the University
of Virginia; and moreover, it was thought to be impracticable
to estimate accurately the real proportion which
gymnastic skill should bear in the valuations for graduation.
In opposition to these conservative conclusions, it
was pointed out that, of the one hundred and nine conspicuous
colleges of the United States, not less than sixty-four
per cent. of the whole number had raised instruction
in physical development to a separate department, which
stood on a footing of equal dignity with the academic
and professional departments; and furthermore, that at
least sixty-six per cent. had made physical training indispensable
to the acquisition of a diploma.

So efficient was the gymnastic team of 1903 considered
to be that one public performance was given by it, during
that year, in Charlottesville, and one in Staunton.
The annual tournament continued to be held, with apparently
no decline either in individual expertness or in
popular interest.

In the autumn of 1903, the Tennis Association numbered
in its enrollment about one hundred members; and
it was so confident of the skill of its players at this time
that it sent a team to other universities to contend for
the different prizes. A series of games was arranged
with the team of the University of North Carolina in the
course of this year; and there was also held a tournament

on the home courts. A lacrosse team was made up, during
the session of 1903–04; and so expert did its members
become by practice that they ventured to send a challenge
to the team of Johns Hopkins University, and also one to
the team of Swarthmore College. The Golf Club em
braced a large number of members, many of whom had
been drawn from the circle of the professors and the
families of residents in the neighborhood. During the
session of 1900–01, there was an enrolment of sixty-one;
and during the session of 1902–03, of forty-five. A
cricket club was organized during the session of 1897–98;
but the game did not now acquire the popularity which it
possessed at one time before the War between the States
interrupted its advance in college favor.