A Legacy of Excellence: Exploring the Athletic History of Centre College

Introduction

Centre College, a small liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, boasts a rich and storied athletic history that defies its size. From national championships to historic upsets, Centre's athletic programs have consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a tradition of strong competition. This article delves into the key moments, figures, and developments that shaped the athletic landscape of Centre College, from its humble beginnings to its current standing in NCAA Division III.

Early Days and Student-Led Initiatives

In the late 19th century, as students sought outlets for their energy and competitiveness, athletics at Centre College emerged as a ground-up movement. Students themselves were in charge, serving as players, coaches, and managers. Watched constantly by the faculty, hemmed in by an extensive list of rules and regulations, and bored by the repetitive recitations of the classroom, students eagerly turned to athletics in the late nineteenth century as an outlet for their exuberance, energy, and competiveness. The faculty, however, viewed athletics differently. While willing to allow student activities that provided moral, intellectual, and spiritual improvement, they and the administration disliked any student activities they couldn’t control. President William C. Athletics, in its broadest sense, was undoubtedly present on campus long before the first intercollegiate athletic contest.

As early as November 7, 1858, I. Chapin Bartlett mentioned playing ball on campus, possibly referring to baseball. In a November 7, 1858, I. Chapin Bartlett wrote to his parents that "In our hours of recreation we enjoy ourselves in playin (sic) ball on the Campus," possibly a reference to baseball. Although the 1906 Centre yearbook suggests baseball had been played intercollegiately since the mid-1880s, the first written record of a baseball team dates to 1896. While the 1906 Centre yearbook hints that baseball had been played as an intercollegiate sport at Centre since the mid-1880s, the first written record of a baseball team at Centre College is dated to 1896.

The first documented intercollegiate athletic contest occurred on April 9, 1880, when Centre College and Transylvania University played a football game in Lexington, Kentucky. The 1897 yearbook included entries for football, baseball, track, tennis, and gymnastics, showcasing the variety of sports gaining popularity among students. The 1897 yearbook, under "Athletics," includes entries for football, baseball, track, tennis, and gymnastics. The 1897 baseball team played games against the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Wesleyan, University of Cincinnati, and the Lexington Athletic Club. The entry for track provides little information on the sport, but does include records, including 10 1/5 seconds for the 100 yard dash, 5 minutes, 12 seconds for the mile, and 5 feet 8 ½ inches for the high jump. The author of the tennis entry writes "In the spring, however, tennis vies very closely in popularity with its great warm-weather rival, for in the later part of May tournaments are played, which excite as much interest with fraternity men, especially, as a foot-ball game." Gymnastics was more an exhibition of tumbling.

Building a Foundation: Facilities and Leadership

Largely through the demands of students, Centre built its first athletic facility, Old Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium, in 1892. The building included a large room for gymnastics, a bowling alley, and shower rooms. Photographs show that "gymnastics" was more tumbling and exercise than todays sport. In 1892 Centre built Old Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium, its first indoor athletic facility. Walter D. Berry was hired as Instructor in Physical Culture, and grounds for outdoor sports were prepared behind Old Main. As an indication of the laxity of rules for eligibility at that time, Berry would simultaneously serve as instructor, athletic director, coach, and starting quarterback on Centres football teams.

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The end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries saw a growing concern among the administration and faculty about who would control athletics. The catalog for 1905-06 describes the Athletic Association, a voluntary organization that has charge of the outdoor sports at Centre, and is managed in connection with an advisory committee of the Faculty. By the following year there was a standing committee of the faculty on Student Athletics. Basketball was first played as an intercollegiate sport at Centre during the 1905-06 season, with games against Miami University, University of Kentucky Georgetown College, the Y.M.C.A. teams from Louisville, Lexington, and New Albany, Indiana. The biggest problem facing the team was the lack of a regulation gymnasium, for Old Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium did not have a full-size court. Games were played in other local areas, including a Danville skating rink. The 1910 squad had a record of 20 wins and 3 loses, including two victories over Vanderbilt, and won its third consecutive Kentucky championship and the Southern Intercollegiate Championship.

The 1906 yearbook indicates a revival in track, "the cleanest of sports, one free from brutality, and dependent on the participating individuals own effort." The gymnastic team, organized in 1902, participated in meets against other teams, and won the State Championship. The baseball team had to be disbanded during the season by the faculty because of using ineligible players. The first tennis tournament was organized in 1904, and was played as a part of Carnival. By 1909 gymnastics and tennis had disappeared from the yearbooks, leaving only football, basketball, baseball, and track. By 1916 track was also gone. These three sports would dominate Centre athletics for several years.

The Praying Colonels: A Football Dynasty

In the late teens Centre’s Praying Colonels football team became a national phenomenon, playing a schedule against big-time football schools. The Centre Colonels football team, historically also known as the Praying Colonels, represents Centre College in NCAA Division III competition. The Colonels currently play in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), which was established in 2011. Before the establishment of the SAA, Centre played 50 seasons in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Despite the school's small size (2008 enrollment of 1,215), the football team has historically had success and possesses a strong tradition.

At the beginning of the Roaring '20s, Harvard University, the nation's dominant football power, was riding a two-year undefeated streak whose last loss had been to Brown in 1918. From 1917 to 1924, Centre compiled a 57-8 record while playing against some of the best teams in the nation. The team was retroactively selected by Jeff Sagarin as co-national champion for the 1919 season. After the 1920 season, Centre faced Texas Christian (TCU) in the Fort Worth Classic. Members of the Centre College football team meeting with President Calvin Coolidge and Senator Richard P.

The star of that game, back Alvin "Bo" McMillin, was twice named a consensus All-American, in 1919 and 1921. Center Red Weaver was named a consensus All-American alongside him in 1919. The Colonels finished the 1921 season undefeated, outscoring their opponents, 314-6. In the Dixie Classic, precursor to the modern Cotton Bowl Classic, Centre faced Texas A&M. On four consecutive Saturdays in 1924, the Colonels defeated Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. That same season, Centre defeated Georgia and Alabama and claims a southern title.

The Upset of the Century: Centre vs. Harvard

Centre's image as a tiny school capable of startlingly large achievements was enhanced in this period by its 1921 football victory over Harvard, then ranked No. 1. In a 1971 article marking the game’s 50th anniversary, the New York Times called it “Football’s Upset of the Century.” At Centre, the game is recalled simply by its score: C6-H0.

Scrutiny and De-emphasis

With national fame, came closer scrutiny of the football team. Charges of using ineligible players, of alumni paying players tuition, and coaches earning more than president were brought against Centre. Denying the charges, Centre fought to maintain the colleges accreditation, but the only way was to begin to deemphasize football, despite the outrage of students, alumni, and supporters. The schedule began to include more and more small colleges, and fewer and fewer state universities.

Evolution and Adaptation: Navigating Changing Times

The 1931 yearbook again includes an entry for the 1930 track season, noting that it "was still a minor sport and suffered because of the attention given to spring football and baseball." Following the 1930 season baseball was dropped in favor of a more extensive track program. The 1931 yearbook notes that baseball was rapidly losing popularity in the region. The 1935 yearbook includes a section on tennis, which had grown in interest due to matches with such leading teams as Alabama, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Tulane during southern trips. Home matches were played against Berea, Louisville, Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Cincinnati.

The 1940 yearbook indicates that track had fallen in popularity, with the 1939 team only entering two meets. Baseball was reintroduced in 1939. Golf was added as an intercollegiate sport in 1938, with matches in 1940 against Cincinnati and Louisville.

During the wars 1943-1945, Centre didnt field any athletic teams. When sports returned following the war, the Athletic Council ruled that Centre would adhere to a policy of no athletic scholarships and play only schools following a similar policy. Football and basketball teams were fielded during the 1946-47 year. That year's football team lost all seven of their games, while the basketball team consisted entirely of freshmen, except for one sophomore. Baseball, tennis, track, and golf were renewed in the spring of 1948.

Centre again found success during the 1950s. In 1951, the Colonels finished the season with a 5-1 record and were invited to play Northern Illinois State in the Corn Bowl. The invitation, however, was rejected by the school administration who wished to de-emphasize football. From 1954 to 1956, Centre compiled a sixteen-game winning streak.

During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Centres athletic teams had up and down records. The 1955 football team finished with an 8-0 record and declined an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl, while the football teams of the 1970s had only one winning season. Wrestling began as an intercollegiate sport in 1968-69. Prior to 1975-76 Centre decided to drop wrestling in favor of soccer, a sport gaining in popularity throughout the state. Mens soccer began in 1971 as a club sport, and became a varsity sport in 1975. Cross country was first added as an intercollegiate sport in the fall of 1965.

Resurgence and Modern Era

The 1980s saw a resurgence of Centre athletics. Joe McDaniel became head football coach in 1980, a position he held until retiring in 1997. When he retired, McDaniel held the all-time record in football victories at Centre with 101 wins, 63 losses and three ties. During his coaching career the football team won seven conference titles. Tom Bryant was Centre's men's basketball coach from 1968 to 1996, and the schools athletic director for 21 years. Bryant won 389 games and 15 conference champions while at Centre. He led Centre to the NCAA Division III Final Four twice, in 1979 and 1989, and to nine appearances in the Division III tournament.

In recent years, Centre has secured eight SCAC championships between 1980 and 2003. In 2011, the Colonels' final SCAC season, they finished second in the conference, but received an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament. The Colonels' 2014 season was arguably their most successful in decades. They won their first SAA championship and finished the regular season 10-0, marking the team's first unbeaten regular season since 1955 and only the third in school history.

The most recent mens sport to be added is lacrosse, which began its inaugural season in the fall of 2010 and became an intercollegiate sport in 2011. Today Centre College competes in 23 Division III intercollegiate sports - 11 for men and 12 for women with 40% of the student body participating in one or more intercollegiate sport. It is a member of the Southern Athletic Association. 40 percent of the student body participates in intercollegiate athletics.

Athletic Facilities: A Growing Campus

In 1892 Centre built Old Boyle-Humphrey Gymnasium, its first indoor athletic facility. Outdoor sports were played on Cheek Field, located on todays baseball field. In 1914 Boyle Humphrey Gymnasium was built to replace the old gym. The Alumni Memorial gymnasium was added to the back of the building in 1950. In 1961 an extensive renovation was completed, and the building took on a new life as Sutcliffe Hall. Most of the original structure of Boyle-Humphrey was demolished as part of the 2004-2005 renovation and expansion of Sutcliffe Hall. The original football field was located on what is today part of the baseball field, and was oriented in an east-west direction. Ferris Stadium was completed in 1923 and replaced the old field with its wooden bleachers. After his retirement in 1997, the playing field was named Joe McDaniel Field, and is used for football, lacrosse, and track. The baseball field has remained in the same location, and named the Gary Wright Field in 2007. Boles Natatorium was built in 1968, and is used by the swimming and diving teams. Soccer was first played on the baseball outfield until the completion of Hillside Field. Tennis courts were initially located behind Old Young Science Hall until four new courts were built in 1967. Key developments include the expansion of the College’s athletic fields and the 2024 dedication of Champions Hall, a groundbreaking athletic and wellness hub that features an Olympic-sized swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, and innovative sustainability technologies to support the College’s environmental goals.

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