Engendered Legacy
Bob Devaney and the Development of Husker Nation
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Peterson Brink, Mary Ellen Ducey, Mary Ellen Ducey
In the 20 years prior to Bob Devaney’s 1962 arrival at the University of Nebraska, the football team had exactly 3 winning seasons. In Devaney’s first year at the helm, the Cornhuskers went 9-2 and won the Gotham Bowl. With the stadium sold out for the 7th game of that season, fans started a streak of sell-outs that is still alive today, currently at 361 games. In the past 45 years Nebraskans have acquired an identity that is often tied to the football program, its development, and its success. The Nebraska fan base has also developed a national reputation for its generosity, loyalty, and support. As the football team and athletics department developed they faced funding and growth challenges, Devaney’s beliefs and goals were occasionally challenged, and he fought hard for the program. While the game results are well known there is still more to learn about the administration and development of the early program. This paper will use archival materials in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries Archives and Special Collections to explore the development of "Husker Nation" before, during, and after Bob Devaney.
Hinkle Fieldhouse: Ensembles of an Iconic Sports Venue
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session David Rolling
This paper investigates whether a sports venue can distinguish itself as iconic. Generally, researchers in sport will attempt to examine characteristics of legacy types as they apply to single or recurring events. However, with a sports monument as rich historically as Hinkle Fieldhouse, it is either more complex, or perhaps more obvious, depending on perspective. By exploring the specific categories of what makes a sports venue iconic, Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on the campus of Butler University, is analyzed as to how its "legacy" can be interpreted. The venue's relationship with sport, economic impact, public service, constituent relationships, ethical standards, and historical symbolism can be applied to today's society in a practical approach. The presentation will also discusses how legacies are not generic and can be organized into six specific categories. Current students, those beginning their sports facility management careers, working professionals, company decision-makers, and academics can gain knowledge and perspective from investigating what makes a sports venue iconic.
Coaches' Wives: Two Early Case Studies, Alice Graham Sumner Camp and Stella Robertson Stagg
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Erin McCarthy
Based on primary source research, this paper traces the origins of the role of the assistant coach in intercollegiate football to two women: Alice Graham Sumner Camp and Stella Robertson Stagg (wives of Walter Chauncey Camp and Amos Alonzo Stagg, the recognized founders of organized American football) and their contribution to the further rationalization of the sport in the late 19th century. Although their stories are unique, both women served as the "eyes and ears" of their husbands whose full-time positions prevented them from overseeing the day-to-day progress of their team. As a member of the Yale nine in 1888, Amos Alonzo Stagg observed Alice Camp's assistant coaching responsibilities first hand and, after marrying Stella Robertson, a University of Chicago co-ed and enthusiastic football fan, quickly established a working partnership with his young wife modeled after the Camps. This professional, if unpaid, collaboration between the Staggs would continue throughout his coaching career.
