Sports Information collection

The Sports Information collection contains documents relating to athletics at Ohio University (OU). These materials date from the 1920s through 2002, with materials from the years 1950 through 1975 dominating the collection; especially in the football sections.

The majority of materials in the Sports Information collection are either game programs or media guides. Most of the materials in the collection are textual, with a handful of photographs, souvenirs, or, in one case, a bumper sticker. There are, as well, quite a few newspaper clippings from contemporary newspaper, usually the Post or the Athens Messenger. Also common are press releases issued by the Sports Information Office, which was run by Frank Morgan (FM) during much of the period that is covered by the materials in this collection.

While reference to the history of athletic activities at OU is the most apparent use for this collection, there are a number of materials that are relevant to other pursuits. For instance, there are a number of documents concerning the inequality in funding and opportunities between women and men at OU, both in athletics and the marching band. Especially noteworthy is a newspaper clipping from the football season, dated 12-12-1968, entitled "Bobcat Band to Play at Tangerine Bowl," and Hall of Fame baseball player Mike Schmidt's appearances in OU baseball programs and media guides of the time.

The collection is organized first by season--Fall, Winter, Spring, or All Year--and broken down within those groups by athletic activity. In some areas, objects contained information on multiple sports. In those instances, they have been placed in general athletics boxes for that particular season. In most cases, the collection is organized chronologically (especially in boxes of programs or media guides), while a handful are more thematic (such as the 1968 football season box). There is no chronological order from box to box. Due to undated materials, there is no definite range of years for this collection, but the materials roughly span a period beginning in the 1920s up to 2002. Some material from women's athletic activities that are non-season specific has been placed in a "Year-round" category, along with a number of documents related to Mid-American Conference organization and other all-sport type materials. The material was received in a partly appraised state, so it is impossible to tell how changed it is from the original, but the general divisions present upon reception were preserved. Some materials were removed during processing, most notably, one box of correspondence between FM and various parties. This material has become the collection Frank Morgan correspondence. After processing had begun, another collection of similar materials was added to this collection. That group, which was called the Sports Media Relations collection, was redistributed throughout this collection.

Most of the documents in the Sports Information Collection are in generally good condition. Most of the programs and media guides have held up well. Newspaper clippings, where present, are substantially yellowed and brittle. Care should be taken in the handling of all of the materials, especially with these clippings. Some other materials are of delicate composition, such as photographs or leather-bound menus for awards banquets.