A Brief History of RecSports
In 1905, male students at The University of Texas began competing against each other in a handful of sports. Self-organized sports grew so rapidly between 1905 and 1916, that in 1916 Berry M. Whitaker was hired by the University to organize the Men's Intramural program. At first, this experimental program was part of intercollegiate Athletics. Six years later, intramurals was moved to Men's Physical Training; and in 1930, it was aligned in Student Life as a completely separate department.
Women's physical activity in the old days was vastly different than today. The emphasis was on exhibitions and "playdays" rather than on competition. In 1899-1900, physical training for women was first organized under the direction of Pearl Elinor Norell, who utilized the first Women's Gymnasium in the Old Main building. In 1904-1905, Eunice Aden, then director of physical training for women, started what later became the Women's Athletic Association. Both the men's and the women's intramural departments continued to increase in size and popularity under the direction of several notable leaders for the next few decades.
In 1972, the Department of Intramural Sports for Men and Intramural Sports for Women were combined into one administrative division and renamed the Division of Recreational Sports. In 1975, the consolidation was complete when the women's program moved from Anna Hiss Gym to the Gregory Gym Annex.
The informal competitions that began in 1905 with a few male students have fully blossomed into today what is known as the Division of Recreational Sports. Present and future plans are to continue providing the kind of fun and healthy activities which have bolstered the Division's perennial success. Join the thousands of individuals who continue this tradition and make Recreational Sports a part of your life as it has been a part of the lives of generations of students.