"Go Blugolds!!!" : The Historic Development of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire

Abstract

This paper examines the history of the athletic department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It starts with a brief introduction of athletics and how division I and division III athletics are so different. Then the paper goes in chronological order through the 1920s and 1930s when only football and basketball were offered. The 1950s brought a significant change to the university when Eau Claire entered the NAIA. The 1960s saw a huge expansion of the variety of sports offered at a varsity level along with emergence of the recreation department. The 1970s saw the impact of Title IX especially for female athletes. The last couple of sections discuss the 1980s, 1990s and present decades and how the athletic department have helped to shape the university as a whole. This paper is a breakthrough on academic literature about Division III athletics.