A History of Physical Education and Athletics at Oberlin College

Since the late nineteenth century, Oberlin College has been a leader in training physical education teachers. The skill and mentoring of founders like Delphine Hanna produced a generation of men and women who were among the most important individuals in the structuring of physical education and in the formation of professional societies in the areas of recreation, athletics, and physical education. Lee C. Drickamer and Frederick D. Shults document the full scope of Oberlin’s physical education and athletics programs, beginning with learning and labor in the mid-nineteenth century and chronicling the evolution of virtually every team, facility, curriculum, societal change, and philosophic stance thereafter. Touching on the mind-body duality, New Physical Education, and the ever-increasing emphasis on winning athletic contests, Drickamer and Shults remind readers of Oberlin’s long history of supporting societal changes and innovation. This process is brought full circle with the current emphasis on health and wellness, again focusing on the mind-body connection.

Lee C. Drickamer received his AB from Oberlin college in 1967 and is currently Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University. He is the author of A History of the Department of Biology at Oberlin College and has published widely in the fields of animal behavior and mammalogy.

Fredrick D. Shults (1932-2020) received his AB from Oberlin College in 1954 and served as a faculty member in Oberlin’s Department of Physical Education from 1960 to 1994. His articles have appeared in Athletic Journal; Oberlin Alumni Magazine; and Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.