150 years of intercollegiate athletics celebrated

The University is celebrating the 150th anniversary of intercollegiate athletics (1852-2002) with a series of panel discussions open to the public. The first one – titled “History of the Ivy League and the Influence of the Media” – will take place on Friday (Sept. 20) at the Murr Center’s Hall of History (3:30-5:15 p.m.). Participants will include John R. Thelin, a 1969 Brown graduate and research professor at the University of Kentucky; Michael Oriard, a 1970 Notre Dame graduate and former professional football player who is the distinguished professor of American literature and culture at Oregon State; Jeff Orleans, executive director of the Council of Ivy Group Presidents; and John Powers ’72, an author, historian, and writer for The Boston Globe. Admission is free of charge.

Harvard participated (and won) the nation’s first intercollegiate sporting event, defeating Yale in a two-mile crew race on Lake Winnipesaukee on Aug. 3, 1852.