100 Yard Dash Start (c. 1915-1918)

The spring of 1915 marked Springfield College’s entry into collegiate competition. Previous to that year, they “had been denied the privilege of competing in intercollegiate circles” (Massasoit, 1920). In 1917, Dr. Donald Young, then a professor of biology at Springfield, suggested an annual track meet for colleges in the Connecticut valley. On May 11, 1918, the first meet of the Connecticut Valley teams (later known as the Eastern Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association) took place; the race featured Holy Cross, Trinity, Rensselaer Polytech, Springfield and Dartmouth. Although older records indicate the race pictured is part of the New England Intercollegiate Meet, Springfield was not admitted into that competition until 1932.

Text on border reads, "New England Intercollegiate Meet 100 Yds Dash Start; 16."

This lantern slide, “100 Yard Dash Start (c. 1915-1918),” shows nine male students at the starting line for the one hundred yard dash. Some men observe the event from the sidelines. Some of these runners are likely students of the International YMCA College, now known as Springfield College.