The Unsuspecting Clown (1932-1935)

After the exhibition team performed at Madison Square Garden in February 1937 between a doubleheader basketball event, the local newspapers wrote that they couldn’t believe the clown act wasn’t a professional group hired from an agency. The history of gymnastics at Springfield College stretches nearly as far back as the school’s founding in 1885. Leslie Judd, widely considered a father of modern gymnastics, was the team’s first coach. Dr. James Naismith, the creator of basketball, was an early member of the team.

This black-and-white photograph that shows two Springfield College gymnasts, David Porter, Jr. (left, class of 1935) and Robert A. Burcaw (right, class of 1935), dressed as clowns. One is standing on the ground and leaning against the parallel bars; the other is standing on the parallel bars and holding a club above his friend’s head. This was part of a routine that the Springfield College gymnasts performed during exhibition shows.