Letters and Material Related To The NCAA, College Sports, & Sports at Harvard University by LeBaron Russell Briggs - 1906

Cambridge, MA, 1906. Original Manuscript. Original Manuscripts. Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Papers (ca. 1906 - 1924) from the collection of LeBaron Russell Briggs, one of the great figures in the history of Harvard, Radcliffe, and the NCAA. Briggs was first Dean of Men at Harvard College, where he also served as dean of the faculty. He was also president of Radcliffe College and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This small but significant archive collects the original texts and drafts of Briggs' addresses, articles, etc., on key issues pertaining to College sports, including the reform of college football when it was on the verge of being abolished, the role in sports in the university, the proper relationship of scholarship and athletics, tribalism in sports, etc. "Address to the National Collegiate Athletic Association". Text of speech to the NCAA, New York, 1914. 1st line "An experienced teacher in a preparatory school..." Briggs' powerful advocacy for true student-athletes, sportsmanship, fair play, and honest administration and coaching, in full flower. 6 page carbon typescript with pencil title and holograph corrections in ink. ---- 2nd copy of this draft, with pencil title, type corrections, and some pencil marking. 6 page carbon typescript of the revised address with one emphasis point in ink. "Athletics and College Loyalty". Text of address or essay [undated, but from context, ca. 1906]. 1st line "College Loyalty is often ancestral". A passionately furious indictment of unsportsmanlike trends college football that Briggs likens to war. Among these are deliberate targeting of injured players, college coaches employing 'ringers' under false names, and a general tribal mindset among college students about their football teams. This essay followed a string of fatalities, which nearly resulted in Harvard ending participation in football, which it was believed would led to the national abolition of the sport. The date of 1906 is inferred from Briggs' reference to President Roosevelt's efforts to compel reform of the sport, which resulted in that, and the founding of what became the NCAA. 12 page typescript 1st draft, signed at end, with extensive ink corrections in an agitated hand. 12 page typescript later draft, with ink corrections. 12 page typescript yet later draft, with ink corrections. 12 page typescript later draft, with ink corrections. 14 page typescript of what appears to be the final draft. "Faculty Control". Text of speech to NCAA. 1st line "Let me begin with a personal word." Briggs' address marking the end of his tenure as President of the NCAA. 6 page carbon typescript, titled in pencil (rough with tears and wear to margins). --- a 2nd copy in better condition (untitled). [Harvard University, Committee on the Regulation of Athletic Sports, Draft Report] Working draft, 1924. 1st line "On January 14, 1924, the Board of Overseers voted..." Draft report of the Committee convened to report on the "desirability of appointing a Director of Athletics" after a number of years of poor performance by Harvard's sports teams. 10 page typescript with extensive ink and pencil corrections, additions, etc. 11 page typescript of a later or final draft. "Intercollegiate Athletics and the War". Essay, published in Atlantic Monthly, 1918. 1st line "When America declared war on Germany...". Article about the challenges brought about by the war, as well as a clarion call for reform in collegiate sports and for using wartime lessons as a guide to that end. 12 page carbon typescript, titled in ink, with extensive ink and pencil corrections, additions, etc. On verso of Harvard Office of the Regent letterhead. --- later draft, 12 page carbon typescript, with scattered holograph and typed corrections. --- another copy of this later draft, 12 page carbon typescript, with at least one typed correction. --- what appears to be the final draft, 14 page carbon typescript on Harvard-watermarked paper. --- another copy of the above, 14 page carbon typescript. "To Play the Game". Essay or address, ND. 1st line "Just before a certain game of baseball at New Haven". On sportsmanship, taking events from a Harvard vs. Yale baseball game as a basis. 8 page carbon typescript, titled in ink, with extensive ink and pencil corrections, additions, etc. --- revised draft, 8 page carbon typescript. Untitled ["Address to the National Collegiate Athletic Association"]. Text of a speech to the NCAA when the latter met at Harvard, [ND]. 1st line "It is an honor at any time to represent Harvard University..." 6 page carbon typescript, with several ink and pencil corrections. Untitled. Text of a speech to or brief essay on the NCAA. 1st line "The National Collegiate Athletic Association brings together representatives of..." 2 page carbon typescript.