Guide to the Athletics Department records
Finding aid prepared by Ashley Toutain
University of San Diego, Archives and Special Collections
Copley Library
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110
Telephone: 619-260-2730
© 2016
Overview of the Collection
Creator:
University of San Diego Athletics Department
Title: Athletics Department records
Dates: 1956-1993
Physical Description: 2 boxes, (.75 linear feet)
Summary: This collection contains the historical records of the University of San Diego Athletics Department. Records include administrative
materials, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution:
University of San Diego, Archives and Special Collections
Copley Library
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110
Telephone: 619-260-2730
Identification: USDA_2008_018
Historical Note
Fon Johnson served as the first athletic director and the first basketball coach for the College for Men in 1955. He oversaw
the creation of the football field which was completed in 1955. Gil Kuhn formed the USD Booster Club to help support the football
program and coached the inaugural year of football. Desire for a football program was lackluster, however, and the program
was discontinued in 1961. USD continued to compete in intercollegiate basketball, baseball, tennis, and golf. The athletic
program reintroducing football in 1973 with an anonymous donation of $115,000 also adding soccer around that time. With the
advent of Title IX in 1972, the athletics program grew to include female sports. Wendy Gilchrist competed in Tennis in 1971,
and Terry Fowler competed as the first female swimmer in 1973. In 1978, the athletics program began moving from NCAA Division
III to NCAA Division I, with the exception of the football program which remained Division III until 1993.
USD athletes were initially known as the Pioneers, but in 1961 the mascot changed to the Toreros. Torero is the Spanish word
for bullfighter, and was chosen in part as a signifier of courage, honor, and fidelity.
Shortly after the College for Men and College for Women merged, emphasis was placed on the Recreation component of the Athletics
Department. The aim was to provide extra-curricular activities for students as well as recreational activities for faculty,
staff and alumni.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains the historical records of the University of San Diego Athletics Department. Records include administrative
memos, meeting minutes, correspondence, programs, and historical information, as well as newspaper clippings related to USD
athletics. The records document the advancement of the athletics program, including budget planning, notable events such as
the reintroduction of the football program and the move to Division I, and documentation of the recreation program that served
the broader campus community.
Photographs and negatives from Crew Classics and a Crew alumni event are also included.
Arrangement
The Athletics Department records are arranged into three series:
Access Information
This collection is open for research.
Preferred citation
[Folder Title], Box # Folder #, Athletics Department records, Copley Library, University of San Diego, Archives and Special
Collections.
Additional donations to this collection are expected.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Tessie Camina in November 2008. Further processing was conducted by Ashley Toutain in 2016.
An album of 1986-1988 Crew photographs and negatives was located in 2019. These were removed from the album to archival sleeves
and folders for preservation.
Separated Material
Photographs of Paula Mascari have been separated from the collection and moved to photo storage.
Related Material
Baseball uniforms of John Cunningham, a Torero Cheerleader uniform, signed basketball, and athletics scrapbooks can also be
found in the University Archives and Special Collections.
Athletics Media Guides have been digitized and are available on Digital USD.
Archived versions of the University of San Diego Athletics website are available on the University of San Diego Website Archive.
Index Terms
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Mascari, Paula
Maher, Leo T.
Eagan, Brent
Cahill, Patrick
Jones, Alan M.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
University of San Diego
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Diego (Calif.)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Athletics
Football
Basketball
Baseball
Tennis
Rowing
sports
intercollegiate athletics
student life
Series I:
Administrative Records
1956-1993
Scope and Content Note
Records in this series pertain to the early administrative matters of the Athletics Department. This includes intercollegiate
athletics as well as the university recreation program which oversees events and campus-wide recreation activities. Among
these records are memos, meeting minutes, and correspondence regarding the Athletics Department budget defect and need to
raise funds.
Arrangement
Records in this series are arranged in alphabetical order.
Box/Folder: 1 / 1
Administrator - Cahill - Correspondence
1979-1983
Scope and Content Note
[Correspondence with Rev. Leo T. Maher and Rev. Msgr. I. Brent Eagan regarding passes for University of San Diego basketball
and football games.]
Box/Folder: 1 / 2
Athletic Committee - Meetings
1969 April-May
Scope and Content Note
[Memos, agendas, and meeting minutes.]
Box/Folder: 1 / 3
Athletic Committee - Memoranda
1968-1971
Scope and Content Note
[University of San Diego Athletics budget information regarding the Athletics Committee's charge to address the budget deficit
in the Athletics Department.]
Box/Folder: 1 / 4
Athletic Fund - Pledge Forms
undated
Box/Folder: 1 / 5
Baseball Alumni List
1993
Box/Folder: 1 / 6
Basketball, Women's - Mascari, Paula
1990
Scope and Content Note
[Articles about Mascari's selection as the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Includes photographs of Mascari.]
Removed or Separated Material
This folder contains five copies of photographs. Photograph originals are located in photographs storage (People-Students-Individual-Mascari,
Paula.)
Box/Folder: 1 / 7
Booster Club - Directory
1960-1972
Box/Folder: 1 / 9
Director - Job Description
1973
Box/Folder: 1 / 10
Events - Mad Jack's 5 or 10 Mile Run
1978
Box/Folder: 1 / 11
Events - Meet the USD Coaches
undated
Box/Folder: 1 / 12
Events - Sports Banquet [program]
1987
Box/Folder: 1 / 13
Events - West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) Visit
1978
Box/Folder: 1 / 14
Football - Official Brochure
1957
Box/Folder: 1 / 16
Goal/Sports Summary
1973-1974
Box/Folder: 1 / 17
Grid Index
1959
Scope and Content Note
[Football Guide for Southern California. Includes article about University of San Diego Football program.]
Box/Folder: 1 / 18
Inter-Collegiate Athletics
1970
Box/Folder: 1 / 19
Recreation Information Sheet
1974
Box/Folder: 1 / 20
Game Day Programs - Basketball
1959,
1960,
1961
Box/Folder: 1 / 21
Game Day Programs - Football
1956-1958
Box/Folder: 1 / 22
Game Day Programs - Football
1959-1961
Box/Folder: 1 / 23
Souvenir Programs - Israeli Olympic Team vs. USD
1957 February 23
Box/Folder: 1 / 25
USD Crew
1977-1991
Scope and Content Note
[Includes information about the Torero Power Ten Club which was created to support the Crew program.]
Box/Folder: 1 / 26
USD Sports Center - Regulations
1973
Box/Folder: 1 / 27
USD Sports Center - News Release
1977-1980
Box/Folder: 1 / 28
Athletics Schedules
1978-1980
Series II:
Newspaper Clippings
1960-1982
Scope and Content Note
This series of newspaper clippings, largely from San Diego area newspapers, include articles highlighting University of San
Diego Athletics from the 1960s to the 1980s. The bulk of the clippings document game results. Also included are articles pertaining
to the growth of the Athletics Department, particularly the decision to become an NCAA Division I program in 1978 as well
as to add football, soccer, crew, and women's basketball to the intercollegiate athletic program.
Arrangement
Records in this series are arranged in chronological order.
Box/Folder: 1 / 30
Newspaper Clippings ("New Nickname: Forget Pioneers - They're Toreros," Southern Cross, 1961 September 21)
1960-1961
Box/Folder: 1 / 31
Newspaper Clippings
1970-1973
Box/Folder: 1 / 32
Newspaper Clippings
1977-1978
Box/Folder: 1 / 33
Newspaper Clippings
1979
Scope and Content Note
[Includes a series of articles about Alan (Captain America) Jones.]
Box/Folder: 1 / 35
Newspaper Clippings
1981-1982
Series III:
Photographs,
1986-1988
Box/Folder: 2 / 1-8
Crew photographs,
1986-1988
Scope and Content Note
[Crew photographs primarily of the 1986, 1987, and 1988 Crew Classics. Also photographs of the 1987 Crew Alumni event.]
