Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Zidnak (Pete) Collection of San José State University Sports History
MSS.2009.11.04
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Pete Zidnak Collection of San José State University Sports History
creator:
Zidnak, Pete, 1917-2000
source:
San José State University. Library. Special Collections & Archives
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2009.11.04
Physical Description:
2 boxes
(0.42 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1890-1996
Abstract: The Pete Zidnak Collection of San José State University Sports History is the research of Professor Emeritus Zidnak on the
history of athletics at San José State University.
The collection is open for research. However, patrons may not make photocopies from the binders on request of the donor.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Pete Zidnak Collection of San José State University Sports History, MSS-2009-11-04, San José State University Library Special
Collections & Archives.
Collection processed by Thomas Stamps. Finding aid EAD encoded by Rosalinda Gonzales. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
Collection reorganized and rehoused by Samira Habibi in April 2018.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008.The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
Dr. Pete Zidnak (1917-2000) received his M.S. (1950) and Ph.D. (1955) in Philosophy from the University of Southern California.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Purple Heart. Dr. Zidnak began his career at SJSU in 1957
as a Professor of Business, retired in 1982, and was awarded Emeritus status in 1983. Following retirement, he began compiling
a history of intercollegiate athletics at SJSU. From 1991-1996, Dr. Zidnak gathered data and facts about campus sports by
utilizing past school newspapers and other archival materials. Dr. Zidnak chronicled the development of the school's intercollegiate
competition dating back to the 1890s, when San José State University was known as the San José State Normal School.
San Jose State University Football Programs collection, MSS-2009-08-04.
San José State University Spartan Sports Collection, MSS-2010-08-08.
San Jose State College "Speed City" Collection, MSS-2016-04-25.
San Jose State College Football Film Collection, MSS-2010-07-09.
Pete Zidnak Collection of San Jose State University Sports History, 1890-1996, documents the history of athletics at San José
State University. The collection consists of two binders that represent the research of Emeritus Business Professor Pete Zidnak.
This research includes historical information on the formation of athletics and the emergence of intercollegiate sports competition
at SJSU. The bulk of the collection consists of photocopies from archival resources that document the early history of the
State Normal School, statistics on student enrollment, tuition costs, information on the athletic logo and school colors,
homecoming, parades and rallies, the school band, songs, cheers and yells, and game statistics. In addition, the research
chronicles other activities related to athletic governance, college life, and events related to athletics. The collection
also includes a timeline and complete bibliography for further research.
This collection is arranged into three series: Series I. 1991 Manuscript; Series II. 1996 Manuscript; and Series III. Recollections
of Louis Duino.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
College sports -- California -- San José.
San José State University -- Sports -- History
Zidnak, Pete, 1917-2000
San José State University. Library. Special Collections & Archives