Wake Forest University

Thomas K. Hearn III, Gene T. Capps, Chaplain Edgar D. Christman, Dr. J. Edwin Hendricks, Dr. Edwin G. Wilson

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN: 9780738515908
• eBook ISBN: 9781439629499
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Education General
• Index: History

Wake Forest College was founded in 1834 to train Baptist ministers. Now a nationally and internationally recognized university, it is renowned for both its graduate and undergraduate programs. Over 6, 000 students attend this university nestled within the beauty of the North Carolina Piedmont. The school's motto, pro humanitate, meaning "for the good of humanity, " reflects the university's emphasis on the importance of values, ideals, human service experiences, and faith in the educational process. Wake Forest University explores the founding of the college in 1834, its move to Winston-Salem in 1956, and its development into a modern university beginning in the 1960s. The enduring spirit of Wake Forest is celebrated in this memorable collection of more than 200 vintage photographs. Wake Forest University features many notable alumni that walked the campus pathways including Arnold Palmer, Tim Duncan, Brian Piccolo, W.D. Cash, and Al Hunt.

Five

ATHLETICS THROUGH THE YEARS

EARLY ATHLETIC SPORTS UNIFORMS. This is a view of the sports uniforms of 1924. Pictured are members of the football, baseball, tennis, and track teams.

FIRST FOOTBALL TEAM. Wake Forest defeated the University of North Carolina 3-2 in the first college football game played in North Carolina. The game, which was held at the State Fair Grounds in Raleigh, took place on October 18, 1888. Football at Wake Forest proved to be controversial in the early years, and the trustees voted to abolish the sport in 1895. Herbert Peele, the editor of The Student, appealed to the trustees in 1907 by saying, “Why should Wake Forest students be longer the sissies among college men, tied to the apron strings of a too fond Alma Mater and held back from a sport that is manly and clean.” Popular demand led to the re-establishment of football in 1908.

BASEBALL TEAM FROM 1901. In May 1891, Wake Forest played in the first college baseball game in North Carolina. Wake Forest defeated North Carolina 10-7 in the contest, which was played in Raleigh. It was a common custom in the early 1890s for college teams to hire professional players to round out their rosters.

EARLY BASEBALL TEAM AND FIELD. Baseball was a very popular sport at the turn of the century. This view shows the baseball field on the “playing grounds” where the Calvin Jones House now stands.

THE 1906 BASKETBALL TEAM. Wake Forest fielded its first basketball team in 1906. This team defeated Trinity College (now Duke University) in its first contest 24-10. Wake Forest’s first Director of Athletics, J. Richard Crozier, is credited with introducing basketball to the state in 1905.

THE TENNIS CLUB IN 1904. Tennis was an early favorite sport on campus. In the spring of 1907, the squad captured the singles and doubles championships in the Southern Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament held in Atlanta. The team of E.B. Earnshaw and Hubert M. Poteat, who were both to have lifelong associations with the college, won the doubles competition and lost only one match in four years of intercollegiate competition.

EARLY TRACK TEAM. The Olympic sports, including track and field, were very popular with students, but in the early years they did not receive much support from the college. Teams often had to purchase their own uniforms.

THE 1939 BASKETBALL TEAM. Coach Murray Greason’s 1939 team was one of eight teams selected to participate in the first NCAA basketball tournament. The Deacons lost to Ohio State 64-52 in the first round. They led late in the game until their leading scorer, Jim Waller, fouled out.

“PEAHEAD” WALKER. Peahead was a successful and popular Deacon football coach from 1937 to 1950. He led the team to a record of 77 wins and 51 losses in 14 years as the head coach.

BAND IN THE PEAHEAD FORMATION. The band performs in the “Peahead” formation at a football game in Groves Stadium on the old campus.

THE 1946 FOOTBALL TEAM. The Deacon football teams of the mid-to-late 1940s enjoyed several successful seasons. The 1945 Deacons were the first to participate in a postseason bowl game. Wake Forest defeated South Carolina in the inaugural Gator Bowl, 26-14. The team finished with a record of 5-3-1. The 1946 team defeated the fourth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers 19-6 in Knoxville in one of the season’s biggest upsets. The 1948 team also participated in a bowl game, losing to Baylor 20-7 in the 1949 Dixie Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. That team finished with a record of 6-4.

FOOTBALL PLAYER BILL GEORGE WITH COACH PEAHEAD WALKER. Bil...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - OLD CAMPUS VIEWS
• Two - LIFE ON THE OLD CAMPUS
• Three - THE TOWN OF WAKE FOREST
• Four - THE MOVE TO WINSTON-SALEM AND THE NEW CAMPUS
• Five - ATHLETICS THROUGH THE YEARS
• Six - LIFE ON THE NEW CAMPUS