University of California, Irvine. Office of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation.

When the campus at the University of California, Irvine opened in the fall of 1965, the administration established the Department of Physical Education to complement the academic curriculum. UCI has never offered a physical education major, but recognizes fitness and recreation as part of a healthy lifestyle. Founding chancellor Dan Aldrich believed it was important to provide students and staff with the opportunity to participate in athletic activities. As a result, UCI has provided a wide range of non-academic athletic courses to students, staff, and the local community from the time of the university's inception. UCI Campus Recreation has held summer and winter sports camps for local youth since 1966 and also oversees intramural sports, club sports, and a variety of fitness programs on campus. UCI's original Department of Physical Education was accountable to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Wayne Crawford, for whom the original athletic facility was later named. UCI began participating in intercollegiate athletics during its first academic year (1965-66). During that first year UCI fielded teams in basketball, golf, tennis, swimming, water polo, sailing, and crew. By 1975 UCI had teams in cross-country, women's volleyball, women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, and track and field. UCI first fielded a baseball team in 1970; due to budget cuts the baseball program was eliminated after the 1991 season, but reinstated in 2001. As of 2008, UCI sponsors 23 intercollegiate athletic teams: 11 men's teams, 11 women's teams and one coed sailing program. UCI has won over 25 national team championships since 1969 and has produced 63 individual national champions. More than 400 UCI student-athletes have earned All-America honors, and UCI Anteater teams have captured 58 conference championships.

From the description of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation publications, University of California, Irvine, 1965 - 2008. (University of California, Irvine). WorldCat record id: 644779812

Historical Background

Organizational History

When the campus at the University of California, Irvine opened in the fall of 1965, the administration established the Department of Physical Education to complement the academic curriculum. UCI has never offered a physical education major, but recognizes fitness and recreation as part of a healthy lifestyle. Founding chancellor Dan Aldrich believed it was important to provide students and staff with the opportunity to participate in athletic activities. As a result, UCI has provided a wide range of non-academic athletic courses to students, staff, and the local community from the time of the university's inception. UCI Campus Recreation has held summer and winter sports camps for local youth since 1966 and also oversees intramural sports, club sports, and a variety of fitness programs on campus.

UCI's original Department of Physical Education was accountable to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Wayne Crawford, for whom the original athletic facility was later named, served as the first chair of the Department of Physical Education, overseeing both intercollegiate athletics and recreational activities on campus. By 1968 Intercollegiate Athletics and the Recreation Sports Program were part of the Student Affairs Office, while the Department of Physical Education remained under Academic Affairs. The administrative authority under which the two departments served fluctuated a number of times until Physical Education and Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation were combined into a single office in 1995. In 1995 the Office of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation became independent of Student Affairs and directly accountable to the chancellor. Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation ascended to the level of an executive office in 1999, with the athletic director holding an administrative position equivalent to that of vice chancellor.

UCI began participating in intercollegiate athletics during its first academic year (1965-66). During that first year UCI fielded teams in basketball, golf, tennis, swimming, water polo, sailing, and crew. By 1975 UCI had teams in cross-country, women's volleyball, women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, and track and field. UCI first fielded a baseball team in 1970; due to budget cuts the baseball program was eliminated after the 1991 season, but reinstated in 2001. As of 2008, UCI sponsors 23 intercollegiate athletic teams: 11 men's teams, 11 women's teams and one coed sailing program. UCI has won over 25 national team championships since 1969 and has produced 63 individual national champions. More than 400 UCI student-athletes have earned All-America honors, and UCI Anteater teams have captured 58 conference championships.

• 1963: Wayne Crawford is named inaugural Chairman of the Department of Physical Education
• 1965: UC Irvine plays first basketball game vs. UC Riverside
• 1967: Dr. Ray Thornton becomes Chair of Physical Education and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
• 1970: First national championship for UCI athletics in water polo
• 1976: Linda Dempsay is named Chair of Physical Education and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
• 1977: UCI joins the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (renamed Big West Conference in 1989)
• 1983: Dr. John E. Caine is named Chair of Physical Education and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
• 1987: Donald Bren Events Center opens
• 1989: T. J. Ford is named Chair of the Department of Athletics and Physical Education
• 1992: Daniel G. Guerrero is named Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation
• 1999: Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) opens
• 2002: Bob Chichester is named Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation

From the guide to the Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation publications, University of California, Irvine, 1965-2008, (University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.)