Athletics A LO O K B AC K AT
BY CHU CK BE U TE L , U S F V I C E PR ES I DEN T E M ERITU S Many collegiate sports followers might point to 1976 as the beginning of athletics at the University of St. Francis, but the record books go back much further. 1927 marks the first year for athletics at St. Francis with the establishment of a women’s basketball team. The first year’s schedule included games against DePaul University in Chicago. The team was led by coach Marion Ahlberg with the team captain Evelyn Meade. Uniforms at that time were gold jerseys with brown “bloomers.” Other sport offerings grew to include tennis, volleyball and croquet.
In 1932, the College joined the WAA (Women’s Athletic Association). Three new tennis courts were built on campus near the corner of Wilcox and Douglas streets (on the site of the current Brown Science Hall) in 1935. Two years later, the women’s tennis team qualified for the WAA Tournament. The 1940s saw limited sports as the focus seemed to switch to intramural activity, or teams from each class (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) competing against each other. There were no references to sports in archived materials found from the 50s and 60s.
1940s | Students Playing Tennis
The early 70s saw intramurals played at Farragut Elementary School. In 1972, athletics officially “returned” to campus with the hiring of Elmer Bell as athletic director and baseball coach, and Bob Penosky as men’s basketball coach. Indoor sports were played at the St. Francis Academy gym (the all-female high school run by USF’s founding sisters—now coed and known as Joliet Catholic Academy) and baseball played at a very undeveloped field behind the academy. CSF’s athletes were called the Falcons and wore uniforms of purple and gold. In 1973, a men’s running program (cross country) was established by Coach Tom Brunick. The team was the first intercollegiate marathon team in the world and was recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record as cited by Sen. Charles Percy (Illinois) and reported on in the September 1973 issue of Runner’s World magazine. In 1975, the school’s “atrium” was permanently converted into an intramural gym and intramural sports were moved back to campus along with practice for some sports activities. In 1976, athletics got a major boost with the hiring of legendary coach Gordie Gillespie, who felt that as a historically women’s college, St. Francis should have women’s sports again. He hired Coach Sue Krsnich as women’s athletic director. Krsnich served as tennis and volleyball coach. He also hired another up-and-coming local coach, Patrick Sullivan, as men’s athletic director and men’s 18
Engaging Mind & Spirit Magazine
1980s | Gordie Gillespie
1981 | Pat Sullivan
