Opportunity & Opposition
A Century of Women’s Athletics at the University of NebraskaLeaders in Early Athletics
Anne Barr Clapp
After assisting with women’s physical training classes at the University of Nebraska and serving as an instructor in the program, Anne Barr became the women’s gymnasium director in 1895.
She introduced women’s basketball at the University and helped develop early teams. Barr also founded a course of study for students to earn a certificate in teaching physical education.
Barr attended the Chautauqua (New York) Summer School of Physical Education and returned many summers as an instructor. She continued learning at the Harvard Summer School of Physical Training and at gymnastics schools throughout Europe. On her travels, she acquired the samovar that served as a trophy for women’s basketball teams.
“A little more than twenty five years ago, when women were still restricted in their physical activities by public opinion, the game of basketball was introduced into gymnasium classes…. The Nebraska girls immediately became most enthusiastic over the game. It was the first real sport offered them which called into play the physical energy so long pent up by social tradition.”
Anna Barr Clapp
Louise Pound
Louise Pound, about 1916
Well known for her athletic achievements, Louise Pound led the varsity basketball team as captain in the 1897–1898 and 1898–1899 seasons. As a faculty member in the English department, she supported the team by serving as its manager.
Pound continued to champion women’s athletics even after the Board of Regents prohibited intercollegiate competitions. She served on the advisory board of the Women’s Athletic Association, which students founded in 1917 to organize and regulate athletic competitions for women and provide an award system for women athletes.
Pound received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska and a PhD from the University of Heidelberg.
“Miss Pound occupies the unique position of having earned two ‘N’s, the girls’ as a member of the basketball team and the men’s as a former university champion in men’s as well as women’s tennis . . .”
Alice Towne DeWeese
“The one place I felt relaxed and at home was in the gym.”
As a student at the University of Nebraska, Alice Towne Deweese enjoyed physical education classes and playing on interclass and varsity basketball teams.
In 1908 she was appointed Acting Director of the Women’s Gymnasium. By then, her attitude toward women’s varsity athletics had changed.
When Dean of Women Edna Barkley invited Deweese to lunch for a chat in spring 1908, Deweese surprised Barkley by agreeing varsity athletics produced, “severe strain on the girls,” and interclass sports should replace intercollegiate competitions.
Deweese’s concerns about “fiercely contested competitions for University girls” began when she was a student assistant for the varsity basketball team. According to her memoir, the turning point came after a tough win over Minnesota, when she spent half an hour sitting with a player “while she sobbed in relief from tension.”
Varsity Basketball Team , 1904-1905, from Alice Towne Deweese’s scrapbook. Top row: Inis Everett, Pearl Achibald, Margaret Pillsbury. Bottom row: Ina Gittings, Minnie Jansa, Alice Towne.
Ina Gittings
This photo of Ina Gittings, taken by Physical Education Director R.G. Clapp when he was testing a new camera, became well-known in the 1950s when it was featured in Oliver Jensen’s book The Revolt of the American Woman.
“Buried in every game, in fact, the very core of it, is the thing that makes it appeal to thinking, emotional beings–competition.”
As a girl in Superior, Nebraska, Ina Gittings enjoyed outdoor activities and sports. Entering the University of Nebraska in 1902, Gittings played on the varsity basketball team and developed a reputation as a skilled athlete.
She earned an AB and Physical Education certificate in 1906. In 1909 she became Director of the Women’s Gymnasium and remained at the University of Nebraska until 1917.
Gittings believed competition helped women build leadership and collaborative skills. Throughout her career, she expanded athletic opportunities for women and supported recognition for their achievements as athletes.
At Nebraska, she began an annual track meet for women. As Director of Physical Education at the University of Montana, she developed a program of outdoor activities and awarded trophies to women’s teams — a first at the school. Gittings became the first Director of Women’s Physical Education at the University of Arizona, a position she held from 1920 to1955. There, she began the practice of awarding letters to women athletes.
Edna Barkley
“The Dean of Women acts as adviser to women students upon all matters of interest and importance; secures special consideration for them when needed; sees that they reside in desirable places; and that the sick receive proper care. She gladly corresponds with the parents of women students touching their welfare.”
As Dean of Women from 1905 to 1909, Edna Barkley’s responsibilities reflected a parental role toward women students. She shaped and enforced rules governing women’s behavior and appearance. She acted as an advisor, meeting with students personally. She also advocated for study and social spaces on campus as well as improved women’s gymnasium facilities and additional physical education instructors. Barkley even proposed an employment bureau to help all students find jobs both during their enrollment and after graduation.
Her opposition to women’s intercollegiate athletics stemmed from her belief that the competitions were harmful to women. Her recommendation to the Board of Regents led to the elimination of women’s intercollegiate sports on April 24, 1908.
Reporting on the Board of Regents decision, the Nebraska State Journal presented Barkley’s point of view: “One of her reasons for objecting to the playing of the games was that such matches had a bad effect on the health of the girls.”
Dean of Women, Edna Barkley
After she left the Dean of Women position, Barkley focused on social issues. She spent nearly a decade campaigning for women’s suffrage and continued political involvement as a member of the League of Women Voters. In 1971 funding from the estate of Edna Barkley and her husband William provided for construction of the Barkley Memorial Center to support programs in audiology, speech-language pathology, and special education.