Athletics have been a part of Milligan College’s history for almost 130 years. Throughout the years, there have been shocking victories and also unfortunate defeats. Through it all, Milligan has maintained a strong sense of competition and athletic ability.
Everything changes in time. And for Milligan, changes came when the college started offering intercollegiate sports.
The rich history of athletics at Milligan College began with baseball in 1887,brought over from the founders at the original Buffalo Male and Female Institute. Because of bad sportsmanship from other teams that came to compete at Milligan, Milligan’s first president, Josephus Hopwood, decided that Milligan was not ready for sports and stopped the program. The baseball program was uprooted and brought back to life in 1910 when it was introduced as the first intercollegiate sport offered at Milligan College.
Basketball became the next official intercollegiate sport at Milligan when it was brought on to campus in 1912. A year later in mid-1913, the old chapel from the Buffalo Institute was converted into the first basketball court on campus, later also used during World War I.
1914 was a very important year for Milligan as it brought gender equality to the forefront of minds in the student body. Women’s basketball was introduced as the first intercollegiate women’s sports team at Milligan in the fall of 1914, making history as one of the first colleges in East Tennessee with an official women’s sports team on campus.
With so much excitement on campus it was not long before other sports clubs began forming,many students hoping that their sport would one day be brought to the intercollegiate level at Milligan. In 1915, a men’s tennis club was the first sports club to form on campus.
Following suit, Milligan’s first intercollegiate track team was established in 1916.
With now four official collegiate sports on campus, the idea that sports were growing at Milligan College was clear. Milligan’s first athletic committee was organized in 1919, a significant and exciting mark in Milligan’s history as the students knew that more sports were soon to be added.
Football was the next sport introduced on campus, bringing lots of young men to campus who hoped to make the team. It was inducted officially in 1920.
Sports were becoming popular on campus–and also fairly successful. Milligan’s baseball team of 1921 is in the record books for having 20 straight wins. They are remembered for being defeated by the New York Giants 4-1 in an exhibition game later that year.
As sports participation grew on campus, administration had to make adjustments to accommodate all of the new involvement. Dirt tennis courts were paved 1921, and in 1924, the Cheek Gymnasium was built. The gymnasium featured Milligan’s first actual basketball court (besides the one in the old chapel), an indoor bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool.
After the tennis courts were paved, it was clear an official team would soon form on campus. In 1927, an official intercollegiate men’s tennis team was formed.
The success in sports continued. Going down in the record books for their miraculous and victorious wins against King College (38-6) and Carson Newman (27-0), the football team of 1927 made history. Milligan’s football team of 1940 also made history because of its completely undefeated season. Seven short years later, the men’s tennis team of 1947 continued the undefeated season streak.
Unfortunately, some great things have to come to an end. The date of Milligan College’s last football game was Nov. 18, 1950 against East Tennessee. The game ended in a tie with a score of 6-6.
Eleven years later, cross country was introduced in the fall of 1961. This was an exciting year of firsts for Milligan as the first wrestling club also began to form, becoming an official varsity sport in the fall of 1962 (though later ending in 1970). Also in 1962, the intercollegiate men’s golf team was introduced.
1970 brought back the importance of gender equality on campus as both intercollegiate sports, women’s volleyball and women’s tennis, started in the fall semester.
On Nov. 25, 1975, the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse was dedicated.
A year later, Milligan’s buffalo mascot was first introduced and brought out for sporting events, chosen for the original name of Milligan: the Buffalo Male and Female Institute.
More firsts came to Milligan in the following years as the men’s soccer team was introduced in 1977, and in 1978 the “Water Buffaloes” came to campus as the first intercollegiate swim team.
In 1981 the “Water Buffaloes” had a perfect 11-0 season and went down in the record books. Unfortunately, the undefeated season was not enough, as the swim team ended in 1986.
Intercollegiate women’s soccer began in 1997.
The “Water Buffaloes” were revived 20 years later as the swim team was brought back to campus in 2007.
The last official intercollegiate sport to be brought to Milligan’s campus was the cycling team, first forming as a mountain biking team in 2009 and later adding road and track cycling to their events in 2013.
Milligan athletics have faced disappointing days with the end of football and wrestling, but they have also seen many victories with all of the collegiate teams that are still on campus.
Today, Milligan College currently has 13 sports teams including baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, cycling, dance, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Like its rich history in sports, the future looks extremely bright for Milligan College’s athletics.