UMass's First Women's Athletic Fields
Title
UMass's First Women's Athletic Fields
Subject
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Description
The first female athletic fields to be built at Massachusetts State College were constructed in 1936. The fields stood behind Goessmann Hall, the building visible on the left of the image. Draper Hall is visible on the right of this image, and Stockbridge Hall is even visible on the very far right. The smokestack of the Powerplant is also visible in the background.
The fields were constructed under the direction of Adeline E. Hicks. Hicks was the wife of Curry Hicks (of Hicks Cage fame), and oversaw the women’s physical education program at Massachusetts State College while her husband oversaw the men’s program. Adeline Hicks was massively influential in getting the school to begin a women’s athletics program and was especially vital in the inclusion of modern dance as part of women’s physical education. The picture shows a group of women playing soccer on the athletic fields that Hicks was so instrumental in creating. In addition to her role in the construction of these athletic fields, she also managed to get the university to renovate the Drill Hall into the first women’s gymnasium in 1931. Hicks was truly crucial to the development of women’s athletics at UMass. The fields themselves were completed just before Hicks retired in 1937.
These fields likely stood until the laboratory addition to Goessmann in 1957 was built over the fields. Although both Hicks and her husband played an instrumental role in advancing women’s athletics at Massachusetts Agricultural College which was later known as Massachusetts State College and is now the University of Massachusetts, there are still disparities between the recognition of the accomplishments of male and female athletes. Despite having four out of UMass’s five national championships (Team Gymnastics 1973, Vault 1992, Floor 1993, and Lacrosse 1982) as well as all three of the schools NCAA championships (Field Hockey 1987, 1995, 2003) female athletics are less celebrated in athletics at the school. Only one of UMass’s seven retired numbers belongs to a woman. Only about 19% of UMass Hall of Famers are women (nineteen out of ninety-seven).
The fields were constructed under the direction of Adeline E. Hicks. Hicks was the wife of Curry Hicks (of Hicks Cage fame), and oversaw the women’s physical education program at Massachusetts State College while her husband oversaw the men’s program. Adeline Hicks was massively influential in getting the school to begin a women’s athletics program and was especially vital in the inclusion of modern dance as part of women’s physical education. The picture shows a group of women playing soccer on the athletic fields that Hicks was so instrumental in creating. In addition to her role in the construction of these athletic fields, she also managed to get the university to renovate the Drill Hall into the first women’s gymnasium in 1931. Hicks was truly crucial to the development of women’s athletics at UMass. The fields themselves were completed just before Hicks retired in 1937.
These fields likely stood until the laboratory addition to Goessmann in 1957 was built over the fields. Although both Hicks and her husband played an instrumental role in advancing women’s athletics at Massachusetts Agricultural College which was later known as Massachusetts State College and is now the University of Massachusetts, there are still disparities between the recognition of the accomplishments of male and female athletes. Despite having four out of UMass’s five national championships (Team Gymnastics 1973, Vault 1992, Floor 1993, and Lacrosse 1982) as well as all three of the schools NCAA championships (Field Hockey 1987, 1995, 2003) female athletics are less celebrated in athletics at the school. Only one of UMass’s seven retired numbers belongs to a woman. Only about 19% of UMass Hall of Famers are women (nineteen out of ninety-seven).
Creator
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Source
UMass Special Collections and University Archives
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Type
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Identifier
RG141-0009609
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