Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 153

proved from year to year. In the spring of 1888, W. P. 1. was admitted to the New England Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The annual meet was held in Worcester that year, and the Tech boys won third place. Allen, '89, set a new record in the 220-yards and Bradford, '91, won the one-mile walk. The meet was held in Worcester the following year and W. P. 1. did nearly as well, Bradford again winning his specialty, Marshall, '89, winning the pole vault. In subsequent meetings the pace set by the larger colleges was too fast for Worcester athletes, although they often produced good performances.

One runner of that period gained national prominence. Dadmun, '91, in the course of several Field Days, established Institute records in every running event up to two miles, several of which stood unchallenged for nearly forty years. In the fall of 1890, he won the national championship in the half-mile at Washington, a feat that made him a hero in Worcester. The following summer he went to Europe on a tour with a group of picked athletes from American colleges.

Football, attempted as a sport from time to time, began to be taken seriously in 1885. That year a self-coached eleven won two victories from Worcester Academy and aroused a hopeful spirit on the campus, which survived the unproductive season of 1886 to flare again in 1887. Five games that year resulted in four victories, and a tie with Harvard freshmen. Massachusetts Aggies was one of the victims in the game that marked the beginning of a longtime rivalry. Sam Winslow, young Harvard athlete, refereed.

At this time Tech appeared to be headed for football fame. Outstanding among the players were Windsor White, '90, and Everett Lake, '90, who ranked with the best college players of the day. The team they developed in the fall of 1888 negotiated a heavy schedule with credit to themselves and the Institute. They trounced the Aggies and the Harvard freshmen, won one of two games with Trinity, and made excellent showings in games that they lost, including two

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Last Modified: Fri Jul 30 11:15:25 EDT 1999