Athletics at UC Berkeley

About the project 

The project Oral Histories on the Management of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley: 1960-2014 includes approximately 70 interviews conducted (although only 45 were completed and approved for public release) from 2009-14 by John Cummins, Associate Chancellor — Chief of Staff, Emeritus, who worked under UC Berkeley Chancellors Heyman, Tien, Berdahl, and Birgeneau from 1984 through 2008. Intercollegiate Athletics reported to Cummins from 2004 to 2006.

The purpose of the project is to explore the history of the management of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley from the 1960s to the present. The interviews are with a cross sampling of individuals who played key roles in the management of intercollegiate athletics over that period of time: Chancellors, Athletic Directors, senior administrators, Faculty Athletic Representatives, other key faculty members, directors of the Recreational Sports Program, alumni/donors, administrators in the Athletic Study Center, and others.

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Project resources

Project Director John Cummins wrote two essays based in part on the research interviews:

The Management of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley: Turning Points and Consequences” by John Cummins and Kirsten Hextrum CSHE.12.13 (November 2013).

"A Cautionary Analysis of a Billion Dollar Athletic Expenditure" by John Cummins, UC Berkeley CSHE 3.17 (February 2017).

Other oral histories with content related to the sport and business of athletics at the University of California can be found in the subject area: Education and University of California — Individual Interviews