Union College Athletics

This Is Union!BULLDOG BASEBALLIn 1879 a group ofprogressive citizens followedthe prompting of Abraham H.Harritt, a salesman of schooldesks, and James T. Gibson,the owner of a generalmerchandisestore, to establisha college in the Barbourvillecommunity. W.W. Sawyersand James D. Black met in theoffice of Judge J.H. Tinsleyand formed a stock companyto launch Union College.Black, who later served aspresident of Union from 1910-12 and later served as governorof Kentucky, is given creditCENTENNIAL HALLfor having named the school“Union.” The institution itwould serve as a unifying influence for the community regardless of church affiliationor political differences. The Articles of Incorporation were drawn up on Oct. 18, 1879,and provided for the issuance of $20,000 worth of capital stock. The London Echo ofDec. 12, 1879, carrying its first announcement of Union, listed the corporation as being“designed to fill a long-felt want in eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee and westernVirginia.”Union was operated under local leadership for the first few years, but began toexperience severe financial struggles. On Oct. 25, 1886, the property was “cried off”to Green Elliott, who purchased it for Dr. Daniel Stevenson for the sum of $4,425with Mrs. Mahala Dowis furnishing the funds. The renowned Kentucky educator hadbeen authorized to attend the sale by the Board of Education of the Kentucky AnnualConference of The United Methodist Church.Union’s athletic mascot, the English Bulldog, was introduced during the fall of 1925.The breed, whose ancestors were developed in Britain before the 13th century from theBritish mastiff and other breeds, was used for bullbaiting and dogfighting until thesesports were outlawed in the 19th century.In 1967, the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity of Union College purchased the firstliving mascot named Mack. He was presented at the Homecoming basketball game thatsame year. A registered English Bulldog, Mack died in 1971. His remains are buried inan area adjacent to Union’s current baseball complex.During the past seven years, Union College began a major campus renovationand building project. Plans included the creation of new student housing, expandedacademic and athletic centers, and the upgrade of existing facilities. Projects completedwere the construction of the Stewart-Lyttle Apartments, Sharp Academic Center, BlackTechnology Center and the renovation of Speed Hall. Union’s athletic facilities havealso received facelifts as well. A new brick backstop erected in 2001 at Sanders Fieldat Jerry W. Carey Baseball Stadium, while a new wooden outfield fence was built in2002 with a new outfield wall in 2008. Robsion Arena recently had the floor repainted,new scoreboards installed and a new lights, roof and gutters installed. Two new tenniscourts were constructed, while the existing four were resurfaced, and a new press boxwas constructed at Burch/Nau Field (football) in 2003 and synthetic sports turn inlaidin 2007. In 2008, Union opened up a new weight-room facility as well.Union offers 27 majors in the undergraduate curriculum, which lead to a bachelor’sdegree. Minors are also available in many of these programs. In addition, the collegeoffers pre-professional programs that are affiliated with other institutions and agencies.Union College also boasts a graduate program The college offers graduate work ineducation leading to a Master’s degree, Fifth-Year Certificate and Rank I Certificate.How many independent, liberal arts colleges in the Commonwealth of Kentucky canboast of a Nobel Prize-winning graduate? Union College can certainly lay claim to that.Dr. Phillip A. Sharp, the co-winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for medicine, received hisbachelor’s degree from Union in 1966.Campus life starts from the moment the students arrive on campus and continuesthrough the end of the school year. Students can participate in more than 30 campusorganizations such as music, theatre productions, sports, student government, religiousactivities and clubs.JUST THE FACTSType: Personally-focused private liberalarts collegeFounded: 1879 as Kentucky’s firstcollege in the mountainsAffiliation: United Methodist Church;however, Union welcomes students ofall faithsStudents: Nearly 650 undergraduatesrepresenting 19 states, Puerto Rico andfive foreign countriesAcademics: Bachelor of Arts andBachelor of Science degrees; 27 majors,21 minorsLocation: Just 17 miles east ofInterstate 75 in Barbourville, insoutheastern Kentucky, located in thefoothills of the Appalachian Mountainrange along the famous WildernessRoad and 30 miles from CumberlandGap National Historic ParkCampus: Over 100 acres covered inmajestic trees, mountain greenery, andGeorgian architecture and surroundedby four state parks; 20 buildingsincluding our state-of-the-art technologycenter and library, Academic ResourceCenter and new student apartmentsAthletics: 23 intercollegiate varsitysports, including coed cheerleading,a number of junior varsity sports andintramual sportsActivities: Approximately 30 studentclubs and organizations; student eventsincluding Homecoming, spring formal,Springfest, lip-sync contests, studentdinners, dances, bonfires and outdoorrecreationTechnology: All academic buildingsand residence halls are wired fornetwork access; students receive 50MBof network file storage and personal e-mail addresses; all residence hall roomsinclude cable television; Yahoo! InternetLife Magazine lists Barbourville as oneof the most wired towns in the UnitedStatesFinancial Aid/Scholarships: Nearly$2 million awarded annually toapproximately 98 percent of Union’sundergraduate students2 • Union College