The Victoria College, 1925-2000: A Tradition of Excellence

games with freshmen of “B” teams from senior
colleges “have not been enough to pay
even the operating expense of the game (officials,
tickets, field rental, travel).” As evidenced
by the gate receipts, there was little
community interest in the senior college clubs
and certain junior colleges would not compete
against a school that admitted “Negroes.”
Incidentally, Booker T. Carter, a Pirate halfback,
and Victor Marshall, a pole vaulter, hold
the distinction of being the first black athletes
at the college. Scheduling games also became
more difficult when Arlington and Tarleton
became senior colleges. 100
A rumor circulated among the students and
the community that the real reason for the elimination
of football was the debilitating injury
suffered by McCann. Moore emphatically
denied the assertion. He continually reemphasized
the board’s position that the cost was too
great, and “the interest among the people in the
city was not enough to keep it going.” Allen
agreed with Moore’s assessment. He recalled
that “Victoria College didn’t draw anybody. I
told the business manager at the time that by
dropping football the college could give the
teachers a $500 raise. He said it could be a lot
more than $500.” The move may have been
coincidental, but the following year after the
elimination of football, the board lowered the
tax rate. 101
In October 1957, Sputnik, the first satellite
to orbit the earth and a product of the Soviet
Union, shattered the nation’s belief that the
United States was scientifically and technologically
invincible. To recoup lost ground and
regain scientific and technological supremacy,
the country responded by supporting policies
that accentuated student participation in
biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
The Victoria College emulated the mood of the
nation. When the football program was
dropped, eliminating over twenty scholarships,
the college established ten academic scholarships
and strengthened the entrance requirements
for math and science. 102
Caroline Summers, speech and drama
instructor, escorted her speech students to Big
Spring, hoping to be competitive at the State
Speech Meet in the spring of 1961. The students
measured up to the task and captured the speech
sweepstakes. Her team, reminiscent of the college
days at Patti Welder, won three firsts, three
seconds, and one third. The first place victors
were Peggy Tolbert, poetry; James Wallace, oratory;
and Ada Jackson, dramatic interpretation. 103
Victoria College track and field athletes
and the tennis players in the spring of 1961
✯
There were few empty chairs in
the Student Union Building in
the mornings.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 99