The Seton Hall University Athletics Collection is representative of the sports culture of the institution which has been active to varying degrees since the creation of the school in 1856 and has maintained an active place in campus life through connections to student affairs and administration support since that time. The presence and popularity of collegiate sports at Seton Hall has also led to the creation of various documentation that represents participation by students, administrators, alumni, and others connected to this community. The work and relevance of the Department of Athletics and Recreation is reflected in their mission statement: “. . . to ensure that the intercollegiate athletics and recreational programs represent and reflect the mission and goals of the University . . . seeks to create a sense of community spirit and pride among all constituents, students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni.” In light of this philosophy and in conjunction with the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, this partnership has mutually supported the need to preserve the historical legacy of individual sports, players, events, and related aspects within context of the overall Seton Hall University experience.

When it comes to a brief overview of the origins of sport at Setonia, the earliest instances of athletic-centered activity has been present on campus since the 19th century with basic physical education references and has led to a more formalized period in Seton Hall athletics with competitive baseball (1863) and football (1883) teams being formed, but it was not until 1897 that the Seton Hall Athletic Association was founded in order to provide a governing body and organizational structure to competitive intramural and intercollegiate athletic endeavors. From the 20th century through its diamond anniversary, campus-wide competitions and intercollegiate contests grew in popularity as basketball (1903) was followed by soccer, tennis, and track and field teams that were inaugurated by the 1920s. From its earliest years, the athletic tradition of Seton Hall further developed as established teams and newer ones like fencing, golf, swimming and diving along with wrestling and others contributed to the start of championships, national competition, and building the trail of documentation related to players, games, seasons, and other aspects of competitive record-keeping. Seton Hall was an all-male institution until 1968 when it became co-educational and as a result of women’s athletics became a part of the sports community. Various activities including basketball (1973) followed by softball, tennis, volleyball, and creating joint squads in swimming and diving and track and field for example has led to further expansion and historical output related to their respective and collective achievements alike.

The main body of materials that document Seton Hall University sports and/or has been produced under the sponsorship of the Department of Athletics & Recreation falls under Record Group SHU 0031 and constitutes the core collection includes administrative information along with documentation created via specific sports or themes (whether active or not) including: Baseball; Basketball, Men’s and Women’s; Fencing, Men’s and Women’s (defunct); Football (defunct); Golf, Men’s and Women’s, Soccer, Men’s and Women’s; Softball; Squash, Men’s (defunct); Swimming, Men’s and Women’s; Tennis, Men’s and Women’s; Track & Field and Cross-Country, Men’s and Women’s; Volleyball, Women’s; and Wrestling (defunct). In addition, various information has been preserved in relation to the Seton Hall Preparatory School (Seton Hall Prep) pre-1960 sports teams which were based on campus prior to the move of this secondary academy to West Orange in 1985.

The core holdings found within the Athletics Collection originate from the 1860s, and from the limited 19th century examples found within this collection, the focus proportionately increases in volume and depth from the mid-1920s through the present day with the bulk period covering the 1949-2009 era. When it comes to format types within this core collection includes various documents, publications, reports, statistical data, brochures/flyers, programs/guides, press clippings, and other resources of note with specifics found within the folder level descriptions found in this guide. In terms of conservation notes, materials found in this collection are mainly in good to excellent condition.

This is a dynamic research collection which encompasses the athletic history and varied functions associated with the sports-related aspects of campus life as noted and new additions to these files will be added to over time. Therefore, the holdings have been streamlined, the contents were brought up-to-date and subject folders organized by series, theme, chronology, etc. The Athletics Collection receives consistent and detailed usage on a regular basis. Primary usage requests come from the Office of Athletic Communications and University Advancement especially when it comes to special events (i.e. Hall of Fame inductions, Annual Team Banquets, Reunions, etc.), alumni inquiries and family history research (students and graduates and sports played during time on campus), special media features, commemoratives and historical information for various press release content, media guide prep, and other communications produced through the materials found within this assemblage.

Within other areas of the Archives & Special Collections Center are various athletic-centered content examples. Most of this ancillary information is found in scrapbooks, photographs, objects, audio/video materials, textiles, and other examples that illustrate the growth and sustainability of sports on campus. Most materials that feature any type of sports-related information connected to Seton Hall that has been obtained by our office was either created by, or approved for usage came through the Department of Athletics and Recreation. Continual attention to proper maintenance will be made with some additional conservation to be applied to such items as miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Additionally, some materials contain information on two or more different teams and are included in a special multi-sport series. In some cases there are incomplete series as there are not Box Scores, Game Programs, or Statistics for every contest or year of a particular program for example. Allowances have also been made for later editing and when additional information is acquired by the Center to keep this collection as thorough and up-to-date as possible.