From the Green and White to the Titans: Athletics at Illinois Wesleyan

College sports at IWU took off in the years following the Civil War with baseball starting as early as 1869 and football in 1874. Early efforts at these sports were sporadic, and regular organized teams did not take hold until 1878 for baseball and 1887 for football. Basketball followed soon after in 1894, first organized on campus by Professor Delmar Darrah as a women's sport. According to former athletic director, Fred L. Muhl, who wrote an extensive history of athletics on campus, concerned mothers put a stop to women's basketball on campus just a few years after its initial introduction.

Both an outdoor facility, Wilder Field, and a short-lived gymnasium were introduced in 1894 to support student athletic activities. The gymnasium soon fell out of use, and reasons for this are not well-documented. The lack of a dedicated space for indoor sports slowed the growth of these activities on campus. But, the Memorial Gymnasium, built in 1921, fulfilled a need that would foster the growth of IWU athletics. Despite the earlier quashing of women's basketball, sports for women existed in some form with the support of the Women's Recreation Association in the 20th century. However, more options for women emerged in the mid-1970s following the passage of the federal law Title IX, which guaranteed equal opportunities in sports and extracurriculars for men and women at institutions that receive federal funding.

The objects exhibited below highlight key moments in the history of athletics at Illinois Wesleyan.