The University of Akron Athletics
Hall of Fame
Dr. Charles Bulger
- Induction:
- 1978
- Class:
- 1908
1910-14
Faculty Manager of Athletics
In 1910 Charles Bulger, class of 1908, returned to his alma mater to teach German. However, before too long, he found himself faculty manager of athletics—equivalent to today’s athletics director.
In the fall of 1910 he worked with football manager Vern Read, and from them on gradually took into his own hands the general control of the athletics situation. The making if schedule and the handling of the funds of the athletics association were taken out of the hands of the students.
“This established a permanent point In the system and greatly aided us in the fight for recognition from other schools”, wrote Professor Bulger in his athletics portion of Fifty Years of Buchtel. “A good team is little avail to an institution unless it’s relations with sister institutions are such as to enable it to readily construct an advantageous list of games.”
As a freshman at Buchtel in 1904, Bulger organized a football team, was elected captain, but never played a game because he couldn’t’ book any games.
“Probably a good thing,” he chuckled in a 1966 Akron Beacon Journal story, “I’d never have studied.”
Professor Bulger continued as faculty manager until the fall of 1914, when he left for a year of graduate study at The University of Wisconsin.
Prior to leaving though, Bulger was instrumental in setting up Akron for admission into Ohio Conference. He attended a meeting in Columbus in the Spring of 1914 and announced the intention of Buchtel to make application for membership the following fall.
In addition, he set up a system of control covering the class work of athletics. Regular weekly reports were required on all athletes. If his work was below satisfactory he was warned that his grades must improve by a given date or be excluded from competition.
Bulger retired from the University in 1951 after 40 years of service in which he rose to Dean of the Buchtel College of Liberal Arts The University remembered his 40-year career and conferred an honorary doctorate degree in 1953 and in 1969, a 16-story men’s dormitory was named for him. Bulger died at the age of 89 on December 30, 1975.
Faculty Manager of Athletics
In 1910 Charles Bulger, class of 1908, returned to his alma mater to teach German. However, before too long, he found himself faculty manager of athletics—equivalent to today’s athletics director.
In the fall of 1910 he worked with football manager Vern Read, and from them on gradually took into his own hands the general control of the athletics situation. The making if schedule and the handling of the funds of the athletics association were taken out of the hands of the students.
“This established a permanent point In the system and greatly aided us in the fight for recognition from other schools”, wrote Professor Bulger in his athletics portion of Fifty Years of Buchtel. “A good team is little avail to an institution unless it’s relations with sister institutions are such as to enable it to readily construct an advantageous list of games.”
As a freshman at Buchtel in 1904, Bulger organized a football team, was elected captain, but never played a game because he couldn’t’ book any games.
“Probably a good thing,” he chuckled in a 1966 Akron Beacon Journal story, “I’d never have studied.”
Professor Bulger continued as faculty manager until the fall of 1914, when he left for a year of graduate study at The University of Wisconsin.
Prior to leaving though, Bulger was instrumental in setting up Akron for admission into Ohio Conference. He attended a meeting in Columbus in the Spring of 1914 and announced the intention of Buchtel to make application for membership the following fall.
In addition, he set up a system of control covering the class work of athletics. Regular weekly reports were required on all athletes. If his work was below satisfactory he was warned that his grades must improve by a given date or be excluded from competition.
Bulger retired from the University in 1951 after 40 years of service in which he rose to Dean of the Buchtel College of Liberal Arts The University remembered his 40-year career and conferred an honorary doctorate degree in 1953 and in 1969, a 16-story men’s dormitory was named for him. Bulger died at the age of 89 on December 30, 1975.
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