Place Campus Athletic

The athletic building was located across the street, east, from our home. That building had been built only a couple years before we arrive, so in about 1958. It contained basketball courts, a swimming pool and a weight-lifting room. We faculty kids could use these facilities. The swimming pool was open on Sunday afternoons for faculty families. Mr. Schwich and Mr. Meyer could open the building on holidays when it normally was supposed to be closed.

Next to the athletic building was a football field, surrounded by a running track. Next to the football field was a plateau, the so-called East Field, where there was a baseball field, some softball fields, and the area where the football teams practiced.

On the campus, near the cafeteria, there was a building with an old basketball court. We kids sometimes played basketball there, if the courts in the athletic building were not available.

Across the street from the first four, old houses on Faculty Lane were some tennis courts. I don't remember what the layout was when we arrived in 1960. I remember that there was an area (an old tennis court) surrounded by a lot of beautiful crabapple trees. In about 1962 this area was turned into new tennis courts, and the crabapple trees were removed. There were some old tennis courts that remained across from Faculty Lane House 3 (the Schwich house).

We kids could play tennis on these courts whenever they were available. I played there often and became a reasonably good player for my age.

Of course, St. John Elementary School also had a basketball court and a baseball field.

There were plenty of open spaces to play sports. We all had large back yards.

When we first arrived, we always played tackle football. The adults made us play flag football after a couple years, though.

Gene Meyer remembers:

The old tennis courts were across the street from Schwich’s, the new tennis courts were across from Griesse’s, where the Science Building is now. We used to roll down a grass hill by the new tennis courts. If we did play tennis, we tried to bomb the ball over the fence.

There was softball/baseball field to the west of the old tennis courts where the kids would play pick up games. Mike Mueller was the best athlete, by far, but Jody Schwich was second. She used to swing her arm around in a circle when she would talk.

I remember donating $1 (month’s allowance) to Danny Juergensen for a fund to build the new gym because he said there would be an indoor pool, which I thought would be pretty neat. I remember Mr. Schwich opening the original old gym on Sunday afternoons so we could jump on the trampolines.