RIT men's hockey skates

Collection — Carton: 1

Identifier: RITArc-0357

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Tim Butler, a member of the RIT Men's Hockey Team from 1960-1964 donated a pair of ice hockey skates he wore when he was on the club team. In October 2011, Mr. Butler visited RIT for the "Skating through the decades of RIT men's hockey" exhibit, at which time he donated the skates to the RIT Archive Collections. A letter was written to all RIT hockey alumni asking for loans or donations of hockey memorabilia to be exhibited through March 2012.

Dates

Creation: 1960-1964

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

A new organization was formed In 1960-61 when the RIT hockey club and skating club joined together. The goals of the new club were to promote interest and enjoyment through skating, and to further the sport of hockey at RIT. Games were played against Hamilton JV, Colgate freshmen, Ithaca, Cornell freshmen, University of Rochester, University of Toronto, and local hockey club "The Rockets." The club squeaked by with a budget of just $927, and playing all games away due to the lack of adequate facilities on campus at the time.

In 1961-62 the budget was increased to $1,113.20 with the financial assistance of the RIT Student Council. There were 14 games played on home ice, which at the time was the Rochester War Memorial. This year they had actual guidance as James E. Musker became the volunteer coach. The sport was very popular, and the number interested in playing on the team exceeded 45 men.

In 1962 the team formed a league with other teams in the area who faced similar problems to their own: lack of funding, ice time, or scholarships. The league was known as the Finger Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (FLCHL)and consisted of six schools, including Brockport, Hobart, Ithaca, University of Rochester, and Syracuse.

In 1961, Lou Alexander Jr., the Director of Athletics, wrote a letter to the Athletic Committee recommending that the committee approve the establishment of an intercollegiate hockey team at Rochester Institute of Technology. The official proposal was drawn up in April 1963 and finally approved as an official varsity sport in 1965.