Yesteryear Archives: 100 Years of Basketball

Men's basketball at UConn began in 1901 with a single game played by Connecticut Agricultural College against Windham High School in January of that year. The college team won, and by 1903, basketball was a varsity sport. Players on the 1901 team were: (front row, l-r) Matt Pierpont ofWaterbury ; Frank McLean; Eddie Moriarity; (second row, l-r) Joe Bleakslee of Plymouth; Jimmie Twing of Hartford; (back row, l-r) Coach Thomas D. Knowles, Ted Downing, Steve Crowell of Middletown.

Women's basketball began about one year after the men started playing on the campus. The first women's team, pictured here from 1902, played two games for their "unbeaten" season: both were wins against the Windham High girls' team. This photograph appeared in the CAC annual report of 1903. Holding the basketball in the middle row is Marjorie Monteith, daughter of history professor Henry Monteith. Seated on the right in the first row is the team's manager, Helen Stimson, wife of CAC's president, Rufus Stimson.