The Spartan Sports collection consists of sports programs from the different sports departments at San José State University and various sports related guide books. The sports team programs featured in the collection include the following: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Judo, Rugby, Swimming, Tennis, and Track & Field. The collection also contains official handbooks, manuals and athletic rules for these sports. The bulk of the collection consists of athletic rule books from different time periods such as the E.B. DeGroot Official Athletic Almanacs which contain rules, photographs, and official time records. Most books in the collection feature photographs of sports and sports teams. The collection also contains many National Collegiate Athletic Association publications. These guides are organized by sport type and contain lists of athletes in many colleges and universities as well as team records. This collection is arranged into two series: Series I: Official Sports Programs and Manuals 1908-1987, Series II: Printed Matter 1949-2004.

In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations, and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.

2 boxes, 2.5 linear feet

Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.