High School Sports In The 1800s

In the 1800s there was not a high demand for highly trained, educated and experienced athletic directors even though high school sports were expanding. It was not until the late 1890s that the state of Michigan initiated high school sports competition for boys and then the Michigan State Athletic Association was created for years after. This establishment sparked other states like Illinois, Indiana, and New York to create their athletic associations in the early 1900s (Schneider and Stier). By 1920 there was a national organization, consisting of five states, called the National Federation of State High School Athletic Association. Today, all states hold membership in this federation. Sports continued to expand, and the position of athletic
director was evolving into a professional position. In 1969, the creation of the National Council of Secondary School Athletic Directors was established. The people in this council were both men and women who were responsible for administering, organizing and directing school sports programs (Schneider and Stier). With the professional establishment of athletic directing in the 1960s, the athletic directors were formally given the responsibility of day-to-day operations of athletic programs throughout the nation. In the 1970s the professional status of a high school athletic director continued to become more of a professional status. By 1976 the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association was established (Schneider and Stier). The NIAAA is vastly known today by all athletic directors because you have to be certified by them to become an athletic director at any level. With sports still expanding today the position of athletic directing is still on the rise.