Welcome to the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports.

The Stark Center is a research center housed within the Department of Kinesiology & Health Education.  We are a unique combination of library, archive, and gallery/exhibit space. Our regular hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm. There is no charge for admission and all are welcome.

An Unexpected Pleasure: Kissing the Ground in Equilibrium—A Search for the Origins of the Pushup

One of the things I enjoy most about the Stark Center are the requests we often get for information about some aspect of the history of physical culture. Most of those requests are handled by our incredible Stark Center staff but every now and then a request will make its way to my inbox and I find myself so intrigued that I end up doing research that wasn’t planned because the question made me curious too. This past Sunday was one of those days. I got an unexpected email from Denis Blinov, whom I’ve never met. “May I ask if you...

Clyde Littlefield's charm bracelet, adorned with Southwest Conference Championship charms, including footballs and track spikes.

Tiny Golden Charms

We have lost many traditions and social norms over the years. Gentlemen and ladies once wore hats and more formal attire in public, and young couples marked their relationships by “pinning” one another. Among one of the most sentimental traditions we have drifted away from is the charm bracelet. These pieces of memory jewelry adorned a woman’s wrist, each charm marking the special moments in her life: birthdays, trips, and personal achievements. A charm bracelet was built over many years and was almost like a wearable diary. One such charm bracelet is on display in our current exhibit Longhorns v. Aggies...

Browse the Complete Journal Archive

The Stark Center features collections from around the world related to all aspects of physical culture and sports.

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