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February 11, 2002
Ice Polo - 1890s
[ Index to UConn History ]
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There were three team sports in Storrs in the 1890s: football,
baseball, and ice polo - a game similar to hockey but with shorter
sticks and a ball instead of a puck. This photo is of the Storrs
Agricultural School ice polo team in about 1891, playing on the
Duck Pond (Swan Lake). Ice polo, which developed in the United
States, was replaced by ice hockey - which developed in Canada -
early in the 20th century. This view looks southeast toward (from
left) the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, the chemistry
laboratory, and Old Main. Behind the windmill of the water well is
the rear of Gold Hall, a men's dormitory. Women began to attend
SAS as commuters in the fall of 1891. [Photos From University
Archives]
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[ ABOVE ] A
closer look at the photograph shows the jerseys of the ice polo
players -- with SAS for Storrs Agricultural School. The name would
change to Storrs Agricultural College in 1893.
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[ ABOVE ] A
photo of the SAS baseball team, also from around 1891, shows that
the jerseys worn by the ice polo team were probably the same ones
used for other SAS teams.
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[ ABOVE ] A
side-by-side comparision shows that the jerseys for ice polo were
very likely shared with the baseball team of the school. Their caps
also look similar.
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By Mark J. Roy
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