Ten Years Strong

Join us as we celebrate the Ten Year Anniversary of the Stark Center.

Opening video courtesy of Sansom Media. 

As a precaution to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), The Stark Center is temporarily closing to visitors until further notice. Center staff will be working during this time and will happily respond to research requests during this period; please email (rather than phone) the Stark Center or the individual staff member you wish to reach. Please note that our digital collections, e-books, and the back issues of Iron Game History: The Journal of Physical Culture remain online and available to the public. Thank you for understanding. Please check back for updates and additional information. Stay Safe!
–Jan Todd, Stark Center Director

 

Welcome to the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports. The Stark Center is a library containing thousands of books and magazines related to sports, fitness, nutrition, and alternative medicine; an archive containing films, photography, and the personal papers of prominent athletes, coaches, writers, and educators; a digital resource; and, an exhibit space, featuring The Joe and Betty Weider Museum of Physical Culture.

COLLECTION SELECTION

Mack Brown’s Commemorative Footballs
Collection in FocusBy
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Mack Brown’s Commemorative Footballs

One of the amazing things about working at the Stark Center is the opportunity to see and interact with materials related to the amazing athletics programs at the University of Texas at Austin.  As one of the most storied programs in sports history, the University of Texas football program is a phenomenal resource for archival items. The Stark Center is fortunate to hold many items from the personal collection of former Texas football head coach, Mack Brown.  Arriving on the Forty Acres in 1998 and leading the Longhorns until 2013, Brown compiled a record 134 wins and 34 losses at...

NEWS & UPDATES

It's a Good LifeBy
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Records, Vitriol and Hafthor Bjornsson’s Quest for the 501 Kilo Deadlift

I’ve been in isolation ever since I returned on March 9th from directing the 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC). Like other fans of Strongman, I’ve watched with sadness as show after Strongman show got canceled last month as the coronavirus spread around the globe.  In recent weeks, I’ve been listening with yet more dismay to the vitriolic barbs Eddie Hall has been hurling at Hafthor Bjornsson as the big Icelander gets ready to attempt to set a new all-time Strongman deadlift record on Saturday, May 2nd from his gym in Iceland.   If I didn’t know all the principals, I might...

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.  Click on the images below for more information.

Browse the Complete Journal Archive

DON’T MISS

The Stark Center is committed to making its resources available to the public.  To that end, we are creating a variety of digital projects, including flipping books and interactive exhibits.

 

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

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