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.

UPCOMING CLOSURES – HOLIDAY SEASON
Wednesday, 27 November 2024 — Closed to the public.
Wednesday, 11 December 2024 — Closed 11am-5pm (Holiday Parties, Department and College).
Monday, 23 December 2024 through Friday, 3 January 2025 — Winter Break, we will re-open Monday, 6 January 2025.
We apologize for any inconvenience. During closures, you can still contact us by emailing info@starkcenter.org.

It's a Good LifeBy
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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...

Trapped Inside the Glass
News, Blogs & Updates, UncategorizedBy
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Trapped Inside the Glass

When I first began at the Stark, I heard tales told of binders assembled by Susan (former Director of Photography for Athletics) and Jim Sigmon (former Assistant AD for New Media) that contained the history of hard copy photos for the University of Texas Athletics programs before photography went digital with the evolution of DSLR cameras. The rumors were confirmed by a former staff member who actually remembered the exact location of the photo binders. He took us on a walkabout late one Friday afternoon and remembered the door they hid behind which was, unfortunately, locked. No one had been...

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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