Archives 329
Intercollegiate Athletics
Football Films, 1940-1989
Acquisition And Processing Information
This is a collection of footage from Washington State football games. Digital video recordings transferred to the University Libraries in 2011 from Graham Warger were combined with 16 mm films transferred in 2005 and 2006 by Scott Vik, Director of Sports Video, and in 2012 by Bill Stevens, Sports Information Director, both in the WSU Office of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Intercollegiate Athletics recordings were retained as UA2006-12 and UA2012-12, respectively, and the Warger recordings as UA 2011-11. They were processed in 2012 by Susan Vetter.
Extent/Quantity Information
Number of containers: 4 boxes + 4 individual canisters
Linear feet of shelf space: 5
Organizational History
Since shortly after its 1890 founding, Washington State University participated in intercollegiate football. Filming of those competitions began in the 1920s and continues today.
Collection Description
The collection consists of small accessions of film from WSU football games; unlike earlier collections, much of this film was unlabeled and thus identifications here are frequently partially incomplete. A number indicate footage spliced together perhaps from different games. Note that often the "splicing" consists of masking tape. Consequently viewing of the film will require care.
In films not labeled, identification of teams and dates was made by looking at about a dozen feet of the film on a light table, if possible recognizing team uniforms, and sometimes then being able to assign a date for the opponent based on WSU schedules for the 1970s. Assumed is that the reel contains footage from the same game, but that was not confirmed.
Because undated films shared many similarities with dated film including the 16 mm film format and WSU uniform style, they presumably also originated in the same period as the identified ones, the 1970s. Estimates of film length were based on film footage while conclusions regarding audio were based on whether the film was perforated on one or both sides of the image. Double-perforated film does not allow for audio although a separate magnetic track sound reel may be available. Single-perforated films allow for an optical sound track.
The 1984 "highlight" items are 16 mm A and B rolls in their original metal case. A and B rolls are used to create effects such as fades and dissolves by alternating scenes back and forth from one roll to the next and back. For example, the A roll may have the even-numbered shots with black leader film between them and the B roll the odd-numbered ones. The metal case housing the A and B rolls includes the 4x6-inch cards with instructions for the processing laboratory (Alpha Cine Lab in Seattle) about how to edit the two rolls together along with a paper data tape with more information to sync the rolls in post-print production. The A and B rolls and the sound track are run through the contact printer in three passes to create a negative. The separate sound track is missing.
In contrast to the 16 mm film, the digital video copies are clearly identified games played from 1940 to 1989. But unlike the WSU produced 16-mm films, the copyright for the DVDs may not be held by WSU.
COLLECTION ARRANGEMENT
Film that was transferred to the University Archives mounted on conventional reels and in metal cases was left in that housing. Much of the 16 mm film arrived not on reels but wound around plastic cores from which the film could easily fall off. Each film on these cores was wrapped in archival grade polyethylene foam to reduce shifting and transferred to an archival media box for both preservation purposes as well as to prevent the core-mounted films from unspooling. In some instances, a single archival box houses more than one film. Each box or case contains a paper slip identifying teams in addition to the item label on the exterior and/or labeled archival tape on the film or labeling on the film leader.
Arrangement into series was determined by medium (16 mm film versus DVD) for ease of storage and preservation with the third series composed of six oversize items containing 16 mm films. Within each series, the arrangement is primarily but not exclusively chronological.
ACCESS
The entirety of this collection is open and available for in-person research use. However, due to copyright restrictions, only films which may be positively determined as originating within WSU may be reproduced for external use.
Preferred Citation
The suggested citation for the collection is:
[Item Description]
Intercollegiate Athletics Football Films, 1940-1989 (Archives 329)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Washington State University Libraries
Pullman, WA
Subject Headings
College sports--Washington (State)--Archives
Colleges and Universities
Moving Images
Sports and Recreation
Washington (State)
Related Materials
Other WSU Football Films can be found in Archives 29, 188, 204, 212, and 227. Also in existence is a combined chronological listing.
Languages
While most of the material is silent, when audio is available, it is in English.