In 1988, the University Libraries Special Collections began a concentrated effort to locate historical materials that would document the growth of athletic policies and the achievement of our teams. Our goal has been to establish a Penn State Sports Archive that will be unrivaled in its scope and serve both scholars and administrators.

The collections include biographical information about many of the athletes who have helped make Penn State a sports power, media guides and press kits for all Penn State sports (including intramural and club sports) and material related to many special events, a large collection of A/V materials and historical records concerning the rise of women's intercollegiate athletics and the impact of Title IX. The Sports Archive also maintains extensive collections of the personal papers of such coaches as Hugo Bezdek, Charles "Rip" Engle and Tom Tait.

Additionally, the Sports Archives has files on many Penn Staters who have participated in the Olympics, as well as collections about the history of the Olympics in general.