RecSports serves students, faculty, and staff by providing a wide variety of programs and well-maintained facilities for almost any sport- or fitness-oriented person.
RecSports: a brief history
- 1909 – First tennis court built on the Hill behind South College
- 1919 – Tennis Courts on Hill removed as part of construction on Ayres Hall
- 1921 – Four tennis courts built on Wait Field (current site of Walters Life Sciences Building)
- 1923 – Four tennis courts expanded to seven
- May, 1966 – Cornerstone laid for Stokely Athletics Center and later on the Armory-Fieldhouse first in use during the 1966-67 Basketball Season
- May, 1967 – Student Aquatic Center was completed
- November, 1967 – Student Aquatic Center dedicated
- Fall, 1970 – HPER building opened. Used for both women and men, albeit originally built for men only
- 1972 – Student Aquatic Center was the training center for the 1972 US Olympic Swimming Team
- 1974 – Athletic Department installed an inflated indoor practice dome on the site of the former Varsity Tennis Courts (where the Neyland-Thompson Football facility is today), which became known as “the Bubble”
- 1976 – Current Varsity Tennis Courts Built
- 1982 – Student Aquatic Center hosted a dual meet between the USA and the USSR
- October, 1987 – New practice facility was announced and the Bubble would be located to the non-commuter parking lot behind the Student Aquatic Center March
- 1988 – The Bubble opened at its new location, allocated for general use by the student body
- Weekend of March 13, 1993 – The Bubble collapsed under the weight of heavy snow
- 1996 – Women’s and Men’s Olympic training hosted at the Student Aquatic Center
- 1997 – Bubble replacement completed
- Summer, 1997 – Intramural fields adjacent to the aquatic center converted from natural grass and mud to artificial turf
- April, 2000 – Ground was broken for the new $20.3 million student recreation facility
- August, 2003 – TRECS building used for first time
- September, 2003 – Grand Opening of TRECS
- September, 2005 – Complete renovation of multi-use intramural fields finished, featuring a drainage system and attention to safety
- 2011 – Ground broken on the 38-acre Recsports Complex on Sutherland
- 2013 – RecSports Field Complex on Sutherland opened
- 2017 – The Bubble deflated for the final time due to safety concerns
- Fall, 2023 – Studio 18 opened, formally known as Studio 8 and 10, additional workout space for RecSports members
