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How this program began.

In 1989, Dan Doyle attended a high school basketball game during which one of the two head coaches had an ethical lapse. The lapse, which occurred in the last minute of the game, involved "switching foul shooters" - i.e., the coach quietly instructed a player who had not been fouled, but had a higher foul shooting percentage, to go to the line instead of the lower percentage shooter. In this game, the better foul shooter made both foul shots, which resulted in his team winning the game by one point. Following the game, Dan ran into the coach, who expressed remorse for his action. The coach's statement led to a long and cathartic discussion between the two men. During the discussion, both realized that, in all of their combined years of coaching, neither had ever heard the issue of sportsmanship raised at clinics, athletic department meetings or in coaching classes.

On the car ride home, Dan reflected on the value of such a discussion, and how it could be applied on a national scale. The next day, after conversing with his former college basketball coach at Bates, George Wigton, who was spending a sabbatical semester at the Institute for International Sport, Dan wrote up the plan for the creation of National Sportsmanship Day.

Several weeks later, Dan presented the plan to Rhode Island Senators John Chafee, who had been an outstanding wrestler at Yale and Senator Claiborne Pell, who had also been an outstanding athlete in his youth. Senators Chafee and Pell liked the idea and encouraged the Institute to find out the extent to which sportsmanship initiatives were being administered in schools throughout the country. The Senators offered to assist by appointing a team of staffers to help the Institute research the level of sportsmanship activities throughout the United States. The Senate staff team was led by Mr. Barry Sklar, a top legislative aid to Senator Pell.

The research, which took place over a period of six months, made it clear that virtually no formal attention was being paid to sportsmanship in schools or leagues throughout the country. Based on this information, Senators Chafee and Pell hosted a press conference in the Senate Chambers to announce the official creation of National Sportsmanship Day, and the appointment of the Institute for International Sport as the administrators of this annual program, which would be celebrated on the first Tuesday of each March. With Mr. Sklar's help, the Senators then contacted all members of the United States Congress to urge their support of the initiative. On March 6, 1991, the Institute celebrated the first National Sportsmanship Day in approximately 3,000 schools. On an annual basis, members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation introduce Congressional Resolutions of Support of what is now considered by most to be the largest and most effective sportsmanship initiative in the United States, if not the world.

One of the first, and most important National Sportsmanship Day collaborations was a partnership that the Institute forged with USA Today. For the last 15 years, USA Today has greatly enhanced the growth of National Sportsmanship Day through a national essay contest. Over 9,000 young people have entered the essay contest, which USA Today considers as one of its most valuable youth-related initiatives.

Since its founding in 1990, National Sportsmanship Day has been celebrated in tens of thousands of schools, not only in the United States but throughout the world, and by millions of students, teachers, coaches and parents.

On Tuesday, March 4, the Institute for International Sport will celebrate the 18th anniversary of an idea that has become an internationally recognized program.