John F. G. Miller papers, 1899-1936 | Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections

Scope and Contents: The John F. G. Miller papers (1899-1936; 0.85 cubic feet) document the collegiate and post collegiate career of John F. G. Miller.  The collection includes a scrapbook from 1899-1904 and a group of correspondence, memorandums, and newspaper clippings.  Because Miller had such an illustrious athletic career at Purdue all of the items focus on athletics, specifically football.  The scrapbook contains photographs, newspaper clippings, game plan diagrams, and memorabilia from the 1903 football season.  There is also a section of clippings pertaining to the 1903 train wreck.  Apart from football there is memorabilia from John F. G. Miller’s social life and his career as the football coach for Earlham College.    The papers are arranged into one series entitled the Intercollegiate Conference, the forerunner of the Big Ten conference. They are arranged further into three subseries entitled correspondence, newspaper clippings and articles, and reports, memorandums, and minutes.  All of the documents cover Miller’s involvement with the conference as a representative of Purdue.  The papers focus on the recruitment of players by coaches and athletic programs, the giving of scholarships strictly for athletic merit, and professionalism versus amateurism in collegiate athletics.  The correspondence is arranged chronologically.  The collection would be very useful to anyone interested in the history of football at Purdue University or the History of the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives.  It would also be valuable to anyone studying football in Indiana in the early twentieth century.