W-CLUB
Hilltopper Hall of History
The W-Club was founded in 1928 as a gathering point of
Western
Kentucky athletes from all sports and
evolved in the early 1930's into two related entities, the
W-Club of current athletes and the (Alumni) W-Club, a
rallying point
for former athletes.
In 1939, Coach Ted Hornback, Head of the Department of
Physical
Education & Athletics as well as an
assistant
basketball coach, organized a dinner meeting
for alumni
letterwinners at the Helm Hotel on the corner of State and
Main
Street in Bowling Green following the Homecoming football
game.
Those dinners became annual events following
the
afternoon homecoming games which gave former
student-athletes and letterwinners an opportunity to revisit
the Hill.
Mr. Hornback was elected secretary/treasurer of the Alumni
W-Club
at its first meetings. He served
continuously as
secretary/treasurer until he was succeeded
in 1971 by
Mr. Lawrence (Butch) Gilbert. The annual meeting of the
membership
was moved to the E.A. Diddle Arena Lobby and E.B. Stansbury
Concourse after the opening of that facility
in 1963. At
that time the dinner meeting was changed to a
brunch.
The governance and business of the Club changed to a Board
of
Directors format that was implemented in
1978 during
Col. Mickey Rigg's Term as W-Club President.
Today, the
W-Club is active in various projects which support both
current
student-athletes and former Topper athletes as well as the
University's mission.
Click
Here for a Full List of the Board of Directors
Upcoming W-Club & Athletic Events