Phillips University

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Phillips University
Pillars from the Sunken Gardens at Phillips University
Pillars from the Sunken Gardens at Phillips University
Motto: Vincit Omnia Veritas (Truth Conquers All Things)
Established: 1906
Type: Private
Endowment: Closed, 1998
Location: Enid, Oklahoma, US
Campus: Purchased in June 1999 by Northern Oklahoma College
Nickname: PU
Mascot: Skunk
Affiliations: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Website: phillips.edu

Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary. The university was also home to the Enid-Phillips Symphony Orchestra and its campus regularly hosted events for the Tri-State Music Festival.

Contents

[edit] History

Originally named Oklahoma Christian University, the school was founded by Dr. Ely Vaughn Zollars on October 9, 1906. Enid area businessmen raised $150,000 and purchased a forty-acre campus east of Enid. Funding for the operation of the University was supplied by T. W. Phillips of Butler, Pennsylvania and the Disciples of Christ Churches of Oklahoma. Oklahoma Christian University held its first classes September 17, 1907. Following Phillips' death in 1912 the University was renamed in his honor.[1]

[edit] Athletics

The school's sports teams were called the Haymakers. For one year, 1920, the school was a member of the Southwest Athletic Conference. Between 1917 and 1920, John Maulbetsch was the head football coach at Phillips University.[2] Maulbetsch was an All-American running back at the University of Michigan in 1914 where he earned the nickname the "Human Bullet". With his name recognition he was able to recruit big name talent to Phillips, including future Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Owen, and future United States Olympic Committee President Doug Roby. Maulbetsch quickly turned Phillips into one of the top programs in the southwest, as his teams beat Oklahoma and Texas and lost only one game in the 1918 and 1919 seasons.

After defeating the Oklahoma and Texas football teams, the "Haymakers" gained a reputation as “one of the strongest teams in the southwest.”[3] [4] When Phillips defeated Texas 10-0 in Austin, Texas in October 1919, the Longhorns had not lost a game since 1917.[5] One Texas newspaper reported that Phillips had "whitewashed the Longhorns in their own corral."[6]

The school's football program was curtailed when an opposing player was killed during a game.

Subsequently Phillips University baseball and basketball teams were in the NAIA. From 1952 through 1981 Phillips University baseball teams dominated their division. Coached by Dr. Joe Record during this period the Haymakers compiled a 648-294 record for a .688 winning percentage.[7] Three of Record's teams went to the NAIA World Series. He was the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1973. Joe Record was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1975.

[edit] Bankruptcy, Closure, and Legacy Foundation

Due to serious financial problems, Phillips filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 1, 1998, and closed its doors four months later.[8] The seminary survives as the Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which also houses transcripts for alumni of Phillips University. The university was not affiliated with Phillips Petroleum, which was located in nearby Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

After the bankruptcy of the university in 1998, the liquidation of assets yielded $3 million in funds for the formation of the Phillips University Legacy Foundation (PULF), which awards annual scholarships to undergraduate students attending Disciples of Christ-related colleges and universities. The former campus was purchased in June 1999 by Northern Oklahoma College (NOC), a public college, for $6.1 million (split $1.9 million paid by the city of Enid, $800,000 by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and $3.4 million by NOC).[8] NOC, based in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, phased the entire property into use as a satellite campus.[8]

[edit] Notable Students

[edit] References

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society Online Edition, Oklahoma State University Library Electronic Publishing Center
  2. ^ "Maulbetsch Is Married", Syracuse Herald, 1917-06-29. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  3. ^ "A New Force in Football: Texas University Will Meet Phillips University in Austin", Corsicana Daily, 1919-10-10. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  4. ^ "Longhorns to Play Phillips Uni. October 11th", San Antonio Evening News, 1919-09-13. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  5. ^ "Texas, Unable to Score, Bows to Haymakers, Phillips University Blanks Longhorns on Muddy Field 10 to 0", San Antonio Light, 1919-10-12. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  6. ^ "College Elevens Busy Today", The Galveston Daily News, 1919-11-08. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  7. ^ Enid News & Eagle, July 31, 2001, page 27
  8. ^ a b c Northern Oklahoma College moves on Enid campus, Associated Press, June 18, 1999.

[edit] External links

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