Anderson-Sermon

NC State's 1936 football coaches and captain.  Head coach Heartley Anderson is on the left.

In 1936 NC State College’s head football coach Heartley “Hunk” Anderson’s contract came up for renewal, and this touched off a firestorm of debate and discussion among students, faculty, and alumni about State’s football team, its coaches, and the role of football on the college campus and in the larger community.  Participants debated Anderson himself—his personal character and his coaching success—they examined the integrity and character of athletic director Ray Sermon, they discussed arguments within the team, football scholarships and student loans, and how the football team impacted the student body, the university, and its public image and identity.  Through some of these debates, the 1936 Anderson-Sermon controversy illustrates prevailing beliefs among NC State College students, administrators, and some alumni that college football should be an educational experience that instills in students positive morals and character.