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Files on individual University of Michigan varsity athletes, coaches and staff compiled by the Media Relations staff and its predecessors. Files may include biographical information, statistics, clippings and photographs. Files for an individual may range from a single item to several folders. Not all U-M athletes are represented in the records.

The Athletic Department Individual Files consist of three series: Coaches and Staff, Athletes -- Men, and Athletes -- Women. The files in each series contain background information, news articles, and photographs of individual University of Michigan Varsity athletes, coaches, and staff members from the University's athletic department. It should be noted that some files do not contain photographs. Also, some files contain compact discs (CD's) containing digital images. The bulk of the files date from around 1960 to 2002, but included are files from as early as the mid to late 19th century, to as recent as 2005. The files do not include members of the club sports teams. The number and extent of files varies by sport and over time, in part reflects varying degrees of effort by the Media Relations staff. Sometimes referred to by Media Relations staff as the "star files", the Individual Files are most extensive for football and basketball, but all varsity sports are represented. Beginning in the 1970 coverage all sports becomes more extensive. After 1982 when women's sports began competing in the Big Ten and management of publicity efforts became more fully integrated in the Media Relations office, the coverage of women's sports becomes more extensive.

The files in each series are arranged alphabetically. (Files have ben received at various times ad are physically arranged in several alphabetical run, but are listed in a single alphabetical run for coaches/administrators, men, and women athletes.) Each of the athlete entries is followed by a code for the sport(s) in which they participated.

Men's Sports	Women's Sports
bb – baseball	bk – basketball
bk—basketball	cc – cross country
cc -- cross country	fho – field hockey
fb – football	go – golf
go – golf	gy – gymnastics
gy – gymnastics	row – rowing
iho –ice hockey	soc – soccer
soc – soccer	sb– softball
sw - swimming-diving	sw – swimming-diving
te – tennis	sy – synchronized swimming
tr – track	te – tennis
wr -- wrestling	tr – track
	vo – volleyball
	wp – water polo

Manages the University of Michigan's participation in intercollegiate athletic competition. Governed by the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics and headed by the Athletic Director. Since 1973 has managed women's intercollegiate athletics. Sub-units include Sports Information, Athletic Director, Football Office and various administrative and support offices. The records, primarily from the Sports Information Office, include team rosters, press releases and news clipping scrapbooks, media guides, game programs, and team, individual, and game action photos for all varsity sports and game films of football and basketball. Other material includes scouting reports, 1938-1963, and administrative records from the football office, records of the NCAA baseball investigation, 1988-1990, and miscellaneous publications and promotional material.

The records of the University of Michigan Athletic Department document the participation of University of Michigan Athletic teams in intercollegiate competition, 1864 to the present. The records include media guides, game programs and other printed material; press releases; team and individual statistics; photographs, films and videotapes; development and Fund-raising material, and a variety of accounts, audits and other administrative The records are organized into several sub-groups based on the administrative structure of the department. The subgroups are: Sports Information Office, Football Office, Athletic Director's Office, Development Office, Ticket Office and Business Office. The Sports Information Office sub-group constitutes by far the largest portion of the Athletic Department records and includes series for each of the varsity sports.

Ann Arbor, Michigan photographic studio. Collection includes selected copy prints, and glass and film negatives relating to University of Michigan athletics, both photos of individual athletes and of team groupings; also photos of various faculty and University administrators and log books of photos.

The Rentschler Studios collection is made up of nearly 625 negatives and 275 copy prints. It comprises five linear feet and is stored in seven boxes, four large and three small. The collection also includes the studio's log books of photos. The photographs span the years from 1889 to 1969. Although the Rentschlers operated a private studio, over two-thirds of the portraits are of persons directly affiliated with the University of Michigan. The two largest categories of portraits are: 1) faculty and administrators and 2) athletes, teams, and coaches. There are also portraits of students, clergy, businessmen, city officials, and others.

The collection is divided into three series, Negatives, Prints, and Log Books. Glass and film negatives comprise the vast majority of the collection and are arranged into four subseries: Numerical; Team Portraits; Miscellaneous; and Football Team Portraits, 1896-1942. The smaller series - Prints - is located in Box 4 and is arranged into two subseries: Athletics and Portraits.

Staff photographer for University of Michigan News and Information Services and contract photographer for the University of Michigan Athletic Department. Includes negatives and contact prints of game action photos of UM athletic competitions, 1978-2000 and some personal and family photos.

The Robert Kalmbach photograph collection consists primarily of 35mm negatives and contact sheets of University of Michigan athletic competitions and represents his work as a contract photographer for the Athletic department. He shot nearly every home football game between 1969 and 1998 and generally traveled to Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State away games,. He also photographed most men's home basketball and hockey game games and several games or matches each season for other sports. His photos include some to the classic images of Michigan athletics and have been widely published in Athletic Department Media Guides, game programs and other publications.

The photos are primarily black and white, though after the mid 1980s the football photos frequently include one or more rolls of color shots. the photos are arranged by sport and thereunder chronologically by year and event. For each event the negatives have been placed in protective sleeves with matching contact sheets based on roll numbers assigned by Kalmbach. For football games (and occasionally other games) with multiple rolls, the numbering system does not always correspond to the actual sequence of the game. Some of the sports photos are identified as being taken by John Heafield, another News and Information Service photographer who occasionally worked with Kalmbach. The athletic photos are organized by sport and thereunder chronologically.

The collection also includes a small number of slides and transparencies of athletic events.