Northern Arizona University Archives

Cline Library also houses the Northern Arizona University (NAU) archives, capturing more than one hundred years of regional collegiate plot lines. Trace the development of the NAU campus, find old friends in yearbooks, revel in past athletic achievements, and celebrate the history of higher education in northern Arizona.

Northern Arizona University's Old Main, from left to right: 1898, 1948, and 2008.


The 1988 men's cross country team and coach Ron Mann (center, holding trophy) celebrating their 2nd-place finish at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, NAU.65.B.6.1, Northern Arizona University Athletics Collection, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.


The track and cross country teams probably produced the most prolific athletic successes for NAU. Coach Ron Mann led the men's cross country team to runner-up finishes in the Division I NCAA Championships in 1988 and 1995. He also coached the 1991 women's cross country team to a third place finish in the NCAA Championships. Since the 1980s, the men's and women's track and cross country programs have won more than 45 Big Sky Conference Championships and sent numerous athletes to the Olympics.

Arizona State College at Flagstaff playing against Northeastern Oklahoma State University in the Holiday Bowl NAIA Championship football game in St. Petersburg, Florida. The team lost the game, 19-13, but became the first Arizona collegiate team to appear on a nationally televised sporting event, NAU.ARC.1958-8-19, Northern Arizona University Archives Collection, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.


Other sports also help give NAU a colorful history. The 1958 football team reached the NAIA Championship game, playing in the Holiday Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida. Although they lost to Northeastern Oklahoma State 19-13, they became the first Arizona collegiate team to appear on national television, finishing the season 11-1 and ranked number two in the nation.

Edith Isabel Stemmons' Northern Arizona Normal School diploma, 1915, Stemmons Family Collection, MS 397, Box 1, Folder 1, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.


Yet Northern Arizona University might gain the most historical notoriety for its teaching program. From Northern Arizona Normal School to Arizona State College at Flagstaff to its current name, the university possesses a lasting history of producing quality teachers. Rumor has it that city officials built Old Main to be a juvenile hall, a teaching facility, or an insane asylum. What would Flagstaff be like if Old Main transformed into the latter? Feel free to speculate, or visit the archives to find out what really happened.


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