Skidmore College Athletics

Professor Emerita of Physical Education Beverly J. Becker is widely regarded as the quiet architect of Skidmore Athletics. From her arrival on campus in 1959 as an instructor, to 1968, when she became chair of the Department of Physical Education and Dance, Becker's dedication to excellence in athletics, scholarship, and pedagogy, as well as her unwavering devotion to students and colleagues, set a standard that continues to define the department today. She taught courses in everything from swimming and basketball to exercise physiology, designing several of them herself. In 1984, she was selected as the sole visiting scholar to both teach and conduct research in physical education at the United States Military Academy at West Point.  

The author of myriad scholarly and research papers, she co-authored Sport and Higher Education, published in 1983. Under her self-effacing but firm leadership, opportunities for both male and female students flourished. She was responsible for hiring the exceptional faculty administrators and coaches Tim Brown and Jeffrey Segrave, laying the foundation for the establishment of a comprehensive, intercollegiate sports program. Becker steadfastly worked to fulfill her vision of a truly coeducational, interdisciplinary athletics curriculum.  

She came out of retirement in 2002 to serve on the Gender and Athletics Task Force. In 1985, she earned the Department of the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award and was honored by the Alumni Association Board of Directors with an Outstanding Service Award in 1996. She is a fellow emerita of the American College of Sports Medicine and a former director of the Annual Institute for Leaders in Heart Disease Prevention.