Congratulations to Professor Murray Phillips who was inducted as the President of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) on 1 June 2021 in a virtual ceremony at the closing of the NASSH 2021 annual conference. Professor Phillips is the first president to reside outside North America in the society’s 50-year history.
NASSH was formed in 1972 by sports historians as an outgrowth of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (AAHPERD) section on the History of Physical Education.
The purpose of NASSH is to support, stimulate and encourage scholarly writing and research related to the history of sport; and to cooperate with local, national, and international organizations having the same purpose.
It publishes a journal three times a year (the Journal of Sport History) and convenes an annual conference rotated among university campuses in Canada and the United States.
The President serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the society, conducts the business of the society in accordance with the constitution and bylaws, chairs the annual NASSH business meeting and the annual meeting of the council.
Professor Phillips who is also an International Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology in the USA, has been an active member of NASSH for 20 years.
Among his many roles with NASSH, he was editor of the Journal of Sport History (2014-17), Editorial Board member (2006-11), President Elect (2019-2021) and organiser of annual conference in 2021.
He has twice been the recipient of the NASSH Edited Book Award: in 2007, for Murray Phillips (ed.), Deconstructing Sport History (State University of New York Press); and in 2013, for Murray Phillips (ed.), Representing the Sporting Past in Museums and Halls of Fame (Routledge).
