Van Horn’s legacy 

Frank Van Horn, PhD, served as athletic director of Case Institute of Technology from 1900 to 1926 and laid the foundation for the modern sports program at Case Western Reserve University. 

He hired the first football coach, built a football stadium (later named in his honor) and helped launch varsity programs for basketball, swimming, and wrestling. 

An acclaimed professor of geology and mineralogy, Van Horn sought to shape scholar athletes, a tradition that is stronger than ever at CWRU. 

In December, the university induct-ed a record 76 members into the 2021 Van Horn Society, which recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or higher and have junior or senior academic standing. 

The 76 inductees surpassed the previous program-high of 63, set in 2020. Thirty-nine of the honorees, or more than half, are STEM majors. 

Previously known as the CWRU Scholar-Athlete Award, it was renamed in honor of Van Horn in 2015. The scholar athletes were honored December 6 at an induction ceremony where they were congratulated by CWRU President Eric Kaler.