Every year on February 22, NIRSA members celebrate Recreational Sports & Fitness Day in commemoration of NIRSA’s founding date. Rec Day is an occasion to remember when Dr. William Wasson brought 20 intramural professionals from 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities together to share his research on collegiate recreation. February 22, 1950 was the start of NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation, an association beloved by so many today.

What began as 11 HBCU schools coming together to discuss intramurals is today a phenomenon all about supporting the idea that recreation on campus matters and has value. Check out these amazing snapshots of #RecDay 2025 celebrations from campuses nationwide!

California State University, Stanislaus, Campus Recreation, celebrated with volleyball, esports, and giveaways – check out their red and gold Rec Day shirts!


The University of Tennessee Knoxville Rec Sports had everything from a mechanical bull to mini golf to a taco bar!

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The pro staff at the University of Pittsburgh Campus Rec ended their day with a sneak peek at the future home of Pitt Campus Rec! We can’t wait to see the completed space!


Rec Day + Celebrating 10 years of the Student Life Center were celebrated at SUNY Cortland Campus Recreation with splatter art, climbing wall bingo, giveaways, cake, and more! They even had their Police K9 Pup sporting their shirts!

San Francisco State University Campus Recreation was absolutely crushing it with their reels!


Montclair State University Campus Rec brought the fun with a prize wheel full of awesome goodies and Rec Day shirts! They wrapped up the night with Black History Month Bingo!


The University of Houston Campus Recreation had some cute little guys wish us all a Happy Rec Day!


Musical chairs, inflatables, capture the flag, sitting volleyball, and more were part of the celebrations at Georgia State University Recreation Services.


Mount Saint Mary’s University hosted their 33rd annual Athenian Day in conjunction with Rec Day! First prize earned tickets to Universal Studios!

Students at Florida A&M University took on the ultimate challenge in their own thrilling version of Squid Games!

This is just a glimpse at some of the great things campus rec departments did to make Rec Day an unforgettable experience for the students on their campuses! Check out the #RecDay2025 hashtag across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for more examples of departments taking advantage of Rec Day 2025 to get moving in celebration of what Dr. William Wasson started back in 1950.

Thank you!

Thanks to our participating schools! Don’t see your school on the list? Let us know!

  • American University
  • Binghamton University
  • Butler University
  • California State University
  • California State University, Bakersfield
  • California State University, Stanislaus
  • Clemson University
  • College of the Holy Cross
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • Florida A&M University
  • Indiana State University
  • Kutztown University
  • Lone Star College – Montgomery
  • Macon Youth Development Campus
  • Middle Georgia State University
  • Montclair State University
  • Mount Saint Mary’s University
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology
  • Northeastern Illinois University
  • Northwest Missouri State
  • Salem State University
  • San Francisco State University
  • Schoolcraft College
  • Shippensburg University
  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  • SUNY Cortland Campus Recreation
  • SUNY Oswego Campus Recreation
  • Syracuse University
  • Texas Southern University
  • Texas Tech University
  • The College of New Jersey
  • The University of Texas at Tyler
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Hartford
  • University of Houston Clear Lake
  • University of Illinois Chicago
  • University of Nevada – Las Vegas
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of Providence
  • University of Tennessee Knoxville
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Windsor
  • Wingate University
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute
  • Youngstown State University

Founders Day of Giving

Thank you so much to the many members who supported the second Founders Day of Giving by making a donation to the NIRSA Foundation. $16,879 was raised to support the future of campus recreation! All donations will go to support the NIRSA Foundation’s work—from scholarships to educational opportunities, from research grants to strategic priorities—which in turn, supports the NIRSA membership.


A huge thank you to all our donors! A very special appreciation to CENTERS and our Anonymous Donor Circle for their matching donations, making Founders Day a tremendous success!