Clifford E. Horton

Clifford Emory “Pop” Horton (December 31, 1892 – April 14, 1981) was an American professor in physical education, collegiate coach, and founder of the oldest collegiate circus in the U.S., the Gamma Phi Circus.

Early life Clifford Horton was born on December 31, 1892, in Shelton, Washington to C.E. and Anna L. Horton. He began tumbling at 11 years old and 10 years after he started, he organized his first circus program around a core of gymnasts at an Indiana YMCA. In 1923, he got his master's degree from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a student instructor in physical education at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts and the director of playgrounds in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1923 and with the help of Fred Young, the sports editor of The Pantagraph in Bloomington, they changed the nickname of ISU from the Teachers and the Fighting Teachers to the Redbirds, which is the nickname for the school mascot. Within a year, he established an intramural sports program, which ended up as one of the finest in the Midwest. In 1938, he became the head of the physical education department and held the position until he retired in 1961.

Horton served as the chairman of the board and presided at every meeting.

Death On April, 14th, 1981, Horton died in Bloomington, Illinois at 88.

Legacy In 1961, ISU began construction on a health and physical education building which was named after Horton, the Horton Field House, still in use. In 1966, he donated $5,000 to ISU’s University Foundation to establish scholarships in physical education, known as the Clifford E. Horton Fund. In 1968, he was named Normal’s Outstanding Citizen of the year by the town’s Chamber of Commerce. He was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame in 1974.