A soccer game at Berlin's Olympic stadium was the catalyst for Professor of English and American Studies Allen Guttmann's interest in sports history. His interest would, over the course of several decades, give way to two books and numerous articles on Olympic history and, most recently, a lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH).

The ISOH honored Guttmann, who has been at the College for 50 years, with the award on Aug. 2 for his life's work on the subject of Olympic history. The award is the most prestigious of the five recognitions that the ISOH, a 340-member non-profit group dedicated to the promotion and study of the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games, gives each year.

Guttmann, who has authored 10 books on sports history, received the award for research sparked by his interest in discrepancies among sports in different countries, an observation he first made when he attended the Olympic soccer game in Berlin.

"[I] wondered why American sports are so different from European sports," Guttmann said. "My research into sports history began in 1973, and my first book in the field, From Ritual to Record, appeared in 1978 (and is still in print)."

From there, Guttmann narrowed the subject of his research to the history of the Olympic Games.

"My first book of Olympic history was a biography of the International Olympic Committee's fifth president Avery Brundage (1952–1972)," he said.

Previous recognitions Guttmann has received for his works include awards from the North American Society for Sports History, the International Society for the History of Sport, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

Despite these past recognitions, the most recent award "came as a complete surprise" to Guttmann, who was invited to formally receive the award in Vancouver at a February meeting of the ISOH. However, this schedule conflicted with his obligations to the College as a professor.

"Of course I was pleased to be informed of the prize, but I told the [ISOH] that I was not able to fly to Vancouver in February to receive the award because I teach in February," he said. "Since I had plans to visit Germany in August, the ISOH scheduled a special session in Cologne, an hour away from my brother-in-law's home. That was an act of great generosity."

At this two-day session, Guttmann also delivered an address on an aspect of his research. "The address was entitled 'Ludic Diffusion As Cultural Imperialism?'" explained Guttmann. "I argued that the diffusion of modern sports from the UK and the U.S. to the rest of the world can be better explained by Thorstein Veblen's concept of emulation than by Lenin's theory of imperialism. There was a lively discussion."

Looking to the future, Guttmann plans to "finish a book on sports and American art" but does not expect to publish any more books on the Olympics. In addition, he hopes to continue teaching courses at the College, possibly on topics related to his Olympic research.

"I've been teaching a first-year seminar on the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the 'Jesse Owens' Olympics, and I may continue to teach it every other year," he said. Meanwhile, Guttmann's advice to students interested in pursuing long-term research is "to study whatever it is that fascinates you."

"If your research bores you, it's your own fault," Guttmann said.