George Barton Cutten
George Cutten entered Acadia in the fall of 1892 and, as a freshman, became a member of the rugby-football team. While the team did not have success against perennial rival Dalhousie University of Halifax, Cutten made a positive impression with his more experienced teammates. During his second season, Acadia beat King’s College twice– 6 to 0 at Windsor and 31 to 0 at Wolfville. In 1894, Cutten and his teammates were not only able to beat a Navy team, they beat Dalhousie, to the great satisfaction of Acadia’s fans. Cutten’s excellent work on the team was recognized when he was elected captain, and effectively coach, for the fall 1895 season.
One innovation started by Cutten was a trip to New Brunswick, the first time the team had travelled there. Acadia had arranged games with Mt Allison University in Sackville, a town club in St John, and the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. The trip was considered a success and paved the way for future out-of-province games.
Cutten took his BA in 1896, went to Yale where he received a PhD in 1902 and became a professor of moral philosophy. In 1910, Cutten was named president of Acadia University. Even as president, he took a great interest in the rugby team, frequently attending practice and closely following the fortunes of the team. During his tenure as president, Acadia won permanent possession of the King Richardson trophy (1913), won several Maritime track titles, built and opened the Memorial Gym (1920) and became part of an intercollegiate women’s basketball league (1921). He left Acadia in 1922 to become president of Collegate University in Hamilton, New York.
