100 Years of Buggy History – 1957-1959

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series takes a look at the late 1950s, which sees ATO reach then-record heights before tumbling off their mountain (however briefly). Plus, we’ve got rain dates and our first single Raceday since the shift to the Prelim-Finals structure.

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Membership Levels

In connection with Buggy100, we are offering special membership options for anyone who wants to support the centennial activities or the future of Sweepstakes.  We are also proud to announce the formation of a Buggy Endowed Fund! The BAA, University Advancement, the Office of Alumni Relations, and others have worked to set up an Endowed Fund specifically to support Sweepstakes in perpetuity, administered jointly by the BAA and CMU. Yields from the Endowed Fund will be awarded by a board of BAA officers, CMU staff, and current Sweepstakes officers each year to support the continued success and growth of Sweepstakes. We’ll dig into the details of how the funds will be distributed and managed in a future post for those interested.

Without further ado, our new membership offerings!

Limo (Bronze) Membership – $10+

This is the standard membership and is unchanged from the past – You’ll receive the Raceday Preview and other BAA publications, and have access to BAA-only events!

Quantum Leap (Silver) Membership – $100+

At this level, you’ll receive everything at the Limo level, PLUS you’ll receive a limited edition Buggy100 T-Shirt!

Golden Goose (Gold) Lifetime Membership – $1,000+

At this level, you’ll receive 2 copies of everything at the Quantum Leap level, PLUS you’ll receive LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP to the BAA (Note that donations at this level will contribute to the Buggy Endowed Fund).


Regardless of which Membership Level you donate at, if you donate AT LEAST $50, we will list you (or your designee) in a “Special Thanks” section of cmubuggy.org and in the Raceday Preview.


Below is a list of current members for Raceday 2020/2021/2022, as well as the associated levels:

Please let us know if you have any questions; we can be reached by email (admin@cmubuggy.org) as well as through Facebook/Twitter/Instagram or join us on our Discord chat server!

For gifts to either the Buggy Alumni Association account or the Buggy Endowed account in excess of $100, the donor will receive a commemorative Buggy 100 t-shirt.  The fair market value of this will be $15 and thus their legal gift credit is $15 less than their total gift amount.

For gifts to either the Buggy Alumni Association account or the Buggy Endowed account in excess of $1000, the donor will receive two commemorative Buggy 100 t-shirts.  The fair market value of this will be $30 and thus their legal gift credit is $30 less than their total gift amount.

100 Years of Buggy History – 1954-1956

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series takes a look at the mid-1950s The era saw the beginning of ATO’s domination, including the building of one of the greatest buggies of all time, the Golden Goose. Plus, we’ve got some interesting ATO-related stories courtesy of a 1983 Pittsburgh Press article, and The Tartan finally decides to print full results!

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100 Years of Buggy History – 1950-1953

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series takes a look at the early 1950s. The rise of Soapbox Derby-style racers with derby wheels took DTD to a fivepeat before the 3rd greatest winning streak of all time got underway, but only by a whisker. Plus, Buggy initiates an entry fee, allows multiple buggies for the first time, and adds brakes!

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100 Years of Buggy History – 1946-1949

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

The war is over, and we won! This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series brings back Fraternities, Spring Carnival, and most importantly, Buggy! The post-war era brought a whole new style of buggy, but also brought with it some controversies. It also saw the entry of multiple non-Greek organizations for the first time! (As a reminder, the Men’s Dorms were permitted to enter in 1928, though it’s unclear if they actually did).

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100 Years of Buggy History – 1940-1945

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series battles the Axis Powers as we head into the World War II years. But before we get there, we learn a little about the culmination of KapSig’s reign of dominance, the problems with wheels, and the dangers of cars on the buggy course. Plus, we’ve got plenty of information about Fall Carnival in 1942, and the unofficial Buggy substitute, the Jalopy Race.

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100 Years of Buggy History – 1936-1939

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

Before we dive into the late 1930s, a quick explanation. Until now, we’ve been relying primarily on first-hand reporting (articles from the same year, or at worst the following year) to give a picture of the year in Buggy. For these primary sources, we’ve treated the articles as fact (unless, as noted in the Intro, there’s a reason to question it). Occasionally we have provided information from second-hand sources (such as articles from later years of the Tartan that look back from a historical perspective), as they add additional color, but they are also more unreliable, and thus we have called out the times we’ve provided information from those sources and our concerns (for example, in last week’s article, we noted that there is a conflict with respect to the material making up Beta’s 1932 buggy frame).

For the late 1930s, however, the Tartan digital archives are missing (1936-1939 are unavailable), and there are few non-Tartan sources for those years, so we are more heavily relying on those second-hand sources. So in this week’s article, we will tell you what limited information we know, which comes from first-hand sources, and then we will provide some additional color from the second-hand sources along with how accurate we believe that information to be. So without further ado, let’s dive into the 1930s, when it was a KapSig world and the rest of CMU was just living in it.

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100 Years of Buggy History – 1933-1935

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

This week, 100 Years of Buggy History dives into the early-mid 1930s. This period was dominated by Beta (and there’s plenty of Beta photos), but we’ve got incidents, DQs, and even sabotage! And did you know that Pitt had buggy races as well?

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Upcoming Events and New Initiatives #1

With the first couple weekends of rolls behind us, the 100th year of buggy has officially begun! I am proud to serve as the BAA President in this auspicious time, and am already in awe at the work put in by students, alumni and staff to make Buggy100 happen. We’ll be announcing new initiatives throughout the year, and already there are a couple to share

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100 Years of Buggy History – 1928-1932

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020; 2021

This week, 100 Years of Buggy History gets into the late 1920s and early 1930s. Say hello to Frew Street, as the Buggy Course makes its final change, and goodbye to Campus Week, as the faculty worries about the impact of festivities on its students.

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