History

Debate’s First Sixty-five Years:
1835-1900 – The Literary Society Era

• 1834: Wake Forest College founded
• 1835, February 14: The Philomathesians and Euzelians literary societies organized
• 1854: First joint presentations of Orations from each society – Anniversary Orations
• 1864: First Anniversary Day Debates were held; became a major social event through 1960; Minutes of 1872 Debate, Account of 1882 Debate
• 1862, May to 1866, January: College suspended during the Civil War
• 1868: First Senior Orations given; this tradition continues today
• 1871: Student arrested for Murder At Eu debate; Student once imprisoned for Ku Klux ties
• 1897: First Intercollegiate Debate held at Trinity College (read a narrative account of Wake Forest’s First Intercollegiate Debate)

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Half a Century Revisited – 1900-1950

• 1913 to 1987: Annual Debate Series characterizes the era
• 1909: Wake Forest wins at Randolph Macon Annual Debate (read more)
• 1909 to 1911: Silver Loving Cup Debate Series with Davidson
• 1911: First Junior-Sophomore Debates (this evolves into Society Day in 1914)
• 1914: First Society Day Orations and Debates
• 1917: First Annual Declamation Contest for High Schools
• 1920s: Mark Expansion of Intercollegiate Audience Debates
• 1926, April 6: Pi Kappa Delta, North Carolina Beta Chapter, 119 Founded
• 1929: Typical Travel Schedule
• 1931: First Tournament (perhaps) convention of the Southern Association of Teachers of Speech in Atlanta, Georgia
• 1934: Report to Alumni on State of the Debate Program
• 1939, April 7-8: North Carolina HS Debate and Speech Tournament, said to have had 25 “leading high schools “
• 1943: The Disappearance of Wake Debate Coach Zon Robinson, Wake Debate’s Most Enduring Mystery
• 1942: First woman, Martha Ann Allen, competes for Wake Forest in varsity debate (read more of Women in Wake Debate)
• 1945: Intramural Tournament held
• 1943 to 1945: Intercollegiate debates suspended for WWII
• 1946 to 1948: A. Lewis Aycock revives intercollegiate debate
• 1947: Pi Kappa Delta Co-National Champions
• 1950: Summer Debate Workshop revived by Shirley, was stopped prior to WWII

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The Modern Era – 1950-Present

• 1951, November 17: Wake Forest Novice debate tournament starts
• 1954: A National Controversy – Debating “Red China”
• 1956, December: Dixie Classic Tournament Starts
• 1956: Wake Forest College Reynolda Campus open in Winston-Salem, NC
• 1957: High School tournament revived
• 1961: Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts established
• 1963: TKA Charter Obtained
• 1967: Wake Forest College becomes Wake Forest University
• 1973: Hosted National Forensics League High School Nationals
• 1978: Death of A. Lewis Aycock
• 1978: Debater’s Research Guide revived, thirty year tradition of excellence of high school service
• 1983: Dixie Classic renamed the Franklin R. Shirley Dixie Classic
• 1984: National Earlybird Forensics Tournament inaugurated
• 1985, 1988: Gloria Cabada Top Speaker at National Debate Tournament
• 1995: Brovero & Hughes win Copeland Tournament
• 1996: Wake Forest Host 50th National Debate Tournament
• 1997: Wake Wins National Debate Tournament; Magazine Account, Window on Wake Forest Account, Reflections of National Champion by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
• 2001: Shirley Classic host innovative “National Debate-In” following 9/11
• 2001: Record Breaking Senior Year Featured
• 2002: Shirley Classic becomes host of the National Coach of the Year award
• 2002: Debate Team participates in Presidential Debate Week
• 2003: Dixie Classic renamed Franklin R. Shirley Classic
• 2004: Won Novice National Title for only second time (first in 1996)
• 2006: Jamie Carroll and Brad Hall place 2nd at National Debate Tournament
• 2006: Liz Lundeen named Truman Scholar, WFU Debate’s 5th Truman
• 2006: Eugene Worrell, champion debater from 1936 – 1940 and longtime Wake Forest benefactor, dies
• 2006, April: Merwyn Hayes Trophy Case Dedicated, Reunion held
• 2008: Deacs win National Debate Tournament
• 2009: Deacs Loose Long time Coach and Director of Debate Ross K. Smith
• 2009: Wake Forest makes the finals of the National Debate Tournament and finishes in second place.
• 2010: Jarrod Atchison (’01 & ’03) joins as the Director of Debate
• 2012: Justin Green (’99) joins as the Head Coach
• 2015: Wake Forest wins the ACC Debate Championship
• 2015:  Dr. Jarrod Atchison awarded the George Ziegelmueller Award by the NDT Board of Trustees
• 2016: Wake Forest wins the ACC Debate Championship for the second year in a row
• 2017: Wake Forest wins the ACC Debate Championship for the third year in a row, makes the semifinals of the NDT, and semifinals of CEDA nationals
• 2017: Justin Green receives CEDA’s Brownlee Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2019: Semifinals of the NDT
• 2020: NDT, CEDA, and ACC cancelled for Coronavirus
• 2020: Megan Medica honors the legacy of Wake Forest University trustee John Kevin Medica with a $5 million gift to the debate program that includes renaming the Director of Debate position. 
• 2021: Wake Forest debate wins the ACC Debate Championship.
• 2022: Associate Head Coach, Dr. Amber Kelsie is awarded the George Ziegelmueller Award by the NDT Board of Trustees. 
• 2022: Wake Forest wins the Cross Examination Debate Association National Championship. 
• 2023: Wake Forest hosts the 77th National Debate Tournament in Chantilly, VA.
• 2023: Wake Forest is the first intercollegiate debate program to win the Triple Crown (ADA, CEDA, and NDT) in the same season. Wake Forest also wins the ACC Debate Championship. 
• 2023: Taylor Brough (MA ’20) joins as Associate Head Coach