Team History

The Wooster Speech and Debate Program can be traced all the way back to 1911 when a young and enthusiastic instructor by the name of Richard S. Douglas formed the first team. Back then, they were called the "Oratorical and Debating Club". In 1931, under the leadership of Russell L. Caldwell, Wooster joined both the OHSSL and NFL.

It seems as though anyone, who has spent any significant time in Wooster, has a story that relates this program. Whether their family housed one of the 622 students who competed in the 1938 National Tournament or they, themselves, were part of this team, each story holds a key to unlocking the magic that has come to define this program of excellence which is routinely recognized on a national level.

The history of this team may never be fully chronicled but the subpages linked listed below present a snapshot of our colorful past.