Ask any Phi what their favorite part of being in the house was, and regardless of the era, the answers always include parties, eating meals together, road trips, making lifelong friendships and hanging at the Phi house. However, for brothers who graduated in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, the answer most consistently given is “IMs.”
Athletics, especially intramural athletics, have always been an important part of the Greek undergraduate experience at UVA. For years, approximately 30 fraternities competed for the title of “Hi Point Champions.” Points were accumulated
throughout the year based on results in team and individual sports. Team sports included soccer, razzle dazzle football, 5-man and 3-man basketball, volleyball, bowling, softball, lacrosse and tug of war. Phis were competitive in each sport, and winning the championship was always the expectation!
Individual sports are where the Phi house truly excelled. We dominated swimming, track & field, stumble foot, handball, racquetball, squash, tennis, badminton, horseshoes, 1-on-1 basketball, free throw shooting, golf, putt putt, wrestling and boxing. We almost always had at
least one competitor in each contest. The house was filled with terrific athletes who loved to compete and WIN! From 1972 through 1996, the Phi house won 13 Hi Point Championships, including 10 straight from ’72 through ’81 (although ’78 is in dispute for allegedly using an ineligible brother and “some shenanigans from a certain Fiji”). Many brothers graduated having won the award every year – including undergraduate and graduate school. Hill Jeffries (Col class of ’77, Law class of ’80) commented, “I can confirm that we won Hi Point in all seven of my years.” Additionally, the Phi house won Hi Point in ’89, ’95 and ’96.
Thanks to the many brothers who contributed to this article. Please feel free to send us your IM stories and pictures.
