1876 University of Oregon opens its doors.

1920 UO President Campbell boldly creates the School of Health and Physical Education, the first in the nation.  Gerlinger Hall is built that year to house the School (and still holds some or our labs today).

1936 UO President Boyer builds the Physical Education building (later renamed Esslinger Hall).

1955 The Medford study is started by H. Harrison Clarke.  The Medford study tracked physical and motor traits, mental abilities, sociability, and psychological and emotional factors in eight to fourteen-year-old boys in the Medford public schools for a period of twelve years.  This study established widely used “predicted height/growth” tables.  One of Clarke’s more famous students was Jack Wilmore, whom later became Chair at Texas A&M University.  Clarke was with the university from 1953 to 1972.

1950’s and 60’s Peter Olaf Sigerseth was active as an anatomy instructor and exercise science researcher.  One of Sigerseth’s more interesting projects was an early radiotelemetry system for measuring the heart rate of athletes as they ran at Hayward Field.

1967 The Applied Physiology Laboratory is established in Esslinger Hall by Eugene Evonuk.  Evonuk performed studies on thermoregulation, responses to environmental stress, and fluid replacement during heat stress.  Evonuk was with the UO from 1967 to 1984.

1970 Esslinger Hall is damaged by fire during war protests targeting the adjacent ROTC building, but is rebuilt.

1985 Oregon voters pass the devastating Measure 5, which leads to elimination of twenty-two degree programs and 200 faculty positions to save some $10 million.  A cluster of physiologists who remained after the closure of the College of Human Development and Performance established the Department of Exercise and Movement Science.  This marked the metamorphosis from a program historically devoted to training teachers, to one focused on the preparation of students for entrance in to medical and health science professions.  This coincided with transplantation of the department to the College of Arts and Sciences.

1997 Exercise and Movement Science hires Paul VanDonkelaar, the first of five new faculty members to be hired, each with a primary interest in studying “the human condition”.

2000 Christopher Minson brings his research on human cardiovascular physiology to the department, with studies on women’s health and on thermoregulation.

2003 John Halliwill sets up his exercise and altitude research program in the department.

2004 The department officially changes names to the Department of Human Physiology, to better reflect the current mission.

2005 Construction is finished on an environmental chamber, located in Esslinger Hall, for the study of human integrative physiology.  The 12'x12' room is capable of controlling temperature between -10 to 50 degrees Celsius, humidity between 10% and 95%, and simulating altitudes up to 18,000'.  The new facility significantly enhances the research capabilities of the Exercise and Environmental Physiology Laboratories and becomes important for preparing graduate students for studying environmental stress. Work begins on the Center for Exercise and Fitness Testing, to be housed in the Bowerman Building.

2006 Exercise and Environmental Physiology Labs begin their education, exercise, & fitness testing outreach service based in the Bowerman Building at historic Hayward Field.

2008 The exercise & fitness testing outreach program gets a remodeled home in the Bowerman Building and becomes the Bowerman Sports Science Clinic.