The Wesleyan Athletic Council was formed by trustee authorization in 1903 to formally oversee the administration of athletics at Wesleyan. It was composed of three faculty members, three alumni members, and three students. The Council regulated most aspects of athletics including the administering of budgets, negotiations with other schools for intercollegiate matches and scheduling, player eligibility rules, hiring and supervising coaches, establishing records, and the awarding of varsity letters. The Wesleyan Alumni Athletic Association (founded in 1904) elected the three alumni members and worked with the Athletic Council, especially with fundraising, which was primarily directed toward coaches’ salaries. Prior to the Athletic Council’s formation, athletics at Wesleyan were overseen beginning in 1891 by a joint athletic committee composed of members of the student athletic associations (i.e., the teams) and student-elected alumni.

In 1923, the Board of Trustees approved a faculty proposal to move primary control of intercollegiate athletics to the faculty. The department of Physical Education, which had existed since 1910, was now responsible for most of the administrative functions of Wesleyan athletics. The Athletic Council retained control over regulation of eligibility rules, approval of team captains and managers, establishing records, and the awarding of letters to Wesleyan athletes.