The article describes the historical path of university sport and physical education of students of Saint Petersburg State University for 115 years, starting from 13 November (1 November according to old style) 1901, when there were opened the "Swedish Gymnastics and Athletics Courses' - the prototype of modern sport clubs. It was possible due to a combination of enthusiasm of Law Faculty student Ivan Lebedev and vision of University rector A.H. Golmsten. That date can justifiably be considered the beginning of university sport in Russia. After 1917 a new phase in the development of university sports began with the formation in 1935 of the Physical Education Department which became the centre of sport movement in the University. Its sport activities were not stopped during the Great Patriotic War, that in turn enables the athletes of the University to take leading positions in the city and in the country in the early post-war years. In 1945 a sports club was opened and for the first time in the USSR the educational process related to physical education was divided into separate sports. This created the prerequisites for the emergence of a number of outstanding athletes - World and Olympic Champions - in the 1950-1970 within the University. The paper shows that the University played a leading and, in many respects, pioneering role in the development of university sport in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) and in the whole country.