This case study examined why the Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) voted to phase out the undergraduate physical education teacher education (PETE) program and later had the department eliminated. Problems identified in the research were also found in HHP at UNL. Ten purposely-selected professors and administrators were interviewed for this study. Several themes were found: 1) historical fragmentation, 2) personal acrimony in the department, 3) not being mission central to the college, 4) loss of faculty, programs and students, 5) not participating in the university political system, 6) lack of publicity, 7) loss of general activity courses, 8) poor curriculum, and 9) Chancellors felt the whole department taught students how to roll out balls. There was a steady drain of money, resources, and faculty lines from the department until first the department voted to phase out physical education teacher education. Next, the university leadership voted to eliminate the department as part of a budget cut. Physical education departments in other universities should look for similar signs that they might be next using the problems identified in the literature.Keyword(s): college level issues, national issues, professional preparation