Abstract: Sports policy in colleges and universities since the reform and opening-up has provided an institutional demonstration for the development of college sports and the choice of path mode. At the same time, it has been in change with the social and economic development. The analysis results based on the perspective of historical institutionalism showed that, Due to the significant historical turning point, important historical key nodes and different institutional variables, the evolution of university sports policy has experienced a process from recovery to rapid development of organizational system, and then to the national compulsory paradigm of dual tasks in the new era. Under this mode, the value needs of college sports practitioners in practice can not be fully met, so the development should have permanent spiritual power The reform of college physical education system in China should be carried out by the combination of induced change and compulsory change.