Ball State Cardinals | |
---|---|
University | Ball State University |
Conference | MAC (primary) MIVA (men's volleyball) |
NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
Athletic director | Jeff Mitchell |
Location | Muncie, Indiana |
Varsity teams | 18 |
Football stadium | Scheumann Stadium |
Basketball arena | Worthen Arena |
Baseball stadium | Ball Diamond |
Mascot | Charlie Cardinal |
Nickname | Cardinals |
Fight song | Fight, Team, Fight |
Colors | Cardinal and white [1] |
Website | ballstatesports |
The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot.
The Ball State University Pride of Mid-America Marching Band performs at all home football games, many home basketball games, and various other athletic and spirit events across campus.
Ball State athletics teams adopted the nickname Cardinals in 1927, after the name was suggested by then-athletic director Paul "Billy" Williams and voted upon by the student body. In years prior, the school's teams were known as the Hoosieroons. [2]
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Football | Field hockey |
Golf | Golf |
Swimming & diving | Gymnastics |
Tennis | Soccer |
Volleyball | Softball |
Swimming & diving | |
Tennis | |
Track and field† | |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor. |
A member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Ball State sponsors teams in seven men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. [3] The men's volleyball team is a member of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
The Ball State Cardinals compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mid-American Conference. The current head coach is Mike Neu. [4] The Cardinals play at Scheumann Stadium. On October 5, 2008, Ball State was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in team history, and reached a ranking as high as 12th in the nation during the course of the season. Ball State completed the 2008 regular season with a record of 12–0 and a conference record of 8–0. They won the MAC West Division championship before falling to Buffalo in the MAC Championship at Ford Field in Detroit. Shortly after the departure of head coach Brady Hoke, Ball State lost to the University of Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on January 6, 2009 by a score of 45–13.
The Cardinals have gone to eight Division I bowl games. They have a 1–8 record in these games, with their last appearance being a 51-20 loss to Georgia State in the Camellia Bowl.
Date Played | Bowl Game | Winning Team | Losing Team | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 9, 1989 | California Bowl | Fresno State | 27 | Ball State | 6 |
December 17, 1993 | Las Vegas Bowl | Utah State | 42 | Ball State | 33 |
December 18, 1996 | Las Vegas Bowl | Nevada | 18 | Ball State | 15 |
January 5, 2008 | International Bowl | Rutgers | 52 | Ball State | 30 |
January 6, 2009 | GMAC Bowl | Tulsa | 45 | Ball State | 13 |
December 21, 2012 | Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl | UCF | 38 | Ball State | 17 |
January 5, 2014 | GoDaddy Bowl | Arkansas State | 23 | Ball State | 20 |
December 31, 2020 | Arizona Bowl | Ball State | 34 | San Jose State | 13 |
December 25, 2021 | Camellia Bowl | Georgia State | 51 | Ball State | 20 |
The Ball State Cardinals' women's basketball team won their first MAC tournament in 2009 and subsequently went to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. In the first round, they beat the Tennessee Lady Volunteers 71–55 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 12th-seeded Ball State's win over 5th-seeded Tennessee was the Lady Volunteers' first first-round loss in the 28-year history of the women's NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals earned a lot of attention for their historic first round win and briefly became the Cinderella, feel-good story of the NCAA Tournament before losing to the Iowa State Cyclones 57–71 in the second round. On March 21, 2012, head coach Kelly Packard resigned [5] On May 12, 2012, Brady Sallee, the former coach at Eastern Illinois University, was named the eleventh head coach in the program's history. [6]
The Ball State baseball team plays in the MAC West Division. They play on Ball Diamond. Their head coach is Rich Maloney, who formerly coached the Cardinals, with an extended stint with the University of Michigan in between. The team began play in 1918. The Cardinals have had 8 players drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Their most notable alumni though is Mr. Jonny Cisna, the inventor of the term launch angle.
Ball State's softball team has appeared in two Women's College World Series, in 1973 and 1975. [7]
The Ball State fight song was written by Carl Hofer in 1930.
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, and New York. For football, the MAC participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kent State is a full member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and has been part of the MAC East division since it was created in 1998. Official school colors are Kent State Blue and Kent State Gold.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The only exception is the women's rowing program, which is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Altogether, the Eagles have won three NCAA Division II national championships and 13 NAIA Division I national championships in five different sports ; moreover, EMU has been NCAA Division I national runner-up twice. In 1940, the men's cross country team finished second to Indiana University at the national meet hosted by Michigan State University.
The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East division. Akron sponsors 17 varsity teams across six men's, 10 women's, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of competition for college football.
The Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team represents Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1996.
The James Madison Dukes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent James Madison University (JMU), in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. The Dukes play as members of the Sun Belt Conference, which sponsors sports at the NCAA Division I level. In football, JMU participates in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of Division I, formerly known as Division I-A. JMU was a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA),. The Dukes officially left the CAA and joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2022, participating in Division I FBS football and other sports sponsored by the conference.
The Buffalo Bulls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University at Buffalo (UB) in Buffalo, New York. The Bulls compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division, having joined the conference in 1998. Buffalo sponsors teams in seven men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level for college football.
The 2007–08 Mid-American Conference season was its 62nd season in existence. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) competed at Division I in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It sponsored 23 sports.
The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The athletic program is made up of seven men's sports and 10 women's sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
The 2009–10 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season is the 64th college basketball season in the conference's existence. The conference features 12 teams in two divisions, East and West, who compete for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and tournament titles. Kent State won the MAC regular season title with a record of 13–3. Ninth-seeded Ohio won the MAC tournament received the MAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament. There they defeated Georgetown 97–83 before losing to Tennessee in the second round. Armon Bassett of Ohio was named the tournament MVP.
Brady Sallee is an American women's college basketball coach. He is the current head women's basketball coach at Ball State University. He previously held the same position at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston, Illinois.
The Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team represents the Ball State University in women's basketball. The school competes in the Mid-American Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Cardinals play home basketball games at Worthen Arena on the Ball State campus in Muncie, Indiana.
The Kent State Golden Flashes women's basketball team represents Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The Golden Flashes compete in the Mid-American Conference East Division and last played in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament in 2002. Founded in 1973 as a club team, the Kent State women's basketball team received varsity status in 1975 and played their first official game in January 1976. Through the 2016–17 season, the Flashes have five total appearances in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament along with three Mid-American Conference tournament championships, five MAC overall titles, and eight MAC East division titles. Home games are held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, which has been the team's home venue since 1977. The head coach is Todd Starkey, who was hired April 19, 2016.
The 2015–16 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team represented Ball State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by fourth year head coach Brady Sallee, played their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 22–10, 13–5 in MAC play and finished the season in second place in the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MAC women's tournament to Eastern Michigan. They were invited to the Women's National Invitation Tournament where defeated Iowa in the first round before losing in the second round to Saint Louis.
The 2016–17 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team will represent Ball State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship season. The Cardinals, led by fifth year head coach Brady Sallee, will play their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.
The 2017–18 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team will represent Ball State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship season. The Cardinals, led by sixth year head coach Brady Sallee, play their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 25–7, 13–5 in MAC play to finish in second place in the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MAC women's tournament to Western Michigan. They received an automatic bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament where defeated Middle Tennessee in the first round before losing in the second round to Purdue.
The 2018–19 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team will represent Ball State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by seventh year head coach Brady Sallee, play their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They seek to qualify for the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament for the second time and the first time since 2009 but they finished the season 8–23, 3–15 in MAC play to finish in last place in the West Division. They lost in the first of the MAC women's tournament to Toledo.
The 2019–20 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team represented Ball State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by eighth year head coach Brady Sallee, played their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.
The 2020–21 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team represent Ball State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee, play their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.
The 2023–24 Ball State Cardinals women's basketball team will represent Ball State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by 12th year head coach Brady Sallee, play their home games at the Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana as a member of the Mid-American Conference.