Cheyney Wolves

Last updated
Cheyney Wolves
Cheyney logo from NCAA.svg
University Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
ConferenceIndependent
Location Cheyney, Pennsylvania
Varsity teams3
Football stadiumO'Shields-Stevenson Stadium
Basketball arenaCope Hall
NicknameWolves
ColorsBlue and white [1]
   
Website www.cheyneyathletics.com

The Cheyney Wolves are the athletic sports teams for Cheyney University. They compete as an independent and formerly played in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). [2] Women's sports include basketball, cheerleading and volleyball. Basketball is the only men's sport the university currently offers as of 2019.

Contents

Basketball

The men's basketball program is 7th all-time in NCAA win percentage, including 16 PSAC conference championships, four Final Fours, and one National Championship (1978), as coached by John Chaney, who coached from 1972 to 1982.

In 1982, coached by C. Vivian Stringer, the team competed in the championship game of the inaugural NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament despite being a Division II school. They are the only HBCU to reach a Division I Final Four. After Stringer left in 1983, she was replaced by Winthrop McGriff, who led them to the Final Four in the 1984 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, becoming the first Black man to lead a women's team to the Final Four and the only one for three decades. [3] [4]

Both Chaney and Stringer would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, making Cheyney one of three schools to have had future Naismith Hall of Fame men’s and women’s basketball head coaches employed at the same time. [5]

Probation

During the 2007–08 through 2010–11 academic years, the university violated NCAA rules in the certification of initial, transfer and continuing eligibility involving all sports programs. During the four-year period, numerous student-athletes competed while ineligible due to improper certification. In amateurism certification alone, 109 student-athletes practiced, competed and received travel expenses and/or athletically related financial aid before the university received their amateurism certification status from the NCAA Eligibility Center. The committee also concluded that a former compliance director failed to monitor when she did not follow proper procedures in the certification of student-athletes’ eligibility. The entire athletics program was on probation until August 2019. [6]

For the 2018-19 academic year, Cheyney withdrew from the PSAC and Division II and played that season as an independent. The football team, suspended since being unable to afford the trip to the Turkey Day Classic in November 2017, did not play. [7]

By 2019, the status quo from 2018-19 continued; the Wolves offer only basketball and women's volleyball, both of which primarily play Division III and community college teams.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Collegiate Athletic Association</span> American collegiate athletic organization

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and one in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, and in football, in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference competing in NCAA

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers Conference, and was temporarily named the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference in 1956 before being assuming its current name in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheyney University of Pennsylvania</span> Public historically black university in Cheyney, Pennsylvania

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public historically black university in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1837 as the Institute for Colored Youth, it is the oldest of all historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. It is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The university offers bachelor's degrees and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics</span> North American college athletics association

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to their student athletes. $1.3 billion in athletic scholarship financial aid is awarded to student athletes annually. For the 2023–24 season, it had 241 member institutions, of which two are in British Columbia, one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the rest in the continental United States, with over 83,000 student-athletes participating. The NAIA, whose headquarters is in Kansas City, Missouri, sponsors 28 national championships. CBS Sports Network, formerly called CSTV, serves as the national media outlet for the NAIA. In 2014, ESPNU began carrying the NAIA Football National Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College basketball</span> Amateur basketball played by students of higher education institutions

In United States colleges and universities, basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Each of these various organizations is subdivided into one to three divisions, based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. Teams with more talent tend to win over teams with less talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Chaney (basketball, born 1932)</span> American basketball player and coach (1932–2021)

John Chaney was an American college basketball coach, best known for his success at Temple University from 1982 through 2006. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Staley</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1970)

Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head coach of another U.S. gold-medal winning team. Staley was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. After playing point guard for the University of Virginia under Debbie Ryan, and winning the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, she went on to play professionally in the American Basketball League and the WNBA. In 2011, fans named Staley one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. Staley was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Western University, California</span> Public university in California, Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Western University, California is a public university with independent accreditation in California borough, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Pennsylvania Western University.

Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the four years of academic classes typically required to earn a bachelor's degree at an American college or university. However, in a redshirt year, student athletes may attend classes at the college or university, practice with an athletic team, and "suit up" for play – but they may compete in only a limited number of games. Using this mechanism, a student athlete [traditionally] has at most five academic years to use the four years of eligibility, thus becoming what is termed a fifth-year senior. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional year of eligibility was granted to student athletes by the NCAA who met certain criteria. Student athletes who qualified had up to six academic years to make use of their four years of eligibility, taking into consideration the extra year provided due to exceptional circumstances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Vivian Stringer</span> American basketball coach

Charlaine Vivian Stringer is an American former basketball coach. She holds one of the best coaching records in the history of women's basketball. She was the head coach of the Rutgers University women's basketball team from 1995 until her retirement in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament</span>

The 1982 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was the first Women's Basketball Tournament held under the auspices of the NCAA. From 1972 to 1982, there were national tournaments for Division I schools held under the auspices of the AIAW. The inaugural NCAA Tournament included 32 teams. Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Cheyney State, and Maryland met in the Final Four, held at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and hosted by Old Dominion University, with Louisiana Tech defeating Cheyney for the title, 76-62. Louisiana Tech's Janice Lawrence was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Her teammate Kim Mulkey went on to become the first woman to win NCAA Division I basketball titles as a player and coach, winning the 2005, 2012, 2019 titles as head coach at Baylor and the 2023 title at LSU..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinboro Fighting Scots</span>

The Edinboro Fighting Scots are the athletic teams that represent Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro, located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Fighting Scots are members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) for 15 of 17 varsity sports. The wrestling team competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a member of NCAA Division I and the wheelchair basketball team competes outside of NCAA governance in the NWBA Intercollegiate Division. The Fighting Scots have been a member of the PSAC since its foundation in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Owls men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team of Temple University

The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the sport of basketball. The Owls compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games in the Liacouras Center on the university's main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are currently led by head coach Adam Fisher. Temple is the sixth-most winningest NCAA Division I men's college basketball program of all time, with 1,978 wins at the end of the 2022–23 season. Although they have reached the NCAA Tournament over thirty times, they are one of nine programs with that many appearances to have not won the Tournament and one of four to have never reached the National Championship Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutztown Golden Bears</span> Athletic program of Kutztown University

The Kutztown Golden Bears are the sports teams that represent Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Kutztown University is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The university sponsors eight men's and fourteen women's intercollegiate sports. In 2022, Kutztown University added women's acrobatics & tumbling as its 22nd varsity sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IUP Crimson Hawks</span> Crimson Hawks

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania Crimson Hawks, commonly known as the IUP Crimson Hawks and formerly called the IUP Indians, are the varsity athletic teams that represent Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The university and all of its intercollegiate sports teams compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) within the NCAA Division II. The university sponsors 19 different teams, including eight teams for men and eleven teams for women: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, football, men's golf, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, and women's volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Chester Golden Rams</span> West Chester University of Pennsylvania sports teams

The West Chester Golden Rams represent West Chester University of Pennsylvania, which is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in intercollegiate sports. They compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in NCAA Division II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Georgia Wolves</span> Athletic teams representing the University of West Georgia

The West Georgia Wolves are the athletic teams that represent the University of West Georgia, located in Carrollton, Georgia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wolves compete as members of the Gulf South Conference for all 13 varsity sports. West Georgia has been a member of the GSC since 1983. On September 8, 2023, West Georgia announced they would be joining NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), effective July 1, 2024. The football team will join the United Athletic Conference, a football-only partnership between the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference, at the same time.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team plays its regular season games at 15,400-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with men's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.

The 1981–82 Cheyney State Lady Wolves basketball team represented Cheyney State College as an NCAA independent during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team was led by 11th–year head coach C. Vivian Stringer and played their home games at Cope Hall in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Fueled by a roster with eight high school All-Americans and an eventual Hall of Fame coach, the Lady Wolves earned a record of 28–3 and a No. 2 ranking, and finished runner-up for the inaugural NCAA Division I women's basketball championship – despite being a Division II school with limited resources.

References

  1. Cheyney University Athletic Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  2. "Cheyney Wolves". cheyneywolves.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  3. "Staley: Final 4 shows what Black women can do". 31 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  4. Twyman, Lisa. "IT HAS BEEN A LONG HARD ROAD". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. Pickman, Ben (31 March 2022). "The Lost History of the Only HBCU to Make the Final Four". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. "Cheyney penalized after committing eligibility certification violations". August 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  7. Robinson, Wesley (March 20, 2018). "Cheyney University drops NCAA Division II status in restructuring of its athletic department". PennLive.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018. These are extremely difficult but necessary decisions that are being made on behalf of our entire student population, and to help ensure the university's future," Walton said. "We want to continue to provide our student athletes the opportunity to participate as part of the overall college experience.