Eastern Washington Eagles | |
---|---|
University | Eastern Washington University |
Conference | Big Sky |
NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
Athletic director | Lynn Hickey |
Location | Cheney, Washington |
Varsity teams | 12 |
Football stadium | Roos Field |
Basketball arena | Reese Court |
Mascot | Swoop |
Nickname | Eagles |
Fight song | Go, Eagles, Go |
Colors | Red and white [1] |
Website | goeags |
The Eastern Washington Eagles are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams that represent Eastern Washington University, located in Cheney, southwest of Spokane. A member of the Big Sky Conference, EWU's athletic program comprises five men's sports: basketball, cross country, football, tennis, and track and field, and seven women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Basketball | Basketball |
Cross Country | Cross Country |
Football | Golf |
Tennis | Soccer |
Track and field† | Tennis |
Track and field† | |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
Eastern has been a member of NCAA Division I since the summer of 1983, moving up from Division II. For most of its history, Eastern was a member of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) before upgrading its programs and joining the NCAA in the late 1970s. EWU has been a member of the Big Sky athletic conference since 1987; the school's mascot is Swoop and the school colors are red and white.
In 2010, EWU won the NCAA Division I FCS national championship, EWU's first at the Division I level for any sport.
In 1973, the student body voted to make Eastern's mascot the Eagles. [2] [3] Shortly before that, the board of trustees declared "Savages", its mascot through its first 92 years, no longer acceptable. Eagles are native to eastern Washington and thus a logical choice for a replacement.
Eastern football is currently coached by Aaron Best [4] and competes at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level of Division I. Eastern claimed its first national championship in 2010, defeating Delaware 20–19 in the title game. [5]
Eastern men's basketball is currently coached by David Riley. Eastern has claimed two Big Sky regular season championships and two Big Sky conference tournament championships. Eastern advanced to the 2004 NCAA tournament and the 2015 NCAA tournament. Eastern lost to Oklahoma State in the first round in 2004 and Georgetown in the opening round in 2015.
Eastern formerly had varsity programs in baseball, wrestling, and gymnastics (men's & women's). [6] [7]
Baseball joined the Northern Pacific Conference in 1980 as its eighth team, [8] [9] but after the next season, half of those programs had disbanded, [10] and Oregon dropped the sport as well. [11] [12] The NorPac merged into the northern division of the Pac-10 for the 1982 baseball season, bringing the total up to seven schools. [13] [14]
Baseball and wrestling were discontinued 32 years ago, following the 1990 seasons. [15] [16] [17] The EWU wrestling team won NAIA tournament in 1977 scoring 95.5 points. Lanny Davidson is one of only 18 wrestlers in the history of the tournament to win three national NAIA wrestling championships.
The Eagles have won two team NCAA national championships.
Sport | Association | Division | Year | Opponent/Runner-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men's cross country (1) | NCAA | Division II | 1982 | South Dakota State | 84–123 (-39) |
Football (1) | NCAA | Division I FCS | 2010 | Delaware | 20–19 |
The EWU football team plays at Roos Field, opened in 1967; expanded and renovated in 2004 and 2010 to increase capacity to 11,702. The stadium was originally named 'Woodward Field' in honor of former Eagles head football and basketball coach Arthur C. Woodward. It replaced the original Woodward Field, which was located near the present JFK Library. [18] The introduction of red artificial turf and name change to Roos Field occurred in 2010.
Reese Court is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to the Eastern Washington University women's volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams. It replaced the Eastern Washington Fieldhouse when it opened in 1975. It was named for William B. "Red" Reese (1899–1974), the athletic director and head coach in multiple sports.
The EWU–UM Governors Cup is the annual college football game between the Montana Grizzlies and the Eastern Eagles. Traditionally, it is in the middle of the regular season, played on the Saturday alternating between Roos Field and Washington–Grizzly Stadium each year. The Eagles currently trail in the series with 11 wins and 25 losses.
In 1973, the student body voted to make Eastern's mascot the Eagles. [2] [3] Shortly before that, the Eastern Board of Trustees declared "Savages", its mascot through its first 92 years, no longer acceptable. Eagles are native to eastern Washington and thus a logical choice for a replacement.
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of college football in the nation.
The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eight states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Four affiliate members each participate in one sport: two from California are football–only participants and two from the Northeast participate only in men's golf.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Gonzaga competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a member of the West Coast Conference.
The Washington State Cougars are the athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic program comprises ten women's sports and six men's intercollegiate sports, and also offers various intramural sports.
Reese Court is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Cheney, Washington, on the campus of Eastern Washington University. It is home to the EWU Eagles basketball team and replaced Eastern Washington Fieldhouse in 1975. It was the host venue of the 2004 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament, and is located southwest of the football stadium, Roos Field.
The Oregon State Beavers are the athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver. Both the men's and women's teams share the name, competing in 7 NCAA Division I men's sports and 9 NCAA Division I women's sports respectively. The official colors for the athletics department are Beaver Orange, black, and white.
The Seattle Redhawks are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams of Seattle University of Seattle, Washington. They compete in the NCAA's Division I as a member institution of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Championship Subdivision. EIU's colors are blue and gray. Selected as the team mascot in 1930, EIU's panther was informally known as "Billy" for many years and was officially named "Billy the Panther" in 2008. Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports. The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title.
Roos Field is an outdoor college football stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, southwest of Spokane. It is the home venue of the Eastern Washington Eagles of the Big Sky Conference in Division I (FCS).
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of Idaho, located in Moscow. The Vandals compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
The Boise State Broncos are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Boise State University, located in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW). The Broncos have a successful athletic program overall, winning the WAC commissioner's cup for the 2005–06 and 2009–10 years. Boise State joined the MW on July 1, 2011.
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 EWU–UM Governors Cup is the college football rivalry game between the University of Montana Grizzlies and the Eastern Washington University Eagles, both members of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
The Washington Huskies baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of Washington, located in Seattle, Washington, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference since the start of the 1960 season, preceded by the Pacific Coast Conference.
The Grand Canyon Antelopes are the 21 athletic teams representing Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Western Athletic Conference. Men's volleyball competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) effective beginning in the 2017–18 academic year. The beach volleyball program competes as an independent.
The Eastern Washington Eagles football team represents Eastern Washington University in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The Eastern Eagles are members of the Big Sky Conference and play at Roos Field, which is known for being the only stadium in college football with a red playing surface.
The Washington State Cougars baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. The Cougars' home venue is Bailey–Brayton Field, first opened 42 years ago for the 1980 season and located on the university's campus.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. The NCAA Division I program has been a member of the West Coast Conference since 1996 and its home venue is Washington Trust Field and Patterson Baseball Complex, opened on Gonzaga's campus in 2007.
The 1985 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University in the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. This was the Eagles' second season in Division I-AA, having moved up from Division II after 1983, and participated as an independent until joining the Big Sky Conference in 1987. They played their home games on campus at Woodward Field in Cheney, Washington, and one at Joe Albi Stadium in nearby Spokane.
The Northern Pacific Conference (Nor-Pac) was formed for baseball for the 1975 season and comprised the NCAA programs in the Northwest not in the Pacific-8 Conference. The Big Sky Conference had dropped sponsorship of the sport after the 1974 season, and its three remaining baseball programs joined Portland State, Portland, Seattle U., and Puget Sound. An eighth team, Eastern Washington, was added after the 1979 season.