Ferris State Bulldogs | |
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University | Ferris State University |
Conference | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Central Collegiate Hockey Association |
NCAA | Division II |
Athletic director | Steve Brockelbank |
Location | Big Rapids, Michigan |
Varsity teams | 15 |
Football stadium | Top Taggart Field |
Basketball arena | Jim Wink Arena |
Ice hockey arena | Ewigleben Arena |
Softball stadium | FSU Softball Field |
Soccer stadium | FSU Soccer Field |
Other venues | Ewigleben Sports Arena |
Mascot | Brutus |
Nickname | Bulldogs |
Colors | Crimson and gold [1] |
Website | www |
The Ferris State Bulldogs (FSU Bulldogs) are the athletic teams that represent Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Bulldogs compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 14 of 15 varsity sports, while the men's hockey team (the only team that competes at the Division I level) plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Bulldogs have been members of the GLIAC since 1972.
Year in and year out, nearly 400 student-athletes have the opportunity to compete for the Bulldogs on a regional and national level for conference titles and NCAA Championships. Ferris' men's club ice hockey won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 national title in 1994, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national title in 2018, and the football program won the Division II national title in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Men's sports | Women's sports |
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Basketball | Basketball |
Cross country | Cross country |
Football | Golf |
Golf | Soccer |
Ice hockey | Softball |
Tennis | Tennis |
Track and field† | Track and field† |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
The Ferris Ice Arena and Sports Complex features basketball courts, volleyball courts, hockey rink and a general ice-skating rink located in the Ewigleben Arena, named after former college president Robert Ewigleben. This sports complex hosts university and high school competitions as well as community sports programs.
National Championships:
National Runners-up:
Club Sports National Championships:
Led by power forward/center Zach Hankins in 2015-16, who had 130 blocks on the season, which led Division II and set the school single-season school record, [3] the team won a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament title and had a then-school record for wins with a 28–5 record. Ferris State reached the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division II Tournament before falling to GLIAC rival Findlay 68–63. [4] In his junior season, Hankins averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game and had a field goal percentage of 63 percent. His 128 blocks led the nation. [3] Hankins repeated as GLIAC Player of the Year. [5] He was named the National Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. On the season, Ferris State compiled a 38–1 record and claimed the school’s first national championship in the 2018 NCAA Division II Tournament, defeating Northern State in the final by a score of 71–69. [3] [6]
The 2011–12 season marked the first time in school history that the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey national championship finals. In the national championship match at the Frozen Four the Bulldogs lost 4–1 to Boston College in the title contest, leading to the cheer "Save Ferris" . The season came to a close with a 26–12–5 overall record and included a trip to the Frozen Four and a national runner-up finish. Ferris State's 26 wins were the second-most in school history, and the season highlights also included the school's second-ever Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship and a Midwest Regional crown. [7]
Prior to the 2011–12 season, the program's best season performance in the NCAA Division I was the 2002/03 campaign with a school-best 31–10–1 overall record. The Bulldogs also claimed their first-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship title with a first-place 22–5–1 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament's West Regional title game in their initial NCAA Tourney appearance. Ferris State also earned the distinction of being the nation's first team to reach the 30-win plateau in 2002/03 and also competed in the CCHA Super Six Championship Tourney for the first time since 1993. [8]
The Bulldogs had good success after Tony Annese was hired, winning multiple GLIAC championships with quarterback Jason Vanderlann. Their first playoff win was vs 7 seed Texas A&M Commerce at home in 2015, while they got beat by ODU in 2014 and GVSU in 2015, both GVSU and ODU were in-conference teams who were lower seeds, and both losses came in Big Rapids at home. In 2016, Ferris State defeated rival Grand Valley in the playoffs in Allendale. The win sent the Bulldogs to the National Semifinals. In 2017 the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs and defeated Ouachita Baptist and Fort Hays St before losing to Harding in a 16–14 Regional Championship. The Bulldogs are currently 7–2 vs arch-rival GVSU under Coach Annese.
Annese guided the team to its first national championship appearance in 2018 before losing to Valdosta State 49–47. In 2021, the Bulldogs returned again to the playoffs and would win their first national championship in school history by defeating Valdosta State 58–17. In 2022, they made it back to the national championship claiming their second in school history going back-to-back by defeating the Colorado School of Mines. In 2024, the team returned to the national championship game, defeating Valdosta State 49–14 to claim a third title.
The Robert L. Ewigleben Ice Arena is a 2,493-seat hockey arena in Big Rapids, Michigan. It is home to the Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey team of the CCHA. The building is attached the FSU Sports Complex, which also includes Wink Arena, a volleyball court, a studio ice rink, offices, concessions and meeting space. The ice arena also hosts the local high school and Big Rapids area junior hockey association. The arena is named for Dr. Robert L. Ewigleben, the former school president who was responsible for the building of the arena as well as the inception of Division I ice hockey at the school in 1979.
The Grand Valley State Lakers football team represents Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in NCAA Division II football. The team currently competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and was once affiliated with the now defunct Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference. The Lakers football team has appeared in six NCAA Division II national title games, winning four championships, since 2001. The team has made the playoffs in 20 seasons. They have also won or shared 17 conference titles.
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are the athletic teams that represent Oakland University (OU) in the Horizon League and Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The school fields 16 teams: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball.
The Grand Valley State Lakers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Grand Valley State University, located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The GVSU Lakers compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Michigan Technological University's sports teams are called the Huskies. The Huskies participate in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), a member of the Central Collegiate Ski Association for men's and women's nordic skiing, and NCAA Division I Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for men's ice hockey.
The Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Ferris State University. The Bulldogs are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at Ewigleben Arena in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The Minnesota State Mavericks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Minnesota State University, Mankato. The school's athletic program includes 21 varsity sports teams. More than 600 students participate each year in athletics for the university. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete at the Division I level, respectively in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Minnesota State began competition in the NSIC in 2008–09, due to the dissolution of the North Central Conference. It was also one of the seven WCHA men's hockey members that left that league after the 2020–21 season to reestablish the CCHA, a move that led to the demise of the men's side of the WCHA.
The Davenport Panthers are the athletic teams that represent Davenport University, located in Caledonia Township, Michigan, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for most of its sports as a provisional member since the 2017–18 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–06 to 2016–17.
The Lake Superior State Lakers are the athletic teams that represent the Lake Superior State University, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Lakers compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 12 of 13 varsity sports, with the men's hockey team playing in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Lakers have been members of the GLIAC since 1972.
Zach Hankins is an American professional basketball player who plays for U-BT Cluj-Napoca of the Liga Nationala. He played college basketball for the Xavier Musketeers his senior season. As a power forward/center, Hankins was named the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year for the 2017–18 season while playing for Ferris State.
Andy Bronkema is the men's head basketball coach for the Ferris State Bulldogs.
The 2020–21 Michigan Tech Huskies men's basketball team represented Michigan Tech in the 2020–21 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. The Huskies were led by 27th-year head coach Kevin Luke and played their home games at Sherman Stadium in Houghton, Michigan as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The 2021–22 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 47th season of play for the program and the 36th season in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The team represented Ferris State University, was coached by Bob Daniels in his 30th season and played their home games at Ewigleben Arena.
The 2021 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2021 season. It was played at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, on December 18, 2021, with kickoff at 9:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPNU.
The 2021 Ferris State Bulldogs football team represented Ferris State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by tenth-year head coach Tony Annese. The Bulldogs played their home games at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The 2022 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament is a postseason men's basketball tournament for the GLIAC of the 2021–22 NCAA Division II men's basketball season which is taking place between March 2–6, 2022. Following the conclusion of the Quarterfinals, the GLIAC announced that the Semifinals and Championship game would be hosted by Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan.
The 2022–23 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 48th season of play for the program and the 37th in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The Bulldogs represented Ferris State University, played their home games at Ewigleben Arena and were coached by Bob Daniels in his 31st season.
The 2022 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season was the season of college football played by the seven member schools of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) as part of the 2022 NCAA Division II football season.
The 2024–25 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season will be the 50th season of play for the program and the 39th in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The Bulldogs will represent Ferris State University in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their home games at Ewigleben Arena and be coached by Bob Daniels in his 33rd season.
The 2024 Ferris State Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Ferris State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division II football season. In their 13th season under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs compiled a 14–1 record and were ranked No. 1 in the D2Football.com poll at the end of the regular season. After losing the season opener on the road against Pittsburg State, the Bulldogs finished the season with 14 consecutive victories and won the GLIAC championship and the NCAA Divison II national championship. Ferris State participated in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, beating Central Oklahoma in the second round, defending national champion Harding in the semifinals, and Valodosta State in the NCAA Division II national championship game.