McMurry University

Last updated

McMurry University
McMurry University seal.png
Former names
McMurry College (1923–1990)
MottoCultivating Leadership Excellence and Virtue...
Every Student, Every Day.
Type Private university
EstablishedSeptember 20, 1923;100 years ago (1923-09-20)
Religious affiliation
 United Methodist Church
Endowment $94.5 million (2019) [1]
President Sandra Harper [2]
Undergraduates 2,556 (Fall 2022) [3]
Location
Abilene
,
Texas
,
United States
Campus Urban, 40 acres (.16 km²)
Colors Maroon and White
   
Mascot War Hawks
Website www.mcm.edu
McMurry University logo.png

McMurry University is a private Methodist university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1923 and named after William Fletcher McMurry. [4] The university offers forty-five majors in the fields of fine arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, education, business, and religion, and nine pre-professional programs, including nursing, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, veterinary, and law.

Contents

In the fall of 2023, the university enrolled 2,556 students. [3] Methodist students constitute 27 percent of the student population. Ninety five percent of students are Texan. Minority groups make up approximately one-fourth of the student body. In the freshman class, 98 percent of students receive some financial aid. Fifty-three percent of students live on campus, and 75 percent of students are involved in at least one extracurricular activity. McMurry boasts a student to faculty ratio of 13:1. [5]

91 percent of the faculty have earned a doctorate or other terminal degree in their field. McMurry is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. [6]

History

The college was initially founded as McMurry College on September 20, 1923. The college was established through the efforts of Methodist minister James Winfred Hunt and the Northwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Church, who initially voted to establish the school in 1920. After working with the city of Abilene to acquire the needed land, the charter of the school was ratified on November 21, 1921. Accreditation from the Texas Association of Colleges was received in 1926, the same year the school graduated its first class.

The college gained university status in 1990, becoming McMurry University. [7]

Indians mascot controversy

McMurry's sports teams originally used Indians as their mascot. [8] In late August 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) handed down a decision calling for the eighteen universities with Native American mascots to change their names or obtain a waiver from their representative tribe for the use of the mascot name. The McMurry Indians were part of this list. The Indians nickname was chosen as a tribute to the University's first president, J.W. Hunt, who grew up on an Indian reservation in the Indian Territory.

On May 18, 2006, the NCAA rejected McMurry's appeal to keep their nickname. The school chose to appeal the ruling, and indicated their intention to do so by the June 18, 2006, deadline. According to a press release, "the University’s appeal will be based on the arbitrariness of the NCAA’s decision-making process and the inconsistent results and messages that have come from the process." Other schools, such as Florida State University, made successful appeals by garnering the endorsement of Indian tribes. Although McMurry did not actively seek an endorsement, representatives from the Kaw, Kiowa, and Comanche tribes voiced their approval of McMurry's mascot. [9] In October 2006, McMurry's board of trustees decided that the university would no longer use any names for its athletic teams. Citing the school's 83-year history of honoring Native Americans, the school announced that in spite of no longer using names to designate athletic teams, the school traditions created to honor Native Americans would continue. [10] The school's stadium name was changed from Indian Stadium to Wilford Moore Stadium as of May 13, 2007. Wilford Moore was the most-winning coach in McMurry football history. [11]

On March 11, 2011, it was announced that McMurry University's athletic teams would be known as the War Hawks. The new mascot was chosen after a nearly year-long search to find a new mascot to replace the former Indian mascot. The war hawk is meant to represent pride, courage and fierce competition for McMurry's athletic teams.

Athletics

The McMurry University football team in action against the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions in 2014 14497-Homecoming Football vs McMurray-4555 (15725055521).jpg
The McMurry University football team in action against the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions in 2014

McMurry's school colors are maroon and white. McMurry fields teams in 20 different intercollegiate sports. For the men, McMurry competes in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, esports, and indoor and outdoor track and field. For the women, McMurry competes in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, esports, indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball, in which they won the NCCAA national championship in 2012, and softball.

All teams played in the NCAA Division III American Southwest Conference until 2011. In July 2011, McMurry announced that it had been accepted as a candidate for NCAA Division II membership and joined the Heartland Conference in the fall of 2012. The Board of Regent voted in January 2014 to move back to Division III. [12] [13] The McMurry football team joined the Lone Star Conference in 2014. [14]

McMurry University announced October 19, 2016, that the sport of softball would be added to its women's intercollegiate programs, beginning in 2018. The addition of softball would bring to 20 the number of sports sponsored by the War Hawks. Softball sponsorship in the ASC would grow to 13 teams and becomes the seventh conference championship sport to be supported at every member institution. Women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, and baseball are ASC sports sponsored by all ASC members. By conference rule and with full member sponsorship of softball, the ASC Softball Championship Tournament format would shift to eight-team double-elimination with the 2018 tournament. [15]

Walt Driggers Field

Walt Driggers Field is the home of the McMurry War Hawks collegiate baseball program. The field was designed and built by Anglea Sports Fields, which is headed by former Globe Life Park in Arlington superintendent Jim Anglea. [16] McMurry played its first game at Walt Driggers Field on February 12, 1997, with a 7–3 win against Wayland Baptist Pioneers. The school officially renamed the field before a home game against the Lubbock Christian Chaparrals shortly thereafter.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, with two members in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington competing as affiliates for football only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Southwest Conference</span> College athletic conference

The American Southwest Conference (ASC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference, founded in 1996, whose member schools compete in the NCAA's Division III. The schools are located in Texas and Arkansas. The conference competes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference</span> NCAA Division III athletic conference

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), founded in 1962, is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas. Difficulties related to travel distances led seven former members to announce the formation of a new Southeastern US-based conference, the Southern Athletic Association, starting with the 2012–13 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilbert College</span> Private college in Hamburg, New York, U.S.

Hilbert College is a private Franciscan college in Hamburg, New York. The college is named after Colette Hilbert of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph, who founded the school in 1957 to train teachers. Hilbert College enrolls approximately 800 students and grants both undergraduate and master's degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sul Ross State University</span> Public university in Alpine, Texas

Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande College, are located in Del Rio, Uvalde, Eagle Pass, and Castroville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeastern State University</span> Public university in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, US

Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Oklahoma as well as one of the oldest institutions of higher learning west of the Mississippi River. Tahlequah is home to the capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and about 25 percent of the students at NSU identify themselves as American Indian. The university has many courses focused on Native American linguistics, and offers Cherokee language Education as a major. Cherokee can be studied as a second language, and some classes are taught in Cherokee for first language speakers as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Cougars</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Houston

The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football coach, John R. Bender after one of his former teams, Washington State later adopted the mascot and nickname. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concordia University Texas</span> Private university in Austin, Texas, U.S.

Concordia University Texas is a private university in Austin, Texas. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and online degrees as well as an adult degree program for part-time and returning students.

Hal Clay Mumme is a former American football coach and former player. He most recently served as an offensive advisor for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. Previously, Mumme served as the head football coach at Iowa Wesleyan College, Valdosta State University, the University of Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana University, New Mexico State University, McMurry University, and Belhaven University. Mumme is known for being one of the founders of the air raid offense.

Grant Garland Teaff is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at McMurry University (1960–1965), Angelo State University (1969–1971), and Baylor University (1972–1992), compiling a career college football record of 170–151–8. In his 21 seasons as head coach of the Baylor Bears football team, Teaff's teams won two Southwest Conference titles and appeared in eight bowl games. His 128 wins are the most of any coach in the history of the program. Teaff was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2001.

Lance Hinson is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas, a position he held from 2005 to 2013 and resumed in 2020. Between his two tenures at Saint Mary, Hinson was head football coach at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, from 2014 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Joseph's Hawks</span> Athletics teams of Saint Josephs University

The Saint Joseph's Hawks are the athletic teams that represent Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Hawks compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and of the Philadelphia Big 5. The school also has intramurals and extramurals, the latter of which compete within the City 6. The school is mostly known for its men's basketball team. The Hawk became the school's mascot in 1929. It first flapped its wings at a basketball game in 1956 in a win over La Salle University. The Saint Joseph's school colors are crimson and gray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abilene Christian University</span> Christian university in Abilene, Texas, US

Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as Childers Classical Institute. It is affiliated with Churches of Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abilene Christian Wildcats</span> Sports teams of Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas

Abilene Christian Wildcats refers to the sports teams of Abilene Christian University located in Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on July 1, 2021, after having spent the previous eight years in the Southland Conference. The nickname "Wildcat" is derived from the mascot of the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IUP Crimson Hawks</span> Athletic teams that represent Indiana University of Pennsylvania

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">Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas</span> Athletic teams representing Texas A&M University–Kingsville

The Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas are the athletic teams that represent Texas A&M University–Kingsville (TAMUK) in Kingsville, Texas, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) since the 1954–55 academic year.

The 2012 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team represented Abilene Christian University as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 2012 NCAA Division II football season. Led by first-year head coach Ken Collums, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the LSC. The team played home games at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas.

The 2012 McMurry War Hawks football team represented McMurry University in the 2012 NCAA Division II football season. The War Hawks, transitioning to Division II and Lone Star Conference (LSC) membership, competed as an independent and provisional Division II member. They played a mixed schedule of schools from the FCS, NAIA, and D-II. McMurry competed in the Division II postseason via the LSC's bid to the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl.

The 1968 Southwest Texas State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Southwest Texas State College during the 1968 NAIA football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). In their fourth year under head coach Bill Miller, the team compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play.

The 2023 Sul Ross Lobos football team represented Sul Ross State University during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season as a member of the American Southwest Conference (ASC). The Lobos were led by second-year head coach Barry Derickson and played their home games at Jackson Field in Alpine, Texas. The team finished with a record of 4–6.

References

  1. ↑ As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ Bethal, Brian (August 12, 2013). "McMurry University names Sandra Harper as its first female president". Abilene Reporter News. Abilene, Texas. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "College Navigator - McMurry University". National Center for Education Statistics. 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ Stephenson, Lane B. (1995). Texas College and University Handbook. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. p. 38. ISBN   9780890966778.
  5. ↑ "Admission | McMurry University". Admissions.mcm.edu. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ "2014-2015 Catalog" (PDF). mcm.edu. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  7. ↑ Downs, Faye. "McMurry University". tshaonline.org. Handbook of Texas. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Denied Indian mascot, McMurry forgoes nickname". ESPN.com. AP. October 16, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ Russell, John H. "Alumni Update". mcm.edu. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2006.
  10. ↑ Russell, John H. "McMurry Board Announces Decision". mcm.edu. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2006.
  11. ↑ "McMurry renames football and track stadium to Wilford Moore Stadium". mcm.edu. Retrieved May 13, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ Robarts, Kyle (July 12, 2011). "NCAA accepts McMurry's application to transition to Division II". McMurry War Hawks. Abilene, Texas: McMurry University Sports Information Department. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  13. ↑ Beyer, Dave (February 10, 2012). "McM goes across town for 2012 football opener". Hal Mumme Official Website. Abilene, Texas: McMurry University Sports Information Department. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ LSC, LSC (July 30, 2013). "McMurry University added to LSC football lineup for 2014". Lone Star Conference News. Richardson, Texas: Lone Star Conference Website. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  15. ↑ "McMurry Woman's Softball". October 19, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Walt Driggers Field". athletics.mcm.edu. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Dan Dodson Papers: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids". findingaids.library.nyu.edu. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Grant Teaff To Receive Stagg Award". Baylor Football. September 21, 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2006.
  19. ↑ "Early Years". The Weddington Center. Archived from the original on March 19, 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2006.

32°25′48″N99°45′00″W / 32.430°N 99.750°W / 32.430; -99.750

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.