Minnesota State University, Mankato, also known as Minnesota State, is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota. Established as the Second State Normal School in 1858, it was designated in Mankato in 1866, and officially opened as Mankato Normal School in 1868. It is the second oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. It is also the second largest university in the state, and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. It is the most comprehensive of the seven state universities and is referred to as the flagship of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. It is an important part of the economy of Southern Minnesota and the state as it adds more than $781 million to the economy of Minnesota annually.
Sparky the Sun Devil is the official mascot of Arizona State University. Originally the ASU athletic teams' mascot was an owl, then became a "Normal". It was later changed to a bulldog in an attempt to make the school – Arizona State Teacher's College at the time – appear more in line with Yale and other universities that held a higher level of respect. The State Press, the student newspaper, ran frequent appeals during the fall of 1946, urging the Bulldog to be replaced by the new Sun Devil. On November 8, 1946, the student body voted 819 to 196 to make the change. On November 20, as reported by the Arizona Republic, the student council made it official. The following day, the first Arizona State team played as the Sun Devils. Two years later, alumnus and Disney illustrator Bert Anthony designed "Sparky", a devil holding a trident. Anthony is rumored to have based Sparky's facial features on that of his former boss, Walt Disney. Sparky is officially known as a "mischievous imp", with no other backstory than that.
Blakeslee Stadium is a stadium in Mankato, Minnesota that sits on the southern edge of Minnesota State University, Mankato. It is primarily used for American football; it is the home field of the Minnesota State Mavericks NCAA Division 2 football team and also hosted the training camp for the Minnesota Vikings from 1966-2017. The stadium holds 7,500 people and was built in 1962.
Timothy M. Jackman is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was the first player from Minnesota State University, Mankato to be drafted after becoming the Columbus Blue Jackets' second round selection, 38th overall, at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Jackman made his NHL debut during the 2003–04 season with Columbus, and has also played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves are the athletic teams of Arkansas State University. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference in all sports except women's bowling, a sport not sponsored by that league, competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. The bowling team competes in the single-sport Southland Bowling League.
The 2009-10 Minnesota State Mavericks women's ice hockey season took place under head coach Eric Means.
The Minnesota State Mavericks are the college athletic teams of Minnesota State University, Mankato. 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 Minnesota State Mavericks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Minnesota State University, Mankato located in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
The Minnesota State Mavericks women's hockey ice program represents Minnesota State University, Mankato, and participate in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The MSU Mankato women’s ice hockey program attempted to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Ultimately failing, winning only seven games.
The Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Mavericks compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Their home arena is the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center located in downtown Mankato, Minnesota.
Todd Hoffner is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, a position he held from 2008 to 2011 and resumed in 2014. Hoffner was the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire from 1999 to 2005. He was an assistant football coach at University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point from 1991 to 1998 and served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Dakota from 2006 to 2007. Hoffner played college football and ran track at Valley City State University, from which he graduated in 1989. He is a native of Esmond, North Dakota.
Joel Nielsen is an American sports administrator originally from Latimer, Iowa. Nielsen served as the athletic director for Kent State University in Kent, Ohio between 2010 and 2021. Prior to his appointment at Kent State, he served as athletic director at the University of South Dakota from 2003 to 2010 and at Colorado College from 2001 to 2003. He also served as associate athletic director at Wake Forest University from 1993 to 2001 and assistant athletic director at Illinois State University from 1992 to 1993. From 1990 to 1991 he was athletic development assistant at Northern Illinois University. He is an alumnus of Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he played football and baseball and earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees.
In 2005 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) distributed a "self evaluation" to its member institutions for teams to examine the use of potentially offensive imagery with their mascot choice. This examination was done in accordance with NCAA policy that requires each member institution to maintain an "atmosphere of respect for and sensitivity to the dignity of every person." Fourteen schools either removed all references to Native American culture or were deemed not to have references to Native American culture as part of their athletics programs. Subsequently, 19 teams were cited as having potentially "hostile or abusive" names, mascots, or images, that would be banned from displaying them during post-season play, and prohibited from hosting tournaments.
The Minnesota State University campus currently contains 30 buildings spread over 303 acres (123 ha) in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. The campus includes on campus housing in the form of dorms for 2,700 residents, academic buildings, a main library, a music library, two astronomy observatories, experimental research stations for alternative and renewable energy, a recreation center, an athletics complex, a student center, an administration center and over 50 acres of athletics fields including the football team Blakeslee Stadium. The Minnesota State Mavericks men's and women's hockey teams also utilize and have administrative space at the Verizon Wireless Center and the All Seasons Arena located off campus.
The Minnesota State Rouser, also known as The Maverick Rouser is the fight song of the Minnesota State University, Mankato. It is played at all Minnesota State Mavericks athletics games, rallies and at many alumni events. The Maverick Machine, the Minnesota State University Marching Band, plays the rouser along with other popular songs and the song of the university, the Minnesota State University Hymn.
The Minnesota State University Marching Band is the marching band of Minnesota State University, Mankato. The band generates enthusiasm and excitement by promoting school spirit and morale. The group performs at home football, hockey, and basketball events. The Maverick Machine consists of five ensembles including the marching band, drumline, color guard, pep band, and the indoor winds, the first collegiate WGI winds group in Minnesota.
Clint Joseph "C.J." Suess is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for and serving as an alternate captain of the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to playing professionally, Suess played college hockey for the Minnesota State Mavericks at Minnesota State University, Mankato. At the time of his graduation, his 127 career points were tied for fifth on the school’s career scoring list during the NCAA Division I era. He also represented Team USA in the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, helping them win a gold medal.
Aaron Keen is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Washington University in St. Louis. Keen served as head football coach the Illinois College from 2003 to 2007 and as the interim head football coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 2012 to 2013. He has also been an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
The 2020–21 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 52nd season of play for the program, the 25th at the Division I level and the 22nd in the WCHA conference. The Mavericks represented Minnesota State University, Mankato and were coached by Mike Hastings, in his 9th season.
