Wake Forest Demon Deacons

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest University Athletic logo.svg
University Wake Forest University
Conference ACC
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic director John Currie
Location Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Varsity teams18
Football stadium Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
Basketball arena Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Baseball stadium David F. Couch Ballpark
Soccer stadium Spry Soccer Stadium
Mascot Demon Deacon
NicknameDemon Deacons
Fight songO Here's to Wake Forest
ColorsOld gold and black [1]
   
Website godeacs.com
The Atlantic Coast Conference logo in Wake Forest's colors ACC logo in Wake Forest colors.svg
The Atlantic Coast Conference logo in Wake Forest's colors

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Contents

Wake Forest has won a total of 10 national championships in six different sports; six of these championships have come since 2002. Wake Forest is sometimes referred to as being a part of "Tobacco Road" or "The Big Four", terms that refer to the four North Carolina schools that compete heatedly against each other within the ACC; these include Duke University, North Carolina, and North Carolina State, as well as Wake Forest.

Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as The Old Gold and Black or the Baptists, due to its association with the Baptist Convention (from which it later separated itself). However, in 1923, after a particularly impressive win against Trinity College (predecessor of Duke University) a newspaper reporter wrote that the Deacons "fought like Demons", giving rise to the current team name, the "Demon Deacons".

The Athletics Director was Ron Wellman, who won multiple Athletic Director of the Year Awards for his work during the 2007–2008 school year. [2] In 2019, Wellman announced his retirement, effective May 1, 2019. On March 2, 2019, Wake Forest named alum John Currie as its new athletics director, [3] and later promoted to vice president in July 2024. [4]

Teams

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross countryField hockey
Football Golf
Golf Soccer
Soccer Tennis
TennisTrack & field†
Track & field†Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.

Football

Wake Forest's football team was ranked in the Top 25 in the nation by the AP Poll during most of the 2006 season. They won the 2006 ACC Atlantic Division Title and the 2006 ACC Conference Championship by defeating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9–6 on December 2 in the ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville, Florida. The win sent Wake Forest to the Orange Bowl to play Big East champion Louisville, where they lost to the Cardinals. This made Wake Forest the smallest school to ever compete in the Bowl Championship Series. Of all schools that play Division I FBS football, only Rice and Tulsa have smaller undergraduate enrollments, and Wake has the smallest undergraduate enrollment of any school in the Power Five conferences.

For his part in the record-setting season, coach Jim Grobe was unanimously selected ACC Coach of the Year, and handily won the AP Coach of the Year award several weeks later. Coach Grobe signed a ten-year contract in 2007.

Wake Forest followed its success in 2006 with another excellent year and finished the regular season with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses. During the season, the Demon Deacons were briefly ranked in the Top 25. Their success throughout the year earned Wake Forest an invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina. Played on December 29 in the Bank of America stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers) the Demon Deacons defeated the Connecticut Huskies 24–10.

Wake Forest plays its home football games at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (formerly Groves Stadium).

Demon Deacons players at the 2016 Military Bowl 161227-D-SW162-0650 (31553989060).jpg
Demon Deacons players at the 2016 Military Bowl

Basketball

"Rolling the Quad" is a WFU tradition that is done after major victories in athletic competition. WakeForestRolledQuad.jpg
"Rolling the Quad" is a WFU tradition that is done after major victories in athletic competition.

Men's basketball

Wake Forest is generally regarded as a competitive program in men's basketball, frequently qualifying for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship (20 times in the school's history). The men's basketball team has made 16 straight postseason appearances (through their NIT appearance in 2006), the longest such streak in the ACC. They reached the Final Four once, in 1962. The school's famous basketball alumni include Billy Packer, a guard on the 1962 Final Four team who became far more famous as a basketball broadcaster; "Muggsy" Bogues, the shortest player ever to play in the NBA; Randolph Childress, for his MVP performance in the 1995 ACC Tournament; Dallas Mavericks star Josh Howard; 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award winner and Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul; and two-time league MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP and five-time NBA Champion, San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan. [5] Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is the home venue for the Demon Deacons basketball team. Skip Prosser, Wake Forest University's men's basketball coach since 2001, died in Winston-Salem on July 26, 2007. One of Prosser's assistant coaches, Dino Gaudio, was named to replace him. After the firing of Dino Guadio at the end of the 2010 season, Wake Forest hired Jeff Bzdelik as their head basketball coach. Jeff Bzdelik resigned as head basketball coach on March 20, 2014. Steve Forbes is now the head coach of Wake Forest. [6]

Women's basketball

The women's team have played since 1971, and they have been to the NCAA Tournament just twice, in 1988 and 2021. They have reached the ACC Tournament semifinals in 1986, 1988, and 2012.

Women's field hockey

Recent athletic honors include three consecutive NCAA Field Hockey national championships in 2002, 2003, and 2004 under Head Coach Jennifer Averill. In 2005, the Deacs were defeated in the semifinal round by Duke University, in the 2006 championship game by the University of Maryland, and in the 2018 semifinal round by North Carolina. The Deacs have contended for the National Championship 18 times, the most recent in 2022. Other championships include the 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2014 ACC Tournament championships.

Golf

Arnold Palmer ArnoldPalmerCoastGuard1953.jpg
Arnold Palmer

The men's golf team has had several successful years, winning national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1986. [7] The team also finished as national runner-ups on four other occasions in 1969, 1970, 1987, 1997. Three Demon Deacons have won the individual national title: Curtis Strange in 1974, Jay Haas in 1975, and Gary Hallberg in 1979. Since the NCAA went to pre-national championship regional competitions in 1989, Wake Forest has won three regionals: 2005 (East), 2006 (East), and 2008 (Central). [8]

They have won 20 conference championships:

The women's golf team has had some success as well. They won 6 ACC team championships in 1986, 1994, 1995, 2009, 2010, and 2022. They have also won 7 ACC individual championships in 1986, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In the NCAA regionals, they had won their region twice, 1994 (East) and 1995 (East). Jennifer Kupcho won the individual national title in 2018 and the Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2019. [11] Wake Forest advanced to the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship six straight years, 2018–2024 (no championship held in 2020 due to COVID-19), finishing as runner-up to Duke in 2018, then winning their first national title in 2023, defeating the University of Southern California in the NCAA Championship match play finals. [12]

Several well-known players include Arnold Palmer, Lanny Wadkins, Jay Haas, Billy Andrade, Bill Haas, Curtis Strange, Robert Wrenn, Scott Hoch, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris, and Grayson Murray.

Soccer

Wake Forest is a consistent national title contender in men's soccer. In recent years several players from the program have played professionally in Major League Soccer, including Brian Carroll, Will Hesmer, Brian Edwards, Michael Lahoud, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley, Scott Sealy, Sam Cronin, and Wells Thompson. In 2006 the team advanced to the final four of the NCAA tournament where they were defeated in a penalty kick shootout by the University of California, Santa Barbara. They captured the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship defeating Ohio State.

Tennis

Noah Rubin Rubin US16 (53) (29235540794).jpg
Noah Rubin

Noah Rubin played for Wake Forest; he had won the 2014 boys singles championship at Wimbledon, and the US 2014 boys' national championships in singles and doubles. In 2014-15 for Wake Forest he was an All-American and the runner-up in the 2015 NCAA singles championship.

The Wake Forest Men's Tennis team won the NCAA Division I Team National Championship in 2018, beating runner-up Ohio State 4-2 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex. That Demon Deacons team was led by freshman Bar Botzer, who clinched the National Championship. Wake also won the ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Tennis Championship in 2018.

Women's volleyball

Women's volleyball is a varsity sport at Wake Forest. [13] [14] [15] The team is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). [16] In March 2019 head volleyball coach Bill Ferguson was indicted and charged with racketeering as part of the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal, in which he is accused of accepting $100,000 to help a student get into Wake Forest illegally as a purported volleyball recruit. [17] The university placed Ferguson on administrative leave. [18] He later resign in August 2019. [19]

Baseball

Wake Forest won the 1955 College World Series in baseball. In 2023, the Deacons reached No. 1 in the Top 25 national rankings and won the ACC regular-season title.

Championships

NCAA team championships

Wake Forest has won 10 NCAA team national championships. [20]

NCAA individual championships

ACC Athlete of the Year

Male Athlete of the Year

YearAthleteSport
1955 Dickie Hemric basketball
1962 Len Chappell basketball
1995 Randolph Childress basketball
1997 Tim Duncan basketball

Female Athlete of the Year

YearAthleteSport
2002 Bea Bielik tennis
2005Kelly DostalField Hockey

Screamin' Demons

Student attendance of Wake Forest football and basketball games was formerly high, in part due to the program known as "Screamin' Demons". At the beginning of each respective athletic season students on the Reynolda Campus could sign up for the program whereby they pay $15 for each season; in addition to the slightly better seats than the other students in football (not enforced) and seats behind the rim in basketball, this gets students a football shirt in the fall and a tie-dye T-shirt in the spring along with a card that serves as an automatic pass to the sporting events. They lose this privilege if they miss two of the games. Most students sign up because ticket distribution to non-Screamin' Demons is unreliable. Through the planning of Sports Marketing and the Screamin' Demons program, basketball game seats in the students section are difficult to attain without participating in the Screamin' Demons program. In 2011, sports marketing lowered the student allotment, and very few students currently attend.

Now, the Screaming Deacons app operates as a way for students to receive their free tickets to Wake Forest sporting events, with students earning rewards points for attendance at games. These points can be exchanged for prizes. [22]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball</span> NCAA University Basketball team

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represents Wake Forest University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Through the years, the program has produced many NBA players, among them are Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, 12× All-Star Chris Paul, 1× All-Star Jeff Teague, Sixth Man of the Year Rodney Rogers, and 1× All-Star Josh Howard. The Demon Deacons have won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament four times, in 1961, 1962, 1995, and 1996. Wake Forest has appeared in 23 NCAA tournaments, most recently appearing in 2017. The current coach is Steve Forbes, who was hired on April 30, 2020.

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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team represents Wake Forest University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They won the 1955 College World Series. They are coached by Tom Walter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's soccer</span> American college soccer team

The Wake Forest University Demon Deacons men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of students attending Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They achieved their greatest result in 2007, winning the 2007 Division I Men's College Cup. Like all sports teams from Wake Forest, men's soccer competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Deacons play their home matches at Spry Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010–11 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2010–11 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Jeff Bzdelik, who was hired after the firing of Dino Gaudio. The team played its home games at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 8–24, 1–15 in ACC play and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Boston College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–12 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2011–12 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University in the 2011–2012 NCAA college basketball season. The head coach was Jeff Bzdelik, who was coaching in his second season at Wake Forest. The team played its home games at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. After another below .500 season, Athletic Director Ron Wellman reaffirmed with an, "Oh, Heavens Yes" that his longtime close friend Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik would continue to be the coach of the Wake Forest men's basketball team for the foreseeable future. In Bzdelik's first 2 seasons, 7 players transferred from the program, while Bzdelik managed to win only 5 ACC games.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012–13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2012–13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jeff Bzdelik, who was coaching in his third season at Wake Forest. The team played its home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 13–18, 6–12 in ACC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013–14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2013–14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jeff Bzdelik, who was in his fourth season at Wake Forest. The team played its home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 6–12 in ACC play to finish in three-way tie for 11th place. They advanced to the second round of the ACC tournament where they lost to Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game</span> Football match

The 2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game was the final game of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, determining the national champion for the 2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The match was played on December 11, 2016, at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas, a soccer-specific stadium that is home to Major League Soccer club, Houston Dynamo. Stanford of the Pac-12 Conference won the match, and successfully defended their national championship. Stanford defeated Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The crowd of 6,315 saw the match decided on penalty kicks, where Stanford prevailed on a 5–4 scoreline, following a 0–0 draw in regulation and overtime. The title was Stanford's second ever title, in their fourth-ever appearance. It was Wake Forest's second appearance in the final.

The NC State–Wake Forest rivalry is a series of athletic contests between in-state rivals, the North Carolina State University Wolfpack and the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons. The first game was played in 1895 between the two institutions. Wake Forest was originally located in Wake Forest, North Carolina until it moved its campus across the state of North Carolina to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1956. The two universities are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, where they meet every year in football due to being aligned in the Atlantic Division. The schools play each other twice in basketball every season, due to being primary partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2019–20 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Demon Deacons, led by eight year head coach Jen Hoover, are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and played their home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2020–21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Demon Deacons, were led by ninth year head coach Jen Hoover, are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and played their home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

References

  1. ↑ "Logos & Branding – Wake Forest University". November 24, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ron Wellman Earns Second AD of the Year Award". Cstv.com.
  3. ↑ "After messy exit at Tennessee, John Currie gets a fresh start at Wake Forest". www.si.com. March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  4. ↑ Pantages, Will (June 27, 2024). "Wake Forest, John Currie Ink Long-Term Contract Extension". Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Deacs in the NBA". godeacs.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Jeff Bzdelik out at Wake Forest". CBSSports.com.
  7. ↑ "Wake Forest's NCAA Championship Teams" (PDF). Grfx.cstv.com. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Wake Forest Demon Deacons – NCAA Regional History" (PDF). Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Wake Forest wins first women's golf title with 3-1 win over Southern California". AP NEWS. May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Wake Forest Demon Deacons – ACC Championship History" (PDF). Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  11. ↑ "World Amateur Golf Ranking Player Profile". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Wake Forest wins first women's golf title with 3-1 win over Southern California". Associated Press News. May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  13. ↑ Geiger, Will; Aubrey, V.; Mass, Aaron (March 2011). Wake Forest University 2012: Off the Record. ISBN   9781427496348.
  14. ↑ Flair, Ric; Flair, Charlotte; Shields, Brian (September 19, 2017). Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte. ISBN   9781250120571.
  15. ↑ The College Board College Handbook. 2003. ISBN   9780874476804.
  16. ↑ "SportsRecruits | Wake Forest University (North Carolina) Women's Volleyball Recruiting & Scholarship Information".
  17. ↑ "Wake Forest coach accused of accepting six-figure bribe to help student get into the university | | journalnow.com".
  18. ↑ "Wake Forest coach accused of accepting six-figure bribe to help student get into the university | | journalnow.com".
  19. ↑ Murphy, Kate (August 23, 2019). "Wake Forest volleyball coach charged in national college admissions scandal resigns" . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Championships Summary Through June 28, 2018" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  21. ↑ Communications, Wake Forest Athletic (May 21, 2018). "Jennifer Kupcho Wins NCAA Championship". godeacs.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Screaming Deacon Rewards - FAQs". Screaming Deacon Rewards. Wake Forest. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
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