Youngstown State Penguins

Last updated
Youngstown State Penguins
Youngstown State Penguins logo.svg
UniversityYoungstown State University
Conference Horizon League (primary)
Missouri Valley Football Conference
C-USA (bowling)
MAC (women's lacrosse)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorRon Strollo
Location Youngstown, Ohio
Varsity teams21
Football stadium Stambaugh Stadium
Basketball arena Beeghly Center
Baseball stadium Eastwood Field
MascotPete and Penny
NicknamePenguins
Fight songRed and White
ColorsRed and white [1]
   
Website ysusports.com
Ysu penguins wordmark 2004.png

The Youngstown State Penguins are the athletic teams of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, and the Penguins compete in football as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. [2] Most other sports compete as members of the Horizon League. [3]

Contents

History

Nickname

YSU is the only Division I program in the country to use Penguins as its athletic nickname. YSU's mascots are Pete and Penny, two penguins dressed in scarfs and stocking caps. There are two accounts of how the "Penguins" nickname came to be. Both stories come from the same cold evening on January 30, 1933, when the men's basketball team was playing at West Liberty State.

The first account is that a spectator said the team looked like Penguins as they stomped the floor and swung their arms. Without the team having an official nickname, fans took a liking to the word. A second account states that, on the way to West Liberty State with up to two feet of snow on the roads, passengers in Bennett Kunicki's car were discussing possible nicknames. "Penguins" was brought up and was well received by everyone in the car. The nickname was mentioned to members of the team at the gym that evening, and they thought it was perfect.

The nickname was unanimously accepted by the student body that year without a formal poll. The nickname was formally introduced in The Jambar, the campus newspaper, on December 15, 1933. [4]

Informally, YSU is often called Guins for short as a rallying cry (e.g. "Go Guins!"), which is also used for hashtag purposes on its various social media accounts.

Teams

A member of the Horizon League, Youngstown State University sponsors teams in nine men's and twelve women's NCAA sanctioned sports: [5]

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Bowling
Cross countryCross country
Football Golf
GolfLacrosse
Swimming & divingSoccer
TennisSoftball
Track & field1Swimming & diving
Tennis
Track & field1
Volleyball
1 – includes both indoor and outdoor.

Football

YSU has been particularly successful in, and is most recognized for, football. The program started in the 1930s and is one of the leading programs in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA), YSU has won four FCS national championships, third behind North Dakota State (7) and Georgia Southern (6), with all of them coming under former head coach Jim Tressel. Tressel, who left the university following the 2000 season to coach at Ohio State and later returned to YSU as president from 2014 to 2023, helped the Penguins claim titles in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997, as well as runner-up finishes in 1992 and 1999. His successor, Jon Heacock, did not win a national championship, but still delivered consistent seasons and took them to a national semifinal appearance in 2006 (losing to eventual national champion Appalachian State) prior to resigning following the 2009 season. Eric Wolford, a Youngstown native who has been labeled a top recruiter at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level, was named the sixth head coach in school history on Dec. 15, 2009; a highlight of Wolford's second season was a 2011 victory over eventual National Champion North Dakota State. Youngstown native Bo Pelini was announced as the seventh head coach in school history on Dec. 16, 2014. Overall, YSU has made 11 playoff appearances since Division I FCS (then Division I-AA) was formed in 1978.

Historically, YSU is associated with longtime coach Dwight "Dike" Beede, who, after noticing on-field confusion due to officials using whistles to signal a penalty, invented the penalty flag during a game in 1941 against now-NAIA member Oklahoma City. [6] The flag is now standard at all football games.

YSU plays its home games at Stambaugh Stadium, nicknamed "The Ice Castle", which has an official capacity of 20,630, [7] one of the largest in Division I FCS. The Penguins have sent over 20 players to the NFL. Brandian Ross spent the 2014 season with the Oakland Raiders, and Donald Jones, who played three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, was forced to retire in 2013 due to non-football related health reasons. The most notable Youngstown State alumni to play in the NFL are Jeff Wilkins, Ron Jaworski, Paul McFadden, and Cliff Stoudt.

Men's basketball

The Youngstown State men's basketball team began with the 1927–28 season. The team has competed in the NAIA from 1946–47 until joining NCAA Division II competition in 1960–61. The Penguins joined Division I competition in 1981–82, which was also the last season the team was coached by long-time coach Dom Rosselli. Over 38 seasons, Rosselli compiled a record of 589–388 (.603). Upon joining Division I competition, the Penguins competed in the Ohio Valley Conference until the 1988–89 season. After four seasons as an independent, the Penguins competed in the Mid-Continent Conference from 1992–93 until joining the Horizon League in the 2001–02 season. Although the team has competed in NCAA Division I and has been a member of three separate conferences, the men's basketball team has yet to win a conference championship in either the regular season or conference tournament. Since joining the Horizon League in the 2001–02 season, the men's basketball team has never finished higher than a tie for fourth. The program had its first back-to-back winning seasons in 29 years in 2011-12 and 2012–13 and was invited to the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The program was coached by Jerry Slocum for 12 seasons from 2005 to 2017 and concluded his coaching career with a 142-232 record. Overall, Slocum amassed 699 victories throughout his college coaching career. He is in a select group of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins. Slocum was replaced by Jerrod Calhoun in 2017. In his first six years, Calhoun has produced four winning seasons and a 96-96 record. Calhoun's success includes the Horizon League regular season championship and an invitation to compete in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Kendrick Perry, who played at Youngstown State from 2010-11 through 2013-14, played in the NBA Development League and now competes for Unicaja of the Spanish Liga ACB and the Basketball Champions League.

Women's basketball

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team began competing as an official member of the athletic department in the 1975-76 season under Head Coach Joyce Ramsey. Ramsey coached the Penguins for seven seasons and retired with a .694 winning percentage (93-41), the best of the program’s seven coaches.

Ed DiGregorio was hired as head coach prior to the 1983-84 season and remained in the same position for 20 years. He led the Penguins to 320 wins, six 20-win seasons and three NCAA tournaments – in 1996, 1998 and 2000. The 1998 team finished with a 28-3 record and beat Memphis in the opening round of the NCAA tournament for the program’s first postseason victory.

Following the 1999-2000 season, the fifth consecutive season with at least 20 wins, Youngstown State went 12 straight seasons without a winning record. It was the only winless team in college basketball during the 2009–10 season. Behind Horizon League Coach of the Year Bob Boldon and Honorable Mention All-American Brandi Brown, YSU had a 23-10 record in 2013 and was selected to the 2013 WNIT. Current head coach John Barnes led the program back to the WNIT and a 21-11 record in 2014-15. In his first 10 years, Barnes has amassed a 170-130 record.

Other sports

The Track and Field and Cross Country teams are consistently strong contenders in the Horizon League. The women's team won the triple crown (cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field) in both the 2013–14 and 2014-15 seasons. The 2015 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championship was Head Coach Brian Gorby's 25th title.

Also notable are the baseball and softball teams. In 2004, despite having a losing record, the baseball team won the Horizon League tournament and went to the NCAA tournament for the first time. The baseball team repeated this feat in 2014 by winning four consecutive games in the Horizon League tournament after winning just six conference contests during the regular season. They went on to defeat the 2-seed at the Bloomington Regional, Indiana State, for their first NCAA tournament win in program history. In 2006, the softball team earned its first Horizon League championship by winning four consecutive games as the fifth seed in the conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA regional softball tournament.

The Penguins added a women's bowling team in 2015–16. The team competed as an independent until joining the Southland Bowling League (SBL) in 2018. [8] The team remained in the SBL until that league agreed to merge into Conference USA (C-USA) following the 2022–23 season. All of the final SBL members, including YSU, became C-USA associates. [9]

In February 2019, the university announced the addition of women's lacrosse and return of men's swimming and diving. [10] YSU previously competed in men's swimming and diving from 1949 through 1951 and 1964 through 1984. Women's lacrosse joined the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member for the MAC's new women's lacrosse conference competition beginning in the 2021 season. [11]

Facilities

The Penguins' primary athletic facilities are Stambaugh Stadium (football) and the Beeghly Center (basketball, swimming, and volleyball). Indoor track and field events are held at the Watson and Tressel Training Site ("The WATTS") located next to Stambaugh Stadium, with outdoor track and field events and soccer matches being held at Farmers National Bank Field on the opposite side of Stambaugh Stadium. The Lady Penguins softball team competes at the YSU Softball Complex, with the baseball team hosting their games at the off-campus Eastwood Field.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-American Conference</span> U.S. college sports conference

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, and New York. For football, the MAC participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown State University</span> Public university in Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.

Youngstown State University is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horizon League</span> College sports league in the United States

The Horizon League is a collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in and near the Great Lakes region and in part of the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Mercy Titans</span> US college athletic program

The Detroit Mercy Titans are the athletic teams of University of Detroit Mercy. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The school primarily competes in the Horizon League, but competes in other conferences for fencing and lacrosse, sports not sponsored for either men or women by the Horizon League. Fencing, a co-ed sport, competes in the Midwest Fencing Conference. Men's lacrosse moved from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to the ASUN Conference in July 2021. Women's lacrosse joined the Mid-American Conference for that league's first women's lacrosse season in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfield Stags</span> Athletic teams of Fairfield University

The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and classified as Division I (non-football) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent State Golden Flashes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Kent State University

The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kent State is a full member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and has been part of the MAC East division since it was created in 1998. Official school colors are Kent State Blue and Kent State Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler Bulldogs</span> Athletic teams that represent Butler University

The Butler Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent Butler University, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Bulldogs participate in 20 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. After leaving the Horizon League following the 2011–12 season, nearly all teams competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team is a founding member of the non-scholarship Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)-level Pioneer League. On March 20, 2013, the Butler administration announced that the school would join the Big East, and moved to the new league July 1, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Louis Billikens</span> Athletic program of Saint Louis University

The Saint Louis Billikens are the collegiate athletic teams that represent Saint Louis University, located in St. Louis, Missouri. The Billikens compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The school has nationally recognized soccer programs for men and women. The school has heavily invested in its on-campus athletic facilities since the 1990s with the creation of Hermann Stadium and Chaifetz Arena. Chris May is the current director of athletics of the St. Louis Billikens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC Davis Aggies</span> Sports teams of University of California, Davis

The UC Davis Aggies are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown State Penguins football</span> College football team

The Youngstown State Penguins football team represents Youngstown State University in American college football. Youngstown State currently plays as a member of the NCAA at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and are a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Penguins have played their home games in Stambaugh Stadium, more commonly called "The Ice Castle," since 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Kentucky Norse</span> Athletic program of Northern Kentucky University

The Northern Kentucky Norse are the athletic teams of Northern Kentucky University, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, United States. NKU is an NCAA Division I school competing in the Horizon League, which it joined on July 1, 2015, after leaving the Atlantic Sun Conference. The university's teams for both men and women are nicknamed "Norse."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team representing Youngstown State

The Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball team represents Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. The team currently competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Horizon League, of which it has been a member since 2001. Since 1972, home games are played at the 6,300-seat Beeghly Center on the YSU campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets</span> Athletic teams representing Baldwin Wallace University

The Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets are the athletic teams for Baldwin Wallace University. The Yellow Jackets participate in Division III of the NCAA in the Ohio Athletic Conference. BW's rivalries include John Carroll University and University of Mount Union. BW's most successful athletic programs include cross country and swimming and diving. Among BW's most famous alumni related to athletics include Harrison Dillard, Lee Tressel, and Jim Tressel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown State Penguins women's basketball</span> College basketball team

The Youngstown State Penguins women's basketball team represents Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. On March 14, 2024, Melissa Jackson was named the new head coach of Youngstown State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown State Penguins baseball</span> American college baseball team

The Youngstown State Penguins baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. The team is a member of the Horizon League, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio. The Penguins are coached by Trevor Charpie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City Stars</span> Athletic teams representing Oklahoma City University

The Oklahoma City Stars are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma City University, located in Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) for most of its sports since the 1986–87 academic year. The Stars previously competed at the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Midwestern City Conference from 1979–80 to 1984–85; in the D-I Trans America Athletic Conference during the 1978–79 school year, and as a Division I independent prior to that. Its women's wrestling team competed in the Women's College Wrestling Association (WCWA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limestone Saints</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Limestone University, South Carolina, US

The Limestone Saints are the athletic teams that represent Limestone University, located in Gaffney, South Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Saints compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) for most sports, having joined that league in July 2020 after 22 years in Conference Carolinas (CC). Limestone maintains CC membership in two sports, specifically men's wrestling and women's acrobatics & tumbling. Men's wrestling is one of two sports in which the SAC and CC operate as a single league, the other being women's field hockey. The SAC operates the field hockey championship, while CC operates the wrestling championship. The men's volleyball team competes as an independent. The swim team competed in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference before being dropped in 2018; the field hockey and wrestling teams were members of the ECAC–Division II before 2018, when the SAC and CC established their alliance in those two sports. The football team had been independent, but entered into a scheduling agreement with the SAC in 2015. This agreement was replaced in 2017 by formal affiliate membership, which continued until the Saints joined the SAC full-time in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgewater State Bears</span> Athletic teams representing Bridgewater State University

The Bridgewater State Bears are composed of 22 varsity teams representing Bridgewater State University in intercollegiate athletics. All teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and all teams compete in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), except for field hockey, tennis and swimming & diving which plays in the Little East Conference (LEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2015–16 Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball team represented Youngstown State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Penguins, led by eleventh-year head coach Jerry Slocum, played their home games at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio and were members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 11–21, 6–12 in Horizon League play, to finish in seventh place. They lost to Detroit in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2017–18 Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball team represented Youngstown State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Penguins, led by first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, played their home games at the Beeghly Center as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 8–24, 6–12 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the first round of the Horizon League tournament to Cleveland State.

References

  1. ↑ "Youngstown State University Athletics License Logos and Trademarks" (PDF). Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Home - Official Website of the Missouri Valley Football Conference". Valley-Football.org.
  3. ↑ "HorizonLeague.com - Horizon League". horizonleague.org.
  4. ↑ "Penguin Nickname Legend". ysusports.com.
  5. ↑ "The Official Website of the Youngstown State Penguins". Youngstown State University. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Penalty Flags' Roots Grew In Youngstown". ysusports.com.
  7. ↑ "Stambaugh Stadium". ysusports.com.
  8. ↑ "Youngstown State Joins Southland Bowling League" (Press release). Southland Conference. August 7, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Conference USA to Add Bowling for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  10. ↑ "YSU Athletics to Add Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Lacrosse Teams". Youngstown State Athletics. February 25, 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Staff (November 6, 2019). "MAC adding women's lacrosse for 2020-21". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
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.