Penn Quakers

Last updated
Penn Quakers
Penn Quakers logo.svg
University University of Pennsylvania
Conference Ivy League (primary)
EIWA (wrestling)
Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges
CSA (squash)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorAlanna W. Shanahan
Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Varsity teams33 teams [1]
Football stadium Franklin Field
Basketball arena Palestra
Ice hockey arena Class of 1923 Arena
Baseball stadium Meiklejohn Stadium
Soccer stadiumRhodes Field
Aquatics centerSheerr Pool
Lacrosse stadiumFranklin Field
NicknameQuakers, The Red and the Blue
Fight song"Fight on, Pennsylvania!" and "The Red and Blue"
ColorsRed and blue [2]
   
Website www.pennathletics.com
Penn cheerleaders formation.jpg
Penn cheerleaders
UPenn Quaker mascot.jpg
The Quaker mascot

The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing.

Contents

School colors

University of Pennsylvania Blue
 
Gtk-dialog-info.svg    Color coordinates
Hex triplet #011F5B
sRGB B (r, g, b)(1, 31, 91)
HSV (h, s, v)(220°, 99%, 36%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(14, 37, 260°)
Source Penn branding guidelines
ISCC–NBS descriptor Deep blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
University of Pennsylvania Red
 
Gtk-dialog-info.svg    Color coordinates
Hex triplet #990000
sRGB B (r, g, b)(153, 0, 0)
HSV (h, s, v)(0°, 100%, 60%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(31, 105, 12°)
Source Penn branding guidelines
ISCC–NBS descriptor Deep red-maroon
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

There are several legends relating how "The Red and Blue" came to be used by the University of Pennsylvania. Whether they are fact or fiction remains unknown.

  1. Harvard and Yale. In the early days of the university there was a race among the students of Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Harvard team wore their famous crimson; Yale teams wore their traditional blue. When the Penn participants were asked which colors would represent their team, they replied that they would be wearing the colors of the two teams they would soon beat. The Penn athletes won the race, and Penn teams used those colors from then on.
  2. George Washington's Clothing. It is rumored that George Washington visited the university during one of his terms as President of the United States. He is supposed to have arrived wearing a blue jacket and breeches with a red waistcoat. The next day, the students decked the university in these colors and donned red and blue themselves to honor the president. Afterward, it was decided to use these colors by the university.
  3. Penn's and Franklin's Coats of Arms. When the university was creating a seal and coat of arms it decided to use elements from both Benjamin Franklin's and William Penn's coats-of-arms—Franklin had helped to found the university, and Penn had founded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Franklin's coat of arms contained the color red and Penn's featured a blue chevron.

As University Archivist Francis James Dallett pointed out in 1983: "Eighteenth-century American academic institutions simply did not have colors." This leaves one inclined to relegate the above explanations to the realm of local myth.

A resolution adopted by the university trustees on May 17, 1910, states: "The colors shall be red and blue,...The colors [of the University of Pennsylvania] shall conform to the present standards used by the United States Government in its flags." Thus it is possible to determine when Penn adopted the colors red and blue, at least officially.

Men's varsity sports

Baseball

Mark DeRosa played varsity baseball for the Penn Quakers from 1994 to 1996.

Men's basketball

Men's crew

Crew at Penn dates back to at least 1854 with the founding of the University Barge Club. The university currently hosts both heavyweight and lightweight men's teams, which compete as part of the Eastern Sprints League. Ellis Ward was Penn's first intercollegiate crew coach from 1879 through 1912. [3] During course of Ward's coaching career at Penn his "... Red and Blue crews won 65 races, in about 150 starts." [4] Importantly, Ward coached Penn's 8 oared boat to the finals of the Grand Challenge Cup (the oldest and most prized trophy) at the Henley Royal Regatta (but in that final race was defeated by the champion Leander Club). [5]

Penn's eight oared crew - 1901 - first "foreign" crew to reach the final of the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta 1901 University of PA Crew.jpg
Penn's eight oared crew – 1901 – first “foreign” crew to reach the final of the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta

Penn Rowing has produced a long list of famous coaches and Olympians. Members of Penn crew team, rowers Sidney Jellinek, Eddie Mitchell, and coxswain, John G. Kennedy won the bronze medal for the United States at 1924 Olympics. [7] Joseph William Burk (Penn Class of 1935), captain of Penn Crew team and winner of the Henley Diamond Sculls twice, was named recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award for nation's best amateur athlete. The outbreak of World War Two canceled the 1940 Olympics for which he was favored to win the Gold Medal. Other Olympic athletes and or coaches of such athletes include John B. Kelly Jr., Joe Burk, Rusty Callow, Harry Parker and Ted Nash. [7] In 1955, the Penn men's heavyweight crew became one of only four American university crews to win the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. The Penn teams presently row out of College Boat Club, No.11 Boathouse Row.

Men's fencing

Football

The football team has competed since 1876. It has won eighteen national championships when the school competed in what is now known as the FBS. Since the formation of the Ivy League in 1956, Penn has won 17 Ivy League Football Championships.(1959, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015). Penn has been outright Ivy Football Champion 13 times and been undefeated 8 times. [8] Eighteen former players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

In addition to the varsity squad, the Penn Quakers are a charter member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League, having played the sport since 1934.

Men's lacrosse

Men's soccer

Before the NCAA began its tournament in 1959, the annual national champion was declared by the Intercollegiate Association Football League (IAFL) — from 1911 to 1926 — and then the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association (ISFA), from 1927 to 1958. From 1911 to 1958, Penn won ten national championships.

Men's squash

The University of Pennsylvania features one of the fastest rising men's squash programs in the nation, reaching new heights in 2020 by finishing as national runners up. The feat marked the first such occasion in program history.

Men's swimming

The Penn men's swimming team was founded in 1894. They have won the Ivy League championships five times: in 1940; 1964–65; 1967–68; 1969–70; and 1970–71. Penn's swim team practices and competes at Sheerr Pool in the Pottruck fitness facility.

Wrestling

Penn Quaker wrestling dates back to 1905, where the first intercollegiate wrestling championship was held in Weightman Hall Gym located on campus. Princeton, Yale and Columbia joined Penn in founding the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). The wrestling team competes in the Palestra arena.

Women's varsity sports

Women's basketball

Penn has won the Ivy League title in 2001, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Women's crew

Women's fencing

Women's lacrosse

Championships

NCAA team championships

Penn has 4 NCAA team national championships. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy League</span> Athletic conference of eight elite American universities

The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference, comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The conference headquarters are in Princeton, New Jersey. The term Ivy League is typically used outside sports to refer to the eight schools as a group of elite colleges with connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism. Its members are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard Crimson</span> Intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College

The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country. Like the other Ivy League colleges, Harvard does not offer athletic scholarships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College rowing in the United States</span> Team sport version of rowing practiced by universities in the United States

Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States. The first intercollegiate race was a contest between Yale and Harvard in 1852. In the 2018–19 school year, there were 2,340 male and 7,294 female collegiate rowers in Divisions I, II and III, according to the NCAA. The sport has grown since the first NCAA statistics were compiled for the 1981–82 school year, which reflected 2,053 male and 1,187 female collegiate rowers in the three divisions. Some concern has been raised that some recent female numbers are inflated by non-competing novices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell Big Red</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Cornell University

The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, that represent Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York. The university sponsors 37 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in the ECAC Hockey League. Additionally, teams compete in the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association, the Collegiate Sprint Football League, the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC), the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC), the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, and the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Quakers men's basketball</span> College mens basketball team representing the University of Pennsylvania

The Penn Quakers men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing the University of Pennsylvania. As the twentieth-winningest men's basketball program of all-time, the team from Penn had its greatest success from 1966 to 2007, a period of over 40 years. Penn plays in the Ivy League in NCAA Division I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yale Bulldogs</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Yale University

The Yale Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in men's swimming and diving, 21 in men's golf, one in men's hockey, one in men's lacrosse, and 16 in sailing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

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

The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is Peter Pilling.

The Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) was the oldest collegiate fencing conference in the United States. It was affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NYU Violets</span> Sports teams that represent New York University

NYU Violets is the nickname of the sports teams and other competitive teams at New York University. The school colors are purple and white. Although officially known as the Violets, the school mascot is a bobcat. The Violets compete as a member of NCAA Division III in the University Athletic Association conference. The university sponsors 23 varsity sports, as well as club teams and intramural sports.

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

The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in men's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf. Princeton's men's and women's crews have also won numerous national rowing championships. The field hockey team made history in 2012 as the first Ivy League team to win the NCAA Division I Championship in field hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Quakers football</span> College football team

The Penn Quakers football program is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Penn has played in 1,413 football games, the most of any school in any division. Penn plays its home games at historic Franklin Field, the oldest football stadium in the nation. All Penn games are broadcast on WNTP or WFIL radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Boat Club</span>

The College Boat Club of the University of Pennsylvania is the rowing program for University of Pennsylvania Rowing, which is located in the Burk-Bergman Boathouse at #11 Boathouse Row on the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its membership consists entirely of past and present rowers of the University of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Quakers men's lacrosse</span>

The Penn Quakers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Pennsylvania in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. Penn competes as a member of the Ivy League and plays its home games at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haverford Fords</span>

The Haverford Fords compete at the NCAA Division III level in the Centennial Conference. The program has a modest history in collegiate athletics. Haverford boasts the only varsity cricket team in the United States. Its men's and women's track and field and cross country teams are perennial powerhouses in their division. The outdoor track and field team won the first 16 Centennial Conference championships, and men's cross country has won all but two Centennial Conference championships. The soccer team is among the nation's oldest, having won its first intercollegiate match in 1905 against Harvard College. The lacrosse team has placed well nationally in the NCAA championships, while Haverford's fencing team has competed since the early 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Quakers baseball</span>

The Penn Quakers baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The team is a member of the Ivy League, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I.

The Cornell Big Red wrestling team represents Cornell University of Ithaca, New York in collegiate wrestling. It is one of the most successful and storied collegiate wrestling programs in the nation with over 20 individual NCAA champions, 42 Ivy League championships, and 27 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships since the program's 1907 founding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Quakers women's basketball</span>

The Penn Quakers women's basketball team is the intercollegiate women's basketball program representing University of Pennsylvania. The school competes in the Ivy League in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Quakers play home basketball games at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The 2016 Penn Quakers football team represented the University of Pennsylvania during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second year head coach Ray Priore and played their home games at Franklin Field. They are a member of the Ivy League. Penn finished the season 7–3 overall and 6–1 in Ivy League play to tie with Princeton for the Ivy League title. Penn averaged 5,589 fans per game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Quakers men's squash</span>

The Penn Quakers men's squash team is the intercollegiate men's squash team for University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the Ivy League within the College Squash Association. The university first fielded a squash team in 1935. The current is head coach is former professional squash player Gilly Lane and the director is Jack Wyant.

References

  1. ↑ "Athletics & Recreation | Penn Admissions". admissions.upenn.edu.
  2. ↑ "Elements of the Penn Logo". Branding.Web-Resources.UPenn.edu. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  3. ↑ (with one year gap in 1887 and four year gap from 1892 through 1895)
  4. ↑ "Ellis Ward, Former Penn Coach, Dies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 26 August 1922. p. 9. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-history/crew/henley-1901 and https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/ellis-ward accessed March 30, 2021
  6. ↑ "Rowing at Penn: 1901 Killarney Regatta". archives.upenn.edu. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Lochlahn March. "Penn rowing at the Olympics: Nearly a century of history and a recent flourish of success | The Daily Pennsylvanian". Thedp.com. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  8. ↑ Early American Football Style College Champions: 1882/83 – 1890/91 Archived 2010-02-11 at the Wayback Machine . College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  9. ↑ "Stats" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
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.