Indiana State Sycamores

'Sycamores' nickname and evolution of mascot

Early on in the school's history, the athletes were referred to as the "Fighting Teachers" (the school's original name was "Indiana State Teachers College"), until the students chose the name "Sycamores", due to the abundance of sycamore trees in Indiana and especially in the Wabash River Valley; though it is believed that the students voted on 'Sycamores' on a lark, never thinking it would win. During the 1950s and 1960s, the sycamore tree itself was used as Indiana State's mascot. However, as a tree does not lend itself well to an athletic mascot, especially considering Indiana State's in-state rivalries with the Ball State Cardinals and Butler Bulldogs, the university created an Indian mascot named "Chief Quabachi", and his "Princess", in 1969. This change paid homage to the fact that ISU was the "State" university of a state named after Indians (prior to statehood Indiana was primarily inhabited by Indians). The university dropped the "Chief Quabachi" mascot in 1989 in response to a variety of objections over use of the Indian caricature and did not have another mascot until 1995, when a blue-and-white wolf named "Sycamore Sam" became Indiana State's mascot.

Teams

A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Indiana State University sponsors six men's and eight women's teams in NCAA sanctioned sports with women's swimming and diving to be added: in 2016–17. Indiana State's softball team has appeared in two Women's College World Series in 1974 and 1976.

Notes

National team championships

As of January 1, 2016, Indiana State has won one NCAA team championship.

Kurt Thomas led the men's gymnastics team to the 1977 NCAA National Championship. In 1973 and 1979, the team finished in third place in the NCAA Championships. In 1971, Coach Grete Treiber led the ISU women's gymnastics team to a national runner-up finish at the AIAW National Championships. In 1964, Coach Roger Counsil led the ISU men's freshman gymnastics team to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships.

The team was the NCAA Division I national runner-up in 1979 and the NCAA College Division national runner-up in 1968.

The men's basketball team won the 1950 NAIA National Championship and finished as national runner-up in 1946 and 1948. The 1950 team placed eight players on the 1951 Pan-American Games gold medal-winning team. Head Coach John Longfellow also served as co-head coach of the Pan-American Games team.

NCAA National individual championships (29)

Indiana State has won 29 NCAA Individual Championships.

Holli Hyche (Indoor/Outdoor Track) - 7

(Indoor: 55M - 1993, 1994; 200M - 1993 & 1994)(Outdoor: 100M - 1993; 200M - 1993, 100M - 1994)

Kurt Thomas (Gymnastics) - 5

(All-Around 1977, 1979, Parallel Bars 1977, 1979, Horizontal Bar 1979)

Kylie Hutson (Indoor; Outdoor Track) - 4

(Indoor and Outdoor Pole Vault 2009, Indoor^{^} and Outdoor^† Pole Vault 2010)^{^} Indoor: 14' 9" - NCAA Record^† Outdoor: 14’ 7.25" - NCAA Record

Felisha Johnson (Indoor/Outdoor Track) - 2

(Indoor Weight Throw 2011, 2013)

David Seal (Gymnastics) - 2

(Rings 1970, 1972)

Curt Hahn (Gymnastics) - 1

(Sidehorse 1964)

Ken Scorra (Gymnastics) - 1

(Horizontal Bars 1964)

Bob Mahorney (Gymnastics) - 1

(Rings 1973)

Ed Slezak (Gymnastics) - 1

(Pommel Horse 1973)

Rick Danley (Gymnastics) - 1

(Horizontal Bar 1974)

Mike Hanna (Outdoor Track) - 1

(Pole Vault 1968)

Bruce Baumgartner (Wrestling) - 1

(Heavyweight 1982)

Chris Lancaster (Outdoor Track) - 1

(110M High Hurdles 1990)

Aubrey Herring (Indoor Track) - 1

(60M Hurdles 2001)

NAIA Individual Championships (5)

John Caddell (Swimming & Diving) - 3

(1M Diving 1963, 1964; 3M Diving 1964)

Mike Lane (Swimming & Diving) - 1

(3M Diving 1965)

Larry Dalton (Swimming & Diving) - 1

(200M Freestyle 1965)

Other Individual Championships (5)

Sarah Brumgart (Gymnastics) - 1

(Balance Beam) Division of Girls & Women's Sports (DGWS) National Collegiate Championship - 1971

Cheryl Pedlow Bridges-Flanagan (Outdoor track) - 2

(1 mile, 880 yards) DGWS National Collegiate Championship - 1969

Mike Hanna (Indoor track) - 2

(Pole Vault) Canadian Indoor National Championship - 1968, 1969

Olympians (7)

Indiana State has produced 7 Olympians; 6 for the United States & 1 (Greggmar Swift) for Barbados. Additionally, several ISU Coaches have US Olympic ties; Roger Counsil was the 1980 US Olympic Gymnastics coach, Erin Gilreath, ass't track & field coach competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics

Kurt Thomas - Gymnastics, 1976 Summer Olympics, 1980 Summer Olympics

Benita Edds - Archery, 1984 Summer Olympics

Bruce Baumgartner - Wrestling, 1984 Summer Olympics, 1988 Summer Olympics, 1992 Summer Olympics, 1996 Summer Olympics

Bryan Leturgez - Bobsleigh (Men's Four), 1988 Winter Olympics, 1992 Winter Olympics,

Larry Bird - Basketball, 1992 Summer Olympics

Greggmar Swift - Track & Field (110m hurdles), 2012 Summer Olympics

Felisha Johnson - Track & Field (shot put), 2016 Summer Olympics

All-Americans (161)

Indiana State has produced 160+ All-Americans:

The Men's Gymnastics Team leads with 38 All-Americans (1969-1980).

The Football Team has 31 All-Americans (1967-2013)

The Baseball Team has produced 26 All-Americans (1963-2000)

The Women's Cross-Country & Track and Field Teams have produced 25 All-Americans (1969-2014)

The Men's Cross-Country & Track and Field Teams have produced 19 All-Americans (1958-2014)

The Men's Basketball Team has produced 14 All-Americans (1930-1979)

The Wrestling Team produced 7 All-Americans (1933-1986)

Indiana College Athletic League (1900–1922)

3 titles in baseball.

Indiana Intercollegiate Conference (1923–1947)

11 titles in baseball and men's basketball.

Indiana Collegiate Conference (1950–1968)

30 titles in baseball, men's basketball, men's cross-country, men's golf, football, men's swimming, men's track & field and wrestling.

Paul Wolf—ICC Baseball Coach of the Year (1958, 1963, 1966 and 1967)

Paul Selge—ICC Swimming Coach of the Year (1965)

Chester Sanders—ICC Wrestling Coach of the Year (1966)

Ted Parker—ICC Wrestler of the Year (1966)

Gateway Conference (1982–1992)

4 titles in women's basketball, women's track & field and women's cross-country.

Andi Myers—Gateway Basketball Coach of the Year (1988)

Missouri Valley Conference (1977–present)

57 titles in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track & field and men's and women's cross-country. Of particular note, the Runnin' Sycamores (the men's and women's cross-country and track & field teams) have won 32 titles in the past 26 seasons.

* Note – All of the above championship information is from the media guides available at www.gosycamores.com or from the Indiana State archives (each yearbook from 1896-1993 is available).

Championship host

Indiana State University has hosted twelve (2002, 2004–2011, 2013–14, 2016) NCAA Division I cross country championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. ISU will also host the 2017 NCAA Great Lakes Regionals in cross country.

Indiana State University hosted the 10th NCAA Wrestling Championships in 1937, at a time when the school had yet to establish a wrestling program. The university also hosted the 1975 NCAA Gymnastics National Championships.

Rivalry

Indiana State University's rivalries include the Illinois State Redbirds, cross-state Ball State Cardinals (formerly a regional campus of Indiana State) with whom the Sycamores football team competed for the Victory Bell, the Evansville Purple Aces and the nearby Eastern Illinois Panthers.

Athletic bands

Indiana State's marching band is called the Marching Sycamores. The marching band performs at home football games and is the feature band at the Brickyard 400.

There are two alternating bands that play at men's and women's basketball games, known as the Blue and White Basketball Bands.