Conference Sun Belt Conference Athletic director Brian Wickstrom | NCAA Division I (FBS) Location Monroe, Louisiana | |
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University University of Louisiana at Monroe Varsity teams 15 (6 Men's, 9 Women's) | ||
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks (ULM Warhawks) are the sports teams of the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 14 sports. The athletic director for the Warhawks is Brian Wickstrom, who took the position on July 2, 2013. Since 2006, the ULM has competed as a full member of the Sun Belt Conference.
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Renaming
On January 30, 2006, university president James Cofer announced officially that ULM would be retiring the 75-year-old "Indians" mascot in light of new NCAA restrictions against American Indian-themed mascots, which the NCAA considers "hostile and abusive" to Native Americans, despite issuing an appeal to the NCAA to keep the name after the NCAA's ruling allowing FSU to keep their Seminoles nickname. This came a few days after a mascot committee voted unanimously in favor of the change. The university accepted suggestions for the new mascot through February 28, 2006. The mascot committee then selected 12 semifinalists.
An online poll, available to students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the public, yielded three semifinalists: "Warhawks," "Bayou Gators" and "Bayou Hawks." The school's mascot committee passed a single recommendation to the university president, who made the final decision. Warhawks was announced as ULM's new mascot on April 5, 2006 and implemented on June 26, 2006. The new nickname honors Maj. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault, an LSU alumnus, and his Air Force unit from World War II, which utilized the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in battle, although the logos primarily use bird imagery.
Sports teams
ULM sponsors teams in seven men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
NCAA team championships
As of April 4, 2016, Louisiana Monroe has 1 NCAA team national championship.
Baseball
The baseball team is coached by Bruce Peddie, and won the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Championship. The team's home field is Warhawk Field. In 2012, the Warhawks won the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament and earned the conference's automatic bid to play in the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.
Men's basketball
Football
The Warhawks college football team dates back to 1931, and currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Playing as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (Sun Belt), the Warhawks play their home games at Malone Stadium, located on the campus. Since December 2015, Matt Viator has served as the Warhawks' head coach. As the Indians, Monroe captured or shared four Southland Conference championships and won the 1987 I-AA National Championship.
The program has sent several players into the professional ranks, including Stan Humphries, Bubby Brister, Chris Harris, Doug Pederson, Marty Booker, Teddy Garcia, Roosevelt Potts, Joe Profit, Cardia Jackson and Smokey Stover into the National Football League, Steven Jyles into the Canadian Football League and Raymond Philyaw into the Arena League.
2012 was the first season since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision that Louisiana–Monroe had a winning season.
Men's golf
Men's tennis
Men's track and field
Women's basketball
Softball
Conference Championships: 1986, 1997
Women's tennis
Women's track and field
Water Skiing
The University of Louisiana at Monroe Water Ski Team has been the dominant ski team since the inception of collegiate water ski competition in 1979, capturing 27 National Championship titles over the past 38 years.
Football
Football rivalries involving Warhawk sports teams include:
Facilities
Athletic venues and facilities include:
Warhawks Sports Radio Network
Louisiana–Monroe launched the Warhawk Sports Radio Network in 2007. The Network is a series of radio networks that provide access to sporting events throughout Norhteast Louisiana. Three Monroe radio stations, K-104, Talk 540 and KRJO 1680 AM, provide play by play radio commentary. The full list of participating stations are: