NCAA Division II Nickname Warriors Colors Green and Gold University Wayne State University Football stadium Tom Adams Field Varsity teams 8 men's & 9 women's | Location Detroit, Michigan Fight song WSU Victory Song Website www.wsuathletics.com Basketball arena Matthaei Center Athletic director Rob Fournier Baseball stadium WSU Baseball Field | |
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Conference Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | ||
The Wayne State Warriors represent Wayne State University, located in Detroit, Michigan. The university is a member of the NCAA at the Division II level, WSU competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for all sports except fencing, which competes in the Midwest Fencing Conference (MFC).
Contents
History
The school's intercollegiate athletic program was established in 1917 by director of athletics David L. Holmes. Revered by his athletes, Holmes initially coached all sports. His track teams were nationally known into the 1950s; in his first ten years, he produced two Olympians from the school's Victorian-era gym. Although he had major ambitions for Wayne and scheduled such teams as Notre Dame and Penn State in the 1920s, the lack of facilities and money for athletics kept the athletic program small.
A student poll selected the name of "Tartars" for the school's teams in 1927. In 1999, the university changed the name to the "Warriors," due to a feeling that the Tartar name was dated and that not many people knew what a Tartar was.
Wayne State was a founding member of the Mid-American Conference in 1946, but left the conference before competition began. In 1955 the university, along with John Carroll University, Case Institute of Technology, and Western Reserve University formed the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). The University competed in the PAC until 1967 before competing as an independent program and joining the upstart GLIAC in 1975.
Varsity sports
The Wayne State University Athletic Department sponsors the following sports:
Baseball
Wayne State has had 6 Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965.
Football
Wayne State football competes with the other sports in the GLIAC, the program also competed in the PAC from 1955-1967 and in the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference from 1990-1998. Wayne State has won three conference championships, one in the GLIAC and two PAC championships. The Warriors played in the Division II National Championship game in 2011, losing to the Pittsburg State Gorillas, 35-21.
Notable NFL alumni include: Vic Zucco, Richard Byas, Jr., Paul Butcher, Sr., Tom Beer, and Joique Bell.
Ice Hockey
Wayne State previously competed in men's and women's NCAA Division I ice hockey as a member of College Hockey America (CHA). The university dropped their men's program at the end of the 2007-08 season, followed in 2011 by ending the women's hockey program.
Rugby
Founded in 2002, the Wayne State rugby team won the NSCRO 15s National Championship in 2012 and again in 2013. Wayne State won the NSCRO Rugby Sevens Championship in 2014 and again in 2015. Wayne State rugby is led by Head Coach Darrin Barner.
National Championships
Conference Championships
i. GLIAC Championships:
ii. President's Athletic Conference Championships:
iii. College Hockey America: