There are a lot of colleges out there. And they play a lotta
sports. And they’ve been playing those sports for a long time.
So, among the UNCs, Alabamas, UCLAs, and Ohio States,
there’s gotta be some champions out there who maybe aren’t quite so well known.
Heck, I remember Coastal Carolina winning it all just a couple of years ago in
baseball. Now, let’s see who else is out there.
NOTES – I’m limiting this to:
- Just the basic sports. No bowling, no golf, no field hockey,
no curling, no underwater tiddlywinks
- Men’s sports only. They’re really just was not that much
women’s sports before Title IX. ;^(
Football
Washington & Jefferson – 1921
You may never even have heard of these guys. They’re in
western Pennsylvania, in the town of Washington, about 30 miles southwest of
Pittsburgh. The school dates back to the 1700s, and has about 1,100 students.
W&J got its share of the 1921 title by tying Cal-Berkley
in the Rose Bowl. How did they get there? Well, back in the day, football was
kind of a Northeast thing. There weren’t a lot of state schools around, so
sports were dominated by schools like the Ivies and smaller, well-established
liberal arts schools like W&J.
Today, the Presidents compete in Div III.
I like the color combo
Basketball
CCNY – 1950
Yup, City College of New York. You may have heard of this
one, though you probably don’t exactly associate them with big-time athletics.
So, how did these guys get there? Well, back in the
day, basketball was a Northeast thing as well. Further, it was a very urban
sport (as it still is today). Finally, NYC was something of a hot bed of talent
at the time.
The 1950 team was unique in winning both the NCAA
championship and NIT in the same year. Unfortunately, they were also involved
in a major point-shaving scandal.
Since then, it looks like the Beavers have also had some
luck in … fencing. No national titles, but several individual champions and
Olympians.
Baseball
Holy Cross – 1952
Hey, it’s cold up there (central Massachusetts). I wonder if
they have to plow the field before games.
Alright, so what’s with these dudes? Well, there was
a time when baseball was a Northeast sport too. Unfortunately, that was way back
in the 1800s and early 1900s. Not sure what to tell you about these guys.
Now, they were 21-3. And they did beat
Missouri in the final of a double-elimination tournament. It was just the sixth
tournament though. Couldn’t find much more on it unfortunately (baseball wasn’t
really a big college sport back then).
Interestingly, the Crusaders also have a national
championship in basketball as well. Currently, Holy Cross is a Div I school, in
the Patriot League.
Having Bob Cousy on the roster certainly helped the hoops
team
Hockey
Lake Superior State – 1988, 1992, 1994
Sounds cold up there as well. This time, though, that makes
a ton of sense. Other champions include such snowy places as Michigan, North
Dakota, Maine, and Minnesota.
But who the heck is Lake Superior State? Well, perhaps you
know them by some of their former monikers. Lake Superior State College of
Michigan Technological University amyone? How about Sault Ste. Marie Residence
Center of the Michigan College of Mining & Technology? Nope, didn’t think
so.
This college of 2,600 is in Sault Ste. Marie – practically
in Canada itself. It dates back to only 1946, and was built on the site of a
former Army base.
That said, they have won the national championship in hockey
no less than three times. And of their 19 notable people, 13 are professional
hockey playesrs (along with two college hockey coaches).
Their team is called the Lakers. And they have two mascots,
Seamore the Sea Duck and Fog Horn the Sailor
Soccer
West Chester – 1961
Ah, the world’s sport. Which, if you think of it, is
probably why it’s only been a popular college sport in the US only recently.
Which allows us to sneak someplace like West Chester in there back in the day.
Never heard of ‘em? I don’t blame you. My Dad’s family’s
from the area (south Philadelphia suburbs), and I’ve never heard of
them.
They do date back to 1871 though. They also have 17,000
students, undergrad and grad.
As for that soccer team … Well, it sounds like they’ve actually
got a pretty good athletics program. In addition to the soccer championship,
they’ve been numero uno in baseball, as well as women’s lacrosse and
field hockey. Okay, that’s all DII. But that soccer title is legit.
Track & Field
Navy – 1945
Okay, so this one’s easy to explain. It was WWII, and Army
and Navy totally loaded up their rosters with servicemen. Army, for example,
won the football championship in 1944 and 1945.
Well, I probably don’t need to say much about the Naval
Academy. It (and West Point and the Air Force Academy) aren’t usually thought
of as athletic powerhouses though.
On a personal note, I just so happened to live in Annapolis
when a cousin of mine was going to the Academy. And wouldn’t you know? He was
on the track team.
Midshippersons
Gymnastics
Chicago – 1938
Hey, Chicago’s a great school – probably the best in the
Midwest. That said, I associate them more with Nobel Prize than Heisman Trophy
winners.
That said, would you believe that the first of the latter (Jay
Berwanger) actually played for Chicago? Indeed, the football team claims two
national titles, 1905 & 1913.
And, yes, that is the period when private schools tended to
rule the roost (see above). In fact, Chicago and Notre Dame were some of the first
teams outside the Northeast that made the “national championship” actually
national. Interestingly, though, Chicago banned football from 1939 to 1969.
Okay, back to gymnastics. Well, I can tell you that it was
the first championship, was held at Chicago, seven teams participated
(including Gustavus Adolphus), and some guy named
Joe Giallombardo won the all-around individual title.
Probably not the same guy (thanks anyway, Google Images)
Swimming & Diving
Yale – 1942, 1944, 1951, 1953
Here’s another school known for their academics. Probably
don’t need to say any more about them.
Somewhat surprisingly, they’ve got a ton of national
championships. I’m talking 19 in football; 21 in golf; 1 each in hockey,
lacrosse, & women’s fencing; and 4 in swimming. Now, the football ones date
back to the days of leather helmets, single-wing offenses, and limited passing.
And those other sports aren’t exactly in the same league as football or are
just one-offs.
But those swimming titles definitely seems legit. So, what’s
the explanation here? Well, it turns out they’ve been doing it for quite a long
time – since 1891. Sounds like they also had one of the greatest coaches of all
time as well – one Robert J.H. Kiphuth – who coached them from 1917 to 1959.
Would you believe they’ve had 31 Olympians? And I’ve
actually heard of one of them – Don Schollander.
Wrestling
Cornell – 1947
Nope, not the one you’re thinking of. Cornell College is in
Mont Vernon, IA, and has a little over 1,000 students. Wikipedia list 24 “notable
alumni,” none of whom I’ve ever heard of.
Like a couple of other schools in Iowa, though, they sure do
excel at wrestling. To quote Wikipedia again:
“Cornell wrestlers have won eight individual national titles...
Sixty-Two Cornell wrestlers have been named NCAA All-Americans, and seven have
been elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Seven wrestlers have also
competed at the Olympics.”
Unfortunately, the Rams are now DIII.
Oops, wrong Cornell
Lacrosse
Johns Hopkins – 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987,
2005, 2007
Our final academic powerhouse / athletic 90-pound weakling.
As Iowa is known for wrestling, Maryland is known for lacrosse.
In addition to JHU, Maryland’s won three titles, and Navy and Towson State have
each been in the final. (On a personal note, a dear family friend, Bob
Stockbridge, was an All-American at Maryland.)
Other than lacrosse, Hopkins plays at Div III. They have had
some success there, though, winning titles in swimming and field hockey.
Almost forgot – they’re the Blue Jays
(That’s supposed to be a Blue Jay)
