The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

, a Jesuit/Catholic University in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, United States. They compete in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...

Sports sponsored

Baseball

Creighton's baseball team played its first Big East season in 2014. They are coached by

Ed Servais Edwin Servais (born c. 1958) is an American college baseball coach and small-ball connoisseur, currently the head coach at Creighton University, a member of the Big East Conference in NCAA Division I. He has held the position since July 2003, and ...

who is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Bluejays. His record at Creighton is 254–149 (.630 winning percentage). The team plays its home games at

TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Charles Schwab Field Omaha (formerly TD Ameritrade Park Omaha) is a baseball park in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 2011, the stadium serves as a replacement for historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Charles Schwab Field has a seating capacity of 24,0 ...

, also the home of the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

. Prior to the opening of TD Ameritrade Park, the program played games at the

Creighton Sports Complex The Creighton Sports Complex is a baseball and softball venue located on the campus of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is home to the softball team, members of the NCAA Division I Big East Conference, and former home o ...

and

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium was a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers. Rosenblatt Stadium was the largest m ...

South Omaha South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth, due to the rapid development of the Union S ...

, which was also the home of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

College World Series and the

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

(now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers) of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. ;1991 College World Series Creighton appeared in the NCAA College World Series for the only time in 1991. The Jays advanced to the CWS by defeating the Hawaii Rainbows 15–8 in finals of the NCAA West I Regional in Los Angeles. Prior to the victory over Hawaii, the Jays swept the four-game regional by beating

Pepperdine Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and host team

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

in a 10-inning 8–7 victory. The seventh-seeded Bluejays (49–20) opened play against the second seeded

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...

in front of then record crowd of more than 16,000 at

Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium was a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers. Rosenblatt Stadium was the largest ...

. The game ended with an 8–4 Creighton victory, setting up a second round match with MVC rival

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

. The Jays had finished the 1991 regular season with an overall record of 46–18, and a 16–8 record in the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

, good enough for second place behind league champion Wichita State. The Shockers had swept the regular season four-game series with the Jays, and had also defeated the Jays twice in the 1991 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament. In one of the more memorable games in

history, the Shockers defeated the Jays 3–2 in 12 innings. With one out in the bottom of the twelfth inning Wichita State center fielder Jim Audley threw out Creighton's pinch-runner Steve Burns at home plate in a play known to Bluejay and Shocker fans alike as "''the throw''." The game was recently ranked third in the list of the 25 greatest games in

history by the

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ch ...

. The Jays bounced back to defeat

Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

13–4 in an elimination game, to set up a rematch with Wichita State in the National Semifinals. A trip to the title game for Creighton was not to be, however, as Wichita State advanced to the National Championship game after defeating Creighton for the eighth time that season, 11–3.

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

defeated Wichita State 6–3 to win the 1991 NCAA Baseball National Championship. The Bluejays Head Coach during that memorable 1991 season,

Jim Hendry James Hendry (born July 27, 1955) is an American baseball coach and executive. He is a special assistant for New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, and is a former general manager of the Chicago Cubs. Hendry was promoted to Cubs genera ...

, is a former General Manager of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

is also the only former Creighton Bluejay to have his number retired. His name and number (25) hang on the center field fence of

. Notable former Bluejay Baseball players include Hall of Fame inductee

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...

as well as Dave McKay,

Pat Venditte Patrick Michael Venditte Jr. (; born June 30, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco G ...

, Dennis Rasmussen,

Scott Stahoviak Scott Edmund Stahoviak (born March 6, 1970) is a former Minnesota Twins first baseman. He attended Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, ...

Scott Servais Scott Daniel Servais ( '); born June 4, 1967) is an American professional baseball manager and former player who currently manages the Seattle Mariners. A major league catcher for eleven seasons, Servais was previously the assistant general m ...

Zach Daeges Zach Daeges (born November 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder formerly in the Boston Red Sox organization. Daeges was drafted by Red Sox in the 6th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He last played with the Pawtucket Red So ...

Chad McConnell Chad M. McConnell (born October 13, 1970) is a retired professional baseball outfielder who played for the United States national baseball team in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Biography A native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, McConnell attended O'Go ...

and

Alan Benes Alan Paul Benes (born January 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2003 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. He stood at and weighed . Amateur car ...

Men's basketball

Creighton's men's basketball program has been a member of the

since the 2013–14 season. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the Jays were members of the

from 1978–2013. Prior to the 1977–78 season, the Jays participated as an Independent from 1948–1977. Creighton's current head coach is

Greg McDermott Greg McDermott (born November 25, 1964) is an American basketball coach who has been the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team since 2010. Previously, McDermott served as the head coach at Wayne State College, North Dakota ...

. He became head coach on April 27, 2010, following stints as the head coach at Wayne State (Nebraska),

Northern Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, and

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. The men's team plays all of their home games at

CHI Health Center Omaha CHI Health Center Omaha is an arena and convention center in the central United States, located in the North Downtown neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. Operated by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA), the facility has a ...

(capacity 18,320), which opened in 2003 as Qwest Center Omaha and was known from 2011 to 2018 as CenturyLink Center Omaha. The 2018–19 season will be their 16th at CHI Health Center. Famous individuals associated with Creighton basketball include former players

Paul Silas Paul Theron Silas (July 12, 1943 – December 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he was a two-time NBA All-Star and earned five selections to the NB ...

Doug McDermott Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for Creighton University, he led the nation in ...

, Bob Portman, Gene Harmon,

Benoit Benjamin Lenard Benoit Benjamin e-NOYT(; born November 22, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft. A 7'0" center from Creighton Univers ...

Bob Harstad Robert Joseph Harstad (born February 7, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. In a career spanning between 1991 and 2001, Harstad played for six different teams at the highest leagues in Spain and Portugal. In his post-baske ...

, Chad Gallagher,

Rodney Buford Rodney Alan "The Sheriff" Buford (born November 2, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for the Creighton Blue ...

Kyle Korver Kyle Elliot Korver (born March 17, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who currently serves as the director of player affairs and development for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played col ...

, Gary Swain, Ryan Sears,

Nate Funk Nathan Funk (born November 7, 1983) is a 6'3" (192 cm) American basketball player who had a standout collegiate basketball career at Creighton University and played professionally in the top leagues in Germany and Turkey. Funk was born and r ...

, and

Anthony Tolliver Anthony Lamar Tolliver (born June 1, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays, and played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 different franchis ...

. Famous former coaches include "Red" McManus,

Eddie Sutton Edward Eugene Sutton (March 12, 1936 – May 23, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State) and was a head coach at the high school, junio ...

Willis Reed Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memo ...

Eddie Hickey Edgar S. Hickey (December 20, 1902 – December 5, 1980) was an American basketball and football coach. He coached basketball at his alma mater of Creighton University (1935–1943, 1946–1947), St. Louis University (1947–1958) and Marquette ...

, Tony Barone, Arthur A. Schabinger, and

Dana Altman Dana Dean Altman (born June 16, 1958) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Oregon Ducks men's basketball, Oregon Ducks men's team. Previously he was head coach at Creighton Bluejays men's basketball, Creighton, Ka ...

. The all-time leading scorer in Creighton men's basketball history is Doug McDermott, who surpassed former leader Rodney Buford during the 2012–13 season. McDermott ended his college career in 2014 with 3,150 total points, placing him fifth on the all-time Division I men's scoring list. He was named the first consensus first-team All-American in Creighton basketball history following the 2011–12 season, his sophomore year, and repeated as a consensus first-team All-American in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. This made him the first Division I men's player to be a three-time consensus first-team All-American since

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the New ...

and

Wayman Tisdale Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma,

from 1983 to 1985. McDermott was also named the consensus national player of the year in 2014. Creighton University was the host institution for the First and Second Rounds site at the venue now known as CHI Health Center Omaha during the

2008 NCAA tournament The 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball ...

, the Second and Third Round during the 2012 NCAA tournament, and the Second and Third Round during the 2015 NCAA tournament.

Women's basketball

The women's basketball team is coached by

Jim Flanery James William Flanery II (born February 8, 1965) is the head women's basketball coach at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the ...

, and were the 2004 WNIT Champions. They play their home games on campus at

D. J. Sokol Arena D. J. Sokol Arena is a multi-purpose student recreational facility in Omaha, Nebraska. It was opened on August 28, 2009. It currently hosts the Creighton Bluejays women's basketball and volleyball teams. It has a seating capacity of 2,950 spect ...

Men's soccer

Creighton's current men's soccer coach is

Elmar Bolowich Elmar Bolowich (born July 10, 1954) was most recently head coach of the George Mason Patriots men's soccer team at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. He was previously the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's soccer ...

. He was named head coach of the Creighton Bluejays on February 9, 2011 following 22 seasons as the head coach at

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Creighton plays their home matches on campus at

Morrison Stadium Morrison Stadium is a 6,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located between 17th and 19th Streets to the north of Cass Street, on the east side of the Creighton University campus in the NoDo neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The main entrance and ti ...

, which is named after former university President Fr. Michael Morrison, S.J. The last time Creighton hosted the

men's soccer Tournament was 2011. The men's soccer team has gone to the NCAA tournament in 18 of the previous 19 seasons with three appearances in the College Cup and one appearance in the National Championship Match.

Women's soccer

The women's soccer team has won four Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in each of those years. The team also plays its home games on campus at

Softball

The softball team has appeared in five

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

, in 1969 (the first WCWS), 1980, 1981, 1982 (first NCAA WCWS) and 1986.

Discontinued sports

Football

Football was discontinued in 1942.

References

External links

* {{Nebraska Sports