Crusader or Crusaders may refer to:

Military

* Crusader, a participant in one of the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

Convair NB-36H The Convair NB-36H was an experimental aircraft that carried a nuclear reactor. It was nicknamed "The Crusader". It was created for the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion program, or the ANP, to show the feasibility of a nuclear-powered bomber. Its de ...

Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber *

Crusader tank Crusader, in full "Tank, Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader", also known by its General Staff number A.15, was one of the primary British cruiser tanks during the early part of the Second World War. Over 5,000 tanks were manufactured and they made imp ...

, a British cruiser tank of World War II *

Crusaders (guerrilla) The Crusaders ( hr, Križari, also known as Škripari) were a Croatian pro- Ustashe anti-communist guerrilla army. Their activities started after the capitulation of the Independent State of Croatia in May 1945, towards the end of World War II. T ...

, a Croatian anti-communist guerrilla army *

F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Frenc ...

, a U.S. Navy fighter jet **

XF8U-3 Crusader III The Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III was an aircraft developed by Chance Vought as a successor to the successful Vought F-8 Crusader program and as a competitor to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.Tillman 1990 Though based in spirit on the F8U-1 a ...

, an experimental fighter intended to replace the F-8 * , three British ships *

Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...

, a British attack in North Africa in the Second World War *

VMFA-122 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122) is a United States Marine Corps fighter attack squadron flying the F-35B Lightning II. The squadron is based out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Gro ...

''Crusaders'', United States Marine Corps fixed wing Fighter-Attack Squadron 122 * XM2001 Crusader, an American self-propelled artillery project

Arts, entertainment, and media

Fictional characters

* Crusader (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' character class *

Crusader (Marvel Comics) Crusader is the name of different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Two have made significant appearances and other are minor characters or aliases. The first Crusader first appeared in ''Thor'' #3 ...

, two different fictional characters in Marvel Comics * Crusader, an alias used by a character claiming to be

Marvel Boy M-11 Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ...

* Caped Crusader, an epithet for Batman * Crusader X, an alternate version of Captain Britain *

Crusaders (DC Comics) The Crusaders is a team of DC Comics superheroes. The team was created by Bob Rozakis and Dick Ayers in the pages of '' Freedom Fighters'' #7 (March 1977). Fictional team history The Crusaders were a metafictional team of superheroes appearing i ...

, a name used by a team of DC Comics superheroes *

Crusaders (Marvel Comics) The Crusaders is a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in ''The Invaders'' #14 (March 1977) and were created by Roy Thomas, Jack Kirby, and Frank Robbins. ...

, a name by a similar team from Marvel Comics * ''

Mighty Crusaders The Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in ''Fly-Man'' No. 31, #32 and No. 33 before being launched in its own title, ''Mighty Crusaders''. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry ...

'', an Archie comics superhero team, later licensed by DC Comics and relaunched as "The Crusaders" on the ''Imprint'' label * JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, the third part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime

Films

* ''Crusader'' (film), a 2005 TV movie starring

Bo Derek Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins, November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy '' 10'' (1979). Her first husband John Derek directed her in '' Fantasies''; '' Tarzan, the Ape Man ...

and Andrew McCarthy * "Crusaders" (original title ''Krzyżacy'' means "Crusaders"), a Polish film released as '' Knights of the Teutonic Order'' * ''The Crusader'' (1932 film), a 1932 film starring Evelyn Brent * ''The Crusader'' (2007 film), a 2007 direct-to-DVD motion picture * ''The Crusaders'' (1918 film), a 1918 Italian film * ''The Crusaders'' (2001 film), a 2001 Italian television mini-series

Games

* ''Crusader'' (game series), a 1995 action computer game series * '' Crusader: Adventure Out of Time'', a 1997 video game * '' Stronghold: Crusader'', a 2001 computer strategy game

Literature

* ''Crusader'' (Bloor novel), a 1999 novel by Edward Bloor * ''Crusader'' (Sara Douglass novel), a 1999 fantasy novel by Sara Douglass * ''The Crusaders'', a 1948 bestseller by

Stefan Heym Helmut Flieg or Hellmuth Fliegel (10 April 1913 – 16 December 2001) was a German writer, known by his pseudonym Stefan Heym (). He lived in the United States and trained at Camp Ritchie, making him one of the Ritchie Boys of World War II. In ...

* ''The Crusaders. An Historical Romance, of the Twelfth Century'', an 1820 novel by

Louisa Stanhope Louisa Sidney Stanhope (fl. 1806–1827) was an English novelist of the early 19th century. She wrote mainly historical and Gothic romances in profusion, counting as Britain's tenth most productive novelist in the 1800–1829 period. Her didactic ...

Music

Albums

* ''Crusader'' (Chris de Burgh album), released in 1979 * ''Crusader'' (Saxon album), released in 1984 * ''The Crusader'' (album), the 2003 debut album by New Zealand rapper Scribe

Groups

The Crusaders (jazz fusion group) The Crusaders (formerly known as The Jazz Crusaders) were an American jazz group that was successful from the 1960s to the 1990s. The group was known as the Jazz Crusaders from their formation in 1960 until shortening their name in 1971. The Cru ...

, a jazz and R&B group popular in the 1970s *

The Crusaders (garage band) The Crusaders was an American garage rock band, whose 1966 album ''Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars'' is considered one of the first gospel rock releases, or even "the first record of Christian rock". Band members Foundation members ...

, a 1960s garage band from Los Angeles who released first Gospel rock record * The Crusaders,

Neil Christian Neil Christian (born Christopher Tidmarsh, 14 February 1943 – 4 January 2010) Related session musicians *Paul Brett *Jimmy Page *Ritchie Blackmore *Nicky Hopkins *Albert Lee *Mick Abrahams *Carlo Little See also *One-hit wonders in the UK ...

's backing group * Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, a Drum Corps International World Class drum corps *

Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps This is a list of inactive Drum Corps International member corps and non-member corps. 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps The 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps was an Open Class (now ''World Class'') competitive junior drum and bugle corps. ...

, a DCI Open Class drum corps

Periodicals

Many newspapers have used ''The Crusader'' as a title, including: * ''Crusader'', a newspaper of the

African Blood Brotherhood The African Blood Brotherhood for African Liberation and Redemption (ABB) was a U.S. black liberation organization established in 1919 in New York City by journalist Cyril Briggs. The group was established as a propaganda organization built on th ...

* ''Crusader'', a publication of

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

, Worcester, Massachusetts * ''Crusader'', a newspaper of The Knights Party * ''The East St. Louis Crusader'', a former newspaper in East St. Louise for African Americans *''The New Orleans Crusader'', also known as the ''Crusader'' and ''Weekly Crusader'', a publication that carried entries from

Rodolphe Desdunes Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes (November 15, 1849 – August 14, 1928) was an African-American civil rights activist, poet, historian, journalist, and customs officer primarily active in New Orleans, Louisiana. In Louisiana he served as a militiaman d ...

Other arts, entertainment, and media

* ''Crusader'' (TV series), a 1955–1956 adventure/drama television series starring Brian Keith * ''

Southern Knights Southern Knights was a comic book created by the husband-and-wife team of Henry and Audrey Vogel.''The Crusaders'' #1 splash page. It chronicled the adventures of a superhero team based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Initially known ...

'', a comic series originally called the Crusaders in their first issue * ''The Crusader'' (sculpture), a 1931 Lorado Taft sculpture in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery

Sports

Athletics teams

Bishop Heelan Catholic High School Bishop Heelan is a private, Catholic high school in Sioux City, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City. The school mascot is Crusaders, and their colors are navy and old gold. Athletics The Crusaders compete in the M ...

Crusaders, Sioux City, IA * Belmont Abbey College Crusaders, the athletic teams of

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. I ...

, Belmont, North Carolina * Capital Crusaders, the athletic teams of

Capital University Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associated with that synod's successor, the Ame ...

, Columbus, Ohio * Canisius Crusaders, the athletics teams of

Canisius High School Canisius High School is a Catholic, private college-preparatory school for young men run by the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus in Buffalo, New York, United States, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District. Founded in 1 ...

, Buffalo, NY * Crusaders, the athletics teams of Chicago's Brother Rice High School *

Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They primarily compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League. In ice hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Patriot League for either sex, th ...

, the athletics teams of College of the Holy Cross *

North Greenville Crusaders The North Greenville Crusaders are the athletic teams representing North Greenville University, located in Tigerville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Conference Caro ...

, the athletic teams of North Greenville University, Tigerville, South Carolina * Pensacola Catholic Crusaders, the sports teams of

Pensacola Catholic High School Pensacola Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic, co-educational high school in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It was established in 1941 and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. History Pensac ...

* Univ. of Dallas Crusaders, the sports teams of the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academi ...

Cricket teams

Kandy Crusaders Kandy Crusaders cricket team is one of the five provincial cricket teams which make up the Sri Lankan domestic cricket structure representing mainly three districts of Central Province, Sri Lanka, and with some nearby provinces. In previous occas ...

, a Sri Lankan domestic T20 cricket team

Football teams

Amsterdam Crusaders The Amsterdam Crusaders are an American Football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. Together with the Rotterdam Trojans and Alphen Eagles, Amsterdam Crusaders are the oldest surviving Dutch American Football club. Beginnings The Crusaders starte ...

, an American football team from the Netherlands *

Carlstad Crusaders Carlstad Crusaders is a Swedish American football team, based in Karlstad, Sweden. The team plays at Tingvalla IP Tingvalla Idrottsplats, Tingvalla IP, is a stadium in Karlstad, Sweden and is the home ground of the football team Carlstad Unit ...

, an American football team from Sweden *

Crusaders F.C. Crusaders Football Club is a professional Northern Irish football club, playing in the NIFL Premiership, highest level of the Irish League. The club, founded in 1898, is based in north Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Crusader ...

, an association football team from Northern Ireland

Ice hockey teams

Cleveland Crusaders The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1976. T ...

, a World Hockey Association team from 1972 to 1976

Rugby teams

Crusaders (rugby union) The Crusaders (formerly Canterbury Crusaders and BNZ Crusaders due to sponsorship by the Bank of New Zealand) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the m ...

, a rugby union team from New Zealand, formerly the Canterbury Crusaders *

Crusaders Rugby League Crusaders Rugby League ( cy, Croesgadwyr Rygbi'r Gynghrair) was a professional rugby league club based in Bridgend and later in Wrexham, Wales. They played for six seasons in the Rugby Football League competitions, including three years in the ...

, a defunct Welsh rugby league club, formerly the Celtic Crusaders **

North Wales Crusaders The North Wales Crusaders ( cy, Croesgadwyr Gogledd Cymru Rygbi'r Gynghrair) is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in B ...

, Phoenix club of the above *

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...

, an English rugby league club once known as London Crusaders *

Western Crusaders The Western Crusaders is a Fijian former rugby union team that had a franchise area coverering Lautoka, Nadi, and Yasawa. The team played in the Colonial Cup from 2004 to 2008 before the competition ceased in 2008. History The franchise was one ...

, a rugby union team from Fiji

Other uses in sports

Crusader (horse) Crusader (1923–1940) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, whose career lasted from 1925 to 1928. In that time, he ran forty-two times and won eighteen races. He was the leading American three-year-old in 1926, winning a number of importa ...

(1923–1940), a United States racehorse * Lucas Oil Crusader, a monster truck currently racing in the Monster Jam professional monster truck racing series

Transportation

Civilian aircraft and ships

Crusader (speedboat) ''Crusader'' was a jet-powered speed boat piloted by John Cobb. The combination of an aerodynamically stable hullform and turbojet propulsion was proposed by Reid Railton, Cobb's adviser. A rocket-powered scale model was tested at Haslar. The ...

, the jet speedboat in which John Cobb died * American Gyro AG-4 Crusader, an aircraft built by the Crusader Aircraft Corporation *

Cessna T303 Crusader The Cessna T303 Crusader is an American six-place light twin-engined aircraft built by Cessna, Cessna Aircraft Company. Production ceased in 1986. Design and development The original Cessna 303 Clipper was first flown on February 14, 1978;Ta ...

, a civilian aircraft *

Short Crusader The Short Crusader also called the Short-Bristow Crusader and Short-Bristol Crusader was a British racing seaplane of the 1920s, built by Short Brothers to compete in the 1927 Schneider Trophy race. Background Although inline engines had a cle ...

, a racing seaplane built by Short Brothers

Civilian ground vehicles

* ''Crusader'' (train), a streamlined train which operated between 1937 and 1981 * Crusader, a type of emergency ambulance in widespread use in the United Kingdom, originally developed by the St John Ambulance Brigade * ''Crusader'', a

GWR 3031 Class The Dean Single, 3031 Class, or Achilles Class was a type of steam locomotive built by the British Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1899. They were designed by William Dean for passenger work. The first 30 members of the class were built ...

locomotive that was built for and ran on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915 * '' Royal Enfield Crusader Sports'', a 248cc motorcycle of the 1960s

Other uses

The Crusaders (repeal of alcohol prohibition) The Crusaders was an organization founded to promote the repeal of prohibition in the United States. The executive board consisted of fifty members, including Alfred Sloan, Jr., Sewell Avery, Cleveland Dodge, and Wallage Alexander. They wanted ...

, a group that promoted repeal of national alcohol prohibition in the U.S. * Urban Saints, a Christian youth charity based in the United Kingdom previously known as Crusaders