The East Central Tigers (also ECU Tigers) are the athletic teams that represent East Central University, located in Ada, Oklahoma, in

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

intercollegiate sports. The Tigers compete as members of the

Great American Conference The Great American Conference (GAC) is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellvill ...

for all 11 varsity sports.

Varsity teams

List of teams

Men's sports * Baseball *

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

* Cross Country *

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

* Track and Field Women's sports * Basketball * Cross Country * Soccer * Softball * Track and Field * Volleyball In March 2016, the school announced that it was suspending golf and tennis due to budget cuts by the state of Oklahoma.

Individual sports

Football

In 1993, the Tigers won the NAIA national football championship against Glenville State 4–35 at ECU's Norris Field. In 2011 won the inaugural GAC regular season championship and the Conference tournament championship.

Basketball

For three seasons — from

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

through

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, when the school was known as Ada Teachers College — the Tigers men's basketball team played at a major competitive level comparable to what since 1973 would be considered

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 ...

. During these years, Tigers

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

Bart Carlton was a two-time All-American in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

and

. In 1944, the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

retroactively selected him as the Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year for the

1930–31 NCAA men's basketball season The 1930–31 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1930, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded in March 1931. Rule changes If the player with the ball is guarded closely and withholds the ball f ...

. On November 20, 2008, the Tigers men's basketball team and

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

set school records for points scored in a game in a 167–115 Tigers loss to the Red Raiders.

Alumni

* Harry "The Cat" Brecheen, former baseball player * Bart Carlton, Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year and DX-Oilers national championship

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

basketball player * Mark Gastineau, professional football player *

Todd Graham Michael Todd Graham (born December 5, 1964) is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2020–2021). Graham has served as the head football coach at Rice ...

, University of Hawaii head football coach * Christopher Lane, baseball player *

Dewey McClain Dewey Loren McClain (born April 25, 1954) is an American former professional football player, labor leader, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, McClain serves in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 100th distric ...

, football player and congressman * Gil Morgan, professional golfer * Red Phillips *

Brad Calip Brad Calip (born December 12, 1962) is a former American football player. He played professionally as defensive back and wide receiver with the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL) and the Pittsburgh Gladiators / Tampa Bay St ...

, college football hall-of-famer *

Cliff Thrift Clifford Thrift (born May 3, 1956) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for eight seasons for the San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams. Thrift attended Purcell High School in Purcell, Oklahom ...

, former

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

professional football player *

Lloyd Waner Lloyd James Waner (March 16, 1906 – July 22, 1982), nicknamed "Little Poison", was a Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. His small stature at and 132 lb (68 kg)

, baseball hall-of-famer *

Paul Waner Paul Glee Waner (April 16, 1903 – August 29, 1965), nicknamed "Big Poison", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams between 1926 and 1945, most notably playing his first 15 se ...

, baseball hall-of-famer *

Armonty Bryant Armonty Charles Bryant (born May 20, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Division II East Central Tigers of Ada ...

, professional football player *

Caleb Holley Caleb Holley (born December 26, 1990) is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He has also been a member of the Buffalo Bills (NFL), Los Angeles Kiss (AFL), Sioux Falls Storm (IFL), Sas ...

, professional football player *

David Moore David Moore may refer to: Politics * David E. Moore (1798-1875), American politician in Virginia * David Moore (Australian politician) (1824–1898), politician in Sandridge, Victoria, Australia * David Moore (Manx politician), member of the H ...

, professional football player

References

External links

* {{Oklahoma-sport-stub