The Valparaiso Beacons is the name of the athletic teams from
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...
– often referred to as Valpo – in
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census.
History
The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the ...
, United States. The Beacons compete in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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 ...
(NCAA) at the
Division I level and are members of 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 ...
in all sports except football, bowling, and men's swimming.
On May 8, 2017, 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 ...
(MVC) extended an invitation to Valparaiso to join the conference effective July 1, 2017. Valparaiso accepted the invitation on May 25. The men's teams in swimming and tennis moved to the
Summit League
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
when Valparaiso joined the MVC. The Valparaiso football team remains in the
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League (PFL) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football-only conference. It has member s ...
, and the bowling team remains in the
Southland Bowling League
The Southland Bowling League (SBL) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) bowling-only conference. The SBL was founded in 2015 for schools that sponsor women's bowling teams, but do not have bowling sponsored by their primary confere ...
.
On November 20, 2019, Valpo announced that the men's soccer and tennis teams would be eliminated to allow greater attention to the school's other sports teams. Men's swimming moved to the
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...
in 2021.
Formerly named the Crusaders, the university dropped that name and associated mascot and logos in 2021, because of the "negative connotation and violence associated with the Crusader imagery", and because of its use by certain hate groups.
Overview
Conference affiliation
Valparaiso University first joined a
Division I conference in 1982 when the men's basketball team joined the
Mid-Continent Conference
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
. Other sports joined conferences in later years.
Venues
![Victory Bell of Valparaiso University by Athletics and Recreation Center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Victory_Bell_of_Valparaiso_University_by_Athletics_and_Recreation_Center.jpg)
VU plays its home football games, as well as men's and women's soccer games, at
Brown Field, which has a seating capacity of 5,000 people and opened in 1919. Surrounding Brown Field is the Warren G. Hoger Track, home to the track and field teams. The basketball, swimming, and volleyball teams play at the adjacent
Athletics-Recreation Center (ARC), which has a capacity of 5,000. The VU's baseball team plays at
Emory G. Bauer Field. The tennis teams use the Valparaiso University Tennis Complex. The cross country teams compete at Sunset Hills Farm.
Mascot
After years of going without one, Valparaiso University pursued a mascot in 1931. The
Uhlan
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...
was chosen over the Dunesmen and the Vandals. After debate in 1941 over choosing a mascot less proximate to the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
cause, the Crusader was chosen as the new mascot in 1942. The original illustrated mascot was penned by a
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
artist and trademarked in 1951, and used until 2010, when the school rebranded itself athletically and academically.
After years of discussions and deliberations, the Interim President of Valparaiso University
Colette Irwin-Knott
Colette Irwin-Knott is an American academic administrator. She served as the interim president of Valparaiso University from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021.
Irwin-Knott graduated from Valparaiso University in 1981 with a bachelor of scie ...
sent a letter on February 11, 2021, announcing the retirement of the university mascot, the Crusader. This decision was made after a recommendation from a task force created by the Interim President made up of student, faculty, staff, Athletics, and alumni representatives. The task force received around 7,700 survey feedback from the Valparaiso University community. "The task force determined the Crusader is not reflective of Valpo’s mission to promote a welcoming and inclusive community."
On August 10, 2021, the university announced that it will now go by the Valparaiso Beacons. “Our new nickname directly connects to the University’s motto, ‘In Thy Light We See Light,’ and represents the Valparaiso University community in many ways,” said José D. Padilla, J.D., University president. “We are beacons of light and hope in our communities. We are beacons of change on campus, in our region and in our country. We are beacons of knowledge for our students’ academic, social and spiritual growth. Above all, we are beacons of God's light around the world. We light the way for our students, so that once they graduate, they shine their light for others. We are all Beacons at Valparaiso University.” Beacons was chosen after a months-long process that included nearly 1,000 suggestions and input from dozens of students, student-athletes, faculty, staff and alumni of the University. During this process, two themes emerged that were most important to Valpo constituents: Honoring the University’s history and character and emphasizing the light Valpo graduates shine wherever they land after graduation. “Beacon” has a strong historical tie to Valpo. It has been the title of the university's yearbook for the last 80 years, and it is also the name of its newest residence hall. Beacons is a nickname that honors our past, present and future. The initial logo includes a nod to the architecture of the campus chapel at the top of the beacon.
Sports sponsored
A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Valparaiso sponsors teams in ten men's and eleven women's
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 ...
sanctioned sports.
Football
The Valparaiso football program was started in
1919
Events
January
* January 1
** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia.
** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
, as prior to this point the administration believed athletics were a distraction from academic pursuits.
George Keogan
George E. Keogan (March 8, 1890 – February 17, 1943) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach, most known for coaching basketball at the University of Notre Dame from 1923 to 1943. Keogan never had a losing season in his 20 year ...
, who also coached the men's
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 ...
team, was the first coach. The first game was October 4 at
Brown Field, a win over the Chicago YMCA team 26–0. The team had a 5–3 record that year. In
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 – ...
and
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, the Crusaders did not field a football team due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Valparaiso resumed their football program in
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
Januar ...
. That year, they joined their first conference, the
Indiana Collegiate Conference
The Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1951 to 1978. It consisted solely of schools in Indiana.
The charter members of the conference were Indiana State University, Butler University, ...
, their home until
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
. The post-war years began a tremendous run of coaching stability. They hired
Emory Bauer in
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
. Bauer would coach the team until
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
.
Walt Reiner would also coach the team from
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
until
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
. Until
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, only four other men would coach Valparaiso. This includes
Stacy Adams who in 2005 became the university's first African American head coach.
In
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, Valparaiso joined the
Heartland Collegiate Conference The Heartland Collegiate Conference (HCC) was a football-only intercollegiate athletic conference that evolved out of the Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) and competed between 1978 and 1989. Originally comprising the football-playing arm of the ...
. In
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, Valparaiso moved to the
Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference
The Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) was a football-only NCAA Division II conference formed for the 1990 football season. The conference was formed as the result of a merger of the football only Heartland Collegiate Conference a ...
. During their time in these conferences, they would lose more often than win.
Division I
![Valpofootballhuddle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Valpofootballhuddle.jpg)
In
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, 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 ...
mandated that schools playing Division I basketball may only play football in Division I. Valparaiso along with five other schools formed the
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League (PFL) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football-only conference. It has member s ...
, where they remain today. Playing primarily against non-scholarship teams, Valparaiso reversed their fortunes. They won their first outright championship in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, when they won the PFL championship game.
Bowl games
Men's basketball
The Valparaiso basketball program began in 1917. As a Division II school, Valparaiso appeared in
Division II NCAA Tournaments five times, advancing to the Elite Eight twice. They became a Division I school in 1978. From 1988 to 2016, the team was coached by
Homer Drew
Homer Walter Drew Jr. (born September 29, 1944) is an American former college basketball coach and administrator who coached at Washington State Cougars men's basketball, Washington State, LSU, Bethel College (Indiana), Bethel College, Indiana-So ...
, his son
Scott Drew
Scott Homer Drew (born October 23, 1970) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Baylor Bears, a position he has held since 2003.
Drew began his coaching career as an assistant for Valparaiso under his father Home ...
, or his other son
Bryce Drew
Bryce Homer Drew (born September 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. Previously he served as the head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores and in the same capacit ...
. Under the Drews, Valparaiso won 10 conference tournament championships and appeared in the
NCAA tournament nine times. Valparaiso is currently coached by
Matt Lottich
Matthew Lottich ( ; born July 29, 1982) is an American basketball coach who is the current head coach of the Valparaiso University men's basketball team. He was named head coach on April 7, 2016, one day after Bryce Drew left the program. Lottic ...
and play their home games at the
Athletics–Recreation Center
The Athletics–Recreation Center, also known as the ARC, is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It serves as the home court for Valparaiso Beacons men's and women's basket ...
.
Men's tennis
In 2016, Valparaiso won their first Horizon League regular season and tournament championship defeating defending champion Wisconsin-Green Bay 4–0 in the Horizon League Championship. The win clinched Valpo's first NCAA Tournament berth in program history where they fell to Northwestern 4–1 in the first round, recording the first point a Horizon League school had won in the NCAA tournament in 22 years.
November 20, 2019 Valpo announced the discontinuation of the Men's tennis and soccer programs at the conclusion of the 2019–2020 seasons. With 21 Division I teams, Valpo had the most athletic programs of any school in the Missouri Valley Conference and more than the majority of its Division I national peer institutions. The decision allowed the university to better focus on providing the best possible experience for all student-athletes while providing the best opportunity for competing successfully within the Missouri Valley Conference and the department's single sport conferences.
Baseball
The Valparaiso baseball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, where they lost to play
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
and
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
in the Gary Regional. The regional was played at the
U.S. Steel Yard
U.S. Steel Yard is an open-air baseball stadium located in Gary, Indiana next to I-90 in the city's Emerson neighborhood. It is home to the Gary SouthShore RailCats, a professional baseball team and member of the American Association. It seats 6 ...
. Valparaiso advanced 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 ...
after winning their second straight Horizon League title, where they lost to
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, eliminated
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, and lost to
Austin Peay
Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state's first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms and the first to die ...
in the Bloomington Regional.
Women's Cross Country
The women's cross country team attained varsity status in 1988.
Men's golf
The Valparaiso men's golf team existed from 1934 until spring 1992.
Women's basketball
The Valparaiso women's basketball team started play during the
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
-
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
season. The team joined the
North Star Conference
The North Star Conference or NSC was a women's conference in the NCAA. The conference existed from the 1983–84 school year through the 1991–92 school year. Originally announced in 1983, the conference was formed by charter members Butler, Dayto ...
for the
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
–
88 season. In 1990–91, Valparaiso reached the finals of the North Star Conference Tournament before losing to
DePaul. Valparaiso's best season in the North Star Conference was 1991–1992. That year, they finished with a record of 20–9. The
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
–
93 season was their first season in the Mid-Continent Conference (now known as The Summit League). Valparaiso advanced to the NCAA Tournament in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
and
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
seasons under coach
Keith Freeman. Valparaiso lost in the first round each of these years, to
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
and
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
, respectively.
Marlous Nieuwveen is the only member to appear in a
WNBA game. Debbie Bolen (1989–1993) and hall of fall class of 1999, is the current holder of 18 single game records, season and career women's basketball individual records including points scored, scoring average, most field goals, most free throws, assists, and steals.
Field hockey
The field hockey team was dropped in 1987.
Women's golf
In 1964,
Patti Shook won the women's individual intercollegiate
golf championship (an event conducted by the
Division of Girls' and Women's Sports
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
(DGWS) — which later evolved into the current NCAA women's golf championship).
Women's gymnastics
The women's gymnastics team was discontinued in 1992.
Women's soccer
The women's soccer team played its inaugural varsity game in 1993.
Softball
The Valparaiso softball team has won three
Horizon League
The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region.
The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...
softball championships in the last six years and advanced to the
NCAA tournament three times. Valpo won the Horizon League for the first time and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, where they lost to Louisville in the first round of the Louisville Regional. In the second round, Valparaiso lost to Kentucky.
The Valparaiso softball team repeated as Horizon League champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament 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 ...
, where they lost to Michigan in the first round of the Ann Arbor Regional. In the second round, Valparaiso eliminated Central Michigan. However, they lost to California in the third round.
Valpo captured its third Horizon League title in a five-year span and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. Valparaiso was sent to the Ann Arbor Regional, where they lost to Michigan and Notre Dame.
Track and field
The track and field team was eliminated in 1987. A new team began competition in January 1996
In 2007, the women's team finished in third place in the
Mid-Continent Conference
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
championships, only losing to
Southern Utah
Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...
and
Oral Roberts
Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, ordained in both the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal Holin ...
. The men's team finished fifth. In addition, sophomore Laura Rolf was named an All-American in the mile run, finishing tenth at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship.
On October 11, 2014, the Warren G. Hoger Track was officially dedicated by University President Mark Heckler, donor Jay Christopher, Warren Hoger, athletic director Mark LaBarbera, head coach Ryan Moore and athlete Alex Vasile. The ribbon was cut on Brown Field during the halftime of the Valparaiso football game.
The Valparaiso University Track and Field team is made of men and women competing in different events including sprints, distance, jumps and throws. The team competes in an indoor and outdoor season both leading up to its conference championships.
Wrestling
The wrestling team was disbanded in 1995.
References
External links
*
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