The Washburn Ichabods are the athletic teams that represent
Washburn University
Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 ...
, located in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...
, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the
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 ...
ranks, primarily competing in the
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Ichabods previously competed in the
Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...
(NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the
Great Plains Athletic Conference
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The con ...
(GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...
(RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Central Intercollegiate Conference (CIC) was an American intercollegiate athletic conference that operated from 1928 to 1968. It was less often referred to as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC), particularly towards the begin ...
(CIC) from 1940–41 to 1967–68 (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1923–24 to 1932–33); as an Independent from 1933–34 to 1939–40; and in the
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second oldest in the United Stat ...
(KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.
Nickname
The "Ichabods" nickname is named after the university's contributor
Ichabod Washburn
Ichabod Washburn (1798–1868) was an American Congregational deacon and industrialist from Worcester County, Massachusetts. His financial endowments led to the naming of Washburn College, now Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and the foundat ...
, who was also the founder of
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a Private university, private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now has 14 ac ...
. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the women's athletic teams were known as the "Lady Blues". On May 24, 2013, the Lady Blues nickname was dropped.
President
Farley
Farley may refer to:
People
* Farley (name), a list of people with the given name or surname
Places Antarctica
* Mount Farley
* Farley Massif
Australia
* Farley, New South Wales
* Farley railway station
England
* Farley, Derbyshire
* Farle ...
stated that "From the moment a student arrives on campus, until the time they graduate and are alumni, they are "Ichabods", not a "Lady Blue"."
Varsity teams
Washburn competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.
Basketball
Men's
Washburn claims one national championship. Washburn won five straight games to claim the 1925 AAU National Championship, becoming the fourth school to claim an AAU title (joining Utah (1916), N.Y.U. (1920), and Butler (1924). They defeated St. Phillips Athletic Club, 34–11, in the final. In 1987, the Washburn men's basketball team defeated West Virginia State 79–77 to win the
NAIA national championship at
Kemper Arena
The Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports arena ...
in
Kansas City.
Women's
Coached by
Ron McHenry
Ronald McHenry (born January 21, 1962) is an American former college women's basketball coach at Washburn University. During his 22 seasons at Washburn, he led the Ichabods to one national championship, seven conference regular season and tourn ...
since 2000, the Ichabods posted a record of 35–2, setting a school record for wins and capturing 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 ...
Women's Division II Basketball National Championship by defeating
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It became the Seat ...
70–53.
Football
Washburn began playing
Football in 1891 with a record of 1 win and 4 losses. In 1907, under
Garfield Weede the team completed a perfect season of 8 wins and 0 losses to be declared champions of the ''Kansas Conference'', forerunner to the
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second oldest in the United Stat ...
. The program has won 8 conference championships in its history.
The current head coach is
Craig Schurig, who has held the position since the start of the 2002 season and led his team to a victory in the
Mineral Water Bowl in 2004.
Former coaches at Washburn include
John H. Outland
John Henry Outland (March 17, 1871 – March 24, 1947) was an American football player and coach. He played football at Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the University of Kansas, and the University of Pennsylvania. He was twice named an All-Ame ...
,
Garfield Weede,
Bert Kennedy,
Dick Godlove
Richard Milan Godlove (January 24, 1905 – September 15, 1985) was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas from 1936 to 1942 and ...
,
Ellis Rainsberger
Ellis Dwight Rainsberger Sr. (October 20, 1932 – July 17, 2021) was an American football and Canadian football player, coach, and scout. He served as the head football coach at Washburn University (1962–1964), Southern Illinois University Car ...
,
Harold "Bud" Elliott,
Tony DeMeo.
Notable alumni
*
Brian Folkerts –
NFL and
AFL
AFL may refer to:
Sports
* American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues:
** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
offensive lineman
*
Mal Stevens
Marvin Allen "Mal" Stevens (April 14, 1900 – December 6, 1979) was an American football player, coach, naval officer, and orthopedic surgeon. He served as the head football coach at Yale University from 1928 to 1932 and at New York University f ...
–
College Football Hall of Famer
*
Cary Williams –
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
cornerback and
Super Bowl XLVII
Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
champion with
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
*
Michael Wilhoite
Michael Wilhoite (born December 7, 1986) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the outside linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washburn Uni ...
–
Seattle Seahawks Linebacker
*
Corey Ballentine
Corey Ballentine (born April 13, 1996) is a Jamaican professional American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washburn, and was selected by the New York Giants in th ...
–
New York Giants Defensive Back
*
Thomas Huber
Thomas Huber (born 18 November 1966 in Palling, Bavaria) is a German climber and mountaineer. He lives in Berchtesgaden with his family. His brother and climbing partner is Alexander Huber and the two are called "Huberbuam" (Huberboys) in the B ...
–
LTV Steel
References
External links
*
{{Kansas Sports