The

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

's intercollegiate sports teams are called the ''Cardinals'' (after the bird

northern cardinal The northern cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis'') is a bird in the genus ''Cardinalis''; it is also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal (which was its name prior to 1985). It can be found in southea ...

), and they compete in 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 ...

's Division III. They are members of the

Landmark Conference The Landmark Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in the states of Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, plus Washington, D.C. ...

, the

New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of Connecticut and ...

(football) and the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (rowing). The team colors are red ( PMS 1805) and

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

. Catholic celebrates

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

in the fall to coincide with a home football game.

Origin

Originally known as the Red and Black after the colors they wore, Catholic University's athletes came to be known as the Cardinals (often the Flying Cardinals, occasionally the Fighting Cardinals) in the mid-1920s.

Varsity athletics

History

*From the founding of the NCAA in 1906 through 1955, institutions were not separated into competitive divisions, and CUA won a national championship in boxing (1938). The football team appeared in two major bowl games, the

1936 Orange Bowl The 1936 Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Catholic University Cardinals and Ole Miss Rebels played on January 1, 1936, in Miami, Florida. The second edition of the Orange Bowl, the game was won by Catholic Unive ...

, which they won, and the 1940 Sun Bowl, which they tied. David Bernstein won the national collegiate boxing championship at 115 pounds in 1938 and "Bingo" Stant, Jr. won the 1939 national championship at 165 pounds. *From 1956 through 1972, teams were classified into University Division (major college) and College Division (small college). The Cardinals competed in the latter. During that period, the men's basketball team classified for the 1964 post season tournament, and Keats Baugher won two national championships in men's swimming in 1965 (the 200 and 400-yard individual medley). *NCAA re-organized into three divisions in 1973, and CUA opted for the Division II level during the 1973–76 seasons. CUA stayed as member of the Mason-Dixon Conference. Mark Robinson won two individual national championships in track & field (the 800 meters in 1974 and 1975). *In 1976, CUA moved to Division I, competing for five years (1976–81). As independent first, and as a member of the

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I whose full members are located in East Coast ...

later (1979–1981). During that period, the baseball team played the 1977 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. *President Edmund Pellegrino decided to drop the athletic programs to Division III and Catholic finally moved in the academic year of 1981–82, joining the

Old Dominion Athletic Conference The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. Of its 15 member schools, all but one are located in Virginia; the other full member is in North Carolina. The conference also has an associate member in N ...

. In 1989 Catholic became a charter member of the

Capital Athletic Conference The Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C; officially stylized as Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference), formerly named Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member ...

, leaving the conference in 2007 to join, again as a charter member, the

. During this period at Division III, the men's basketball team won the national championship in 2001, Carolyn Hughes captured the 800 meters national track & field championship in 1982, and Tom Caffrey the 1,500 meters in 1991. Women's teams were established after women were admitted as undergraduate students in the 1950s, and a Women's Sports Department was established in 1959. The Department originally offered dance lessons and ping-pong and badminton tournaments. Jone Rastapkevicius was hired as the first coordinator of women’s sports in 1961. She went on to become a coach and married fellow CUA coach Martin Dowd. In the early part of her 50-year tenure, she worked to schedule games with other local colleges, thereby turning many of the intramural sports into “extramural” ones. The Metropolitan Sports Association for Women (MISAW) was founded in the mid-1960s by CUA along with Trinity College, Georgetown, American University, and George Washington University. It operated until the early 1970s.

Boxing

As a team, CUA won the national title in 1938. Besides, two cardinals won individual championships: *David Bernstein won the 1938 national championship in the 115-pound weight class. *"Bingo" Stant Jr. won the 1939 national championship in the 165-pound weight class. The NCAA discontinued boxing in 1961.

Football

The football team appeared in two major bowl games (the 1936

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in ...

, which they won and the 1940

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose ...

, which they tied). In the fall of 2008, already in Division III, the team went to the ECAC Southeast Bowl and defeated Johns Hopkins University 18–17 to give the Cards their first post season win since 1936. The team made three consecutive trips to the Division III playoffs in the late 1990s.

Baseball

The Catholic University Cardinals played the 1977 NCAA Division I baseball tournament after winning the ECAC District II championship. The Cardinals have won the Landmark Conference Tournament in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2018.

Basketball

Men's

The 1943–44 men's basketball team won the Mason–Dixon Conference title and made the program's first trip to the NCAA tournament. The team played in Madison Square Garden, losing to Dartmouth and Temple. The 1963–64 season, Catholic played the NCAA College Division (Division II) Tournament at Hofstra, losing to Hofstra and Philadelphia. The men's basketball team won the 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship and was the only program in Division III to reach the Sweet Sixteen five consecutive seasons, from 1998–2002. They also reached the postseason in 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Women's

The 2011–12 women's basketball team won the Landmark Conference title and made the program's first trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2013 they won their second straight Landmark Conference title and again received the LC's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, repeating in 2015. In 2017 and 2022 they received an at-large bid.

Track & Field

The track & field team has produced three individual national champions: *Mark Robinson won the NCAA Division II 800 meter outdoor championship in 1974 and 1975. *Carolyn Hughes won the national championship in the 800 meters at the 1982 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. *Tom Caffrey won the national championship in the 1500 meters at the 1991 Division III Track & Field Championships.

Swimming

The men's swim team has won four Capitol Athletic Conference titles and three National Catholic Division III championships, while women's swimming has won a Catholic Division III title. The swimming program has two individual national titles as well: *Keats Baugher won the national college division (Division II) championship in the 200 and 400 individual medley in 1965.

Lacrosse

Men's

The men's lacrosse team went to the NCAA tournament in 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2022 after winning the conference title.

Women's

In 2008, the women's lacrosse team went undefeated in the inaugural year of the Landmark Conference and won the Conference post-season tournament, garnering a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, and making it to the regional finals where they lost to Salisbury University. The team has won the Landmark Conference Tournament in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Soccer

Men's

The men's soccer team went to the NCAA tournament in 2009, 2010, 2013 (at-large bid), 2014, 2019, 2021 and 2022 (at-large bid).

Women's

Women's soccer went undefeated in the CAC in 2005 and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament, repeating in 2009, 2014 and 2015 as LC champions.

Field Hockey

The field hockey team advanced to the 2001 ECAC Southern Region championship game and won the ECAC title in 2010. In 2011 CUA won its first conference championship, which propelled the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. They won the conference title again in 2012, and 2013. In 2014, the team earned an at-large bid and a first round bye to big dance. In 2015 and 2022, they were again Landmark Conference champions.

Volleyball

The volleyball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2001 and followed it up in 2002.

Softball

The softball team won its first and only Capital Athletic Conference title in 1994, and went on to become the ECAC Southern Region Champions in the same season. In 2012 the Cardinals won the ECAC Southern Region Championship for the second time. In 2014 CUA won its first Landmark Conference championship, which propelled the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA Tournament.

Golf

Men's

The men's golf team went to the NCAA tournament in 2021 after winning the conference championship.

Women's

The women's golf team went to the NCAA tournament in 2021 after winning the conference championship.

Club Sports

Student-led club teams include

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

, and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

Rugby

*The Men's

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

team competes in the Potomac Rugby Conference of the NSCRO. *The Women's

team competes in the Capital Rugby Union (Central Division) of the NSCRO and was runner-up at the 2018 NSCRO Women's National Championship.

Ice Hockey

The

Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team competes in the

Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference The Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC) is a collegiate hockey conference associated with the Collegiate Hockey Federation (CHF) and independent women's university teams. The conference has men's teams that compete within divisions ...

(DVCHC) of the ACHA and plays at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington, D.C. The team went 13–0–0 during the 2014–15 season and went on to win the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference (BRHC) Championship in a 5–4 victory against the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

. In 2017 the team transferred to the DVCHC. On February 10, 2019, the Cardinals secured an 11–5 victory at York College to win the 2018 Championship. They went 15–3–0 that season.

Lacrosse

The Men's Club

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

team competes in Division 2 of the Chesapeake Conference in the

National College Lacrosse League The National College Lacrosse League is a men's lacrosse league comprising mostly Eastern United States college lacrosse clubs (non-varsity). The NCLL is recognized by US Lacrosse as one of the three primary areas of collegiate lacrosse; the othe ...

. The team has secured the NCLL Division 2 National Championship for 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Sailing

*The

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

team was founded in 1949 by the famous sailors Donald M Street Jr., Ed Rogers, and Boomer Curran. The team competes in the

Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) is one of the seven conferences affiliated with the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association that schedule and administer regattas within their established geographic regions. MAISA organiz ...

of the ICSA.

Facilities

*Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center (Offices) * Cardinal Stadium (Washington, D.C.) (FB, FH) *Franny Murray Court (MBB, WBB, VB) *Carlini Field (MSOC, WSOC, MLAX, WLAX) *DuFour Center Pool (MSWIM, WSWIM) *Robert J. Talbot Field (Baseball) *Softball Field *Dowd Family Tennis Courts (MTEN, WTEN) *Hanley Family Weight Room

Rivalries

An important rivalry in Cardinals' history has been the

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 ...

game against the

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C. Georgetown's athletics department fields 23 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the National ...

, where the

Steven Dean Memorial Trophy The Steven Dean Memorial Trophy is a college football trophy that goes to the winner of the Catholic University of America and Georgetown University football game. The trophy was introduced in 1976 and is named after former Georgetown University ...

is in dispute. The series started at

Brookland Stadium Brookland Stadium, or Killion Field, was the athletic field for Catholic University in Brookland, Washington, D.C. from 1924 to 1985. It was named after alumni Captain Edward L Killion. It was located on the main campus of The Catholic University ...

in 1976. Since 2022, the Pope's Cup is in dispute in all sports against

Marymount University Marymount University is a private Catholic university with its main campus in Arlington, Virginia. Marymount offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. It has approximately 3,897 students enrolled, representing approximately 45 states an ...

Songs

Alma mater songs

The official ''Alma Mater Song'' was adopted in 1920, when students organized a contest for an alma mater song, open to the then all-male student body. The winner was Hail CUA (lyrics by Robert H. Mahoney and music by Victor Herbert), but second-place winner Guardian of Truth (music and lyrics by Thomas J. McLean) became more popular over the years.

Fight song

The cardinal's

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

is C.U. Marching Song (1931): (Music by Michael J. MacDonald & Lyrics by Clement Ducy) :''Sing a song of C.U.A. for all the world to hear,'' :''Drink a toast to Alma Mater, praise her far and near,'' :''Make a vow you'll e'er be true and do what she taught right,'' :''Whether we win or whether we lose, we'll never give up the fight,'' :''Down the field the men in red and black go marching on'' :''To victory, to victory,'' :''Driving all before them in the struggle toward the goal'' :''Of victory, of victory.'' :''Onward we're marching with all our might,'' :''Marching for C.U. never yielding, ever cheering, FIGHT!'' :''Forever onward we're marching to victory,'' :''For the Red and Black is winning'' :''For C.U.A. it's Fight, Fight, Fight.'' :''Crimson and Black are above all the rest.'' :''Always a shout and a cheer, FIGHT!'' :''Always our colors stand out with the best,'' :''Onward forever against any odds,'' :''Bringing the victory near.''

CUA songs and cheers

Students supporting the games in the early 1900s created the following songs and chants to inspire high spirits:

CUA (CU Will Shine)

:''On, CUA, we’re rooting for you'' :''And we know you’ll win today,'' :''So battle hard, whatever befall you'' :''For the name of CUA (Rah-Rah)'' :''Go down the field,'' :''And cross the goal line'' :''With that CU pep and fight,'' :''And when the grand old game is over,'' :''CUA will shine tonight.'' :''CU will shine tonight'' :''CU will shine,'' :''CU will shine tonight,'' :''All down the line.'' :''CU will shine tonight,'' :''CU will shine,'' :''When the sun goes down and the moon comes up,'' :''CU will shine.''

Drink a Highball

:''Drink a highball at nightfall,'' :''Be good fellows while you may,'' :''For tomorrow may bring sorrow,'' :''So tonight let’s all be gay,'' :''Tell the story of the glory,'' :''Of the Catholic University,'' :''Drink a highball,'' :''Let’s be jolly --'' :''Here’s the health of CUA.''

Flying Cardinals

:''Fight Hard, Hit Hard, Buck that line!'' :''Every man must do his part for victory!'' :''For the honor of the red and black,'' :''We stand behind the fighting varsity!'' :''With our colors proudly flying high,'' :''We will march today to victories new!'' :''We all will back you to the limit,'' :''Fight hard every minute,'' :''Victory come to old CU.'' :''Give three cheers for CU!'' :''RAH RAH'' :''Let us banish fear for vict’ry!'' :''RAH RAH RAH'' :''Everybody up!'' :''Everybody shout'' :''To our fighting boys of CUA!'' :''We cheer, boys!''

National team championships

Division I

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

: 1938 (unofficial)

Division III

* Men's basketball: 2001

Notable athletes

Brian Cashman Brian McGuire Cashman (born July 3, 1967) is an American baseball executive for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He has served as the General Manager and Senior Vice President of the Yankees since 1998. During Cashman's tenure as ge ...

, B.A. 1989, Senior Vice-President and

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

*Edward Lynch, LL.B. 1924, featured at

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' fea ...

for making 98 tackles in a single football game. *

Jimmy Patsos James John Patsos (born October 1, 1966) is an American college basketball coach. Patsos earned his B.A. from Catholic University in 1989. There, he played basketball under Jack Bruen, who later coached Colgate University to a couple of NCAA tou ...

, B.A. 1989, men's basketball head coach,

Siena Saints men's basketball The Siena Saints men's basketball team (formerly the Siena Indians) represents Siena College in Loudonville, New York, United States. The NCAA Division I program competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the annual Franciscan Cup. ...

Wally Pipp Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Pipp played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds between 1913 ...

, A.B. 1914, first base,

Rocco Pirro Rocco A. Pirro (June 30, 1916 – January 26, 1995) was an American football player and politician. Football career He was a fullback for The Catholic University of America and played in the 1940 Sun Bowl, where he was described as "5-foot 10-in ...

, football fullback who played for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

References

External links

* {{WashingtonDCSports