The Valparaiso Beacons is the name of the athletic teams from

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

– often referred to as Valpo – in

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History The site of present-day Valparaiso ...

, United States. The Beacons compete in the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(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 fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

in all sports except football, bowling, and men's swimming. On May 8, 2017, the

(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 Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...

when Valparaiso joined the MVC. The Valparaiso football team remains in the

Pioneer Football League The Pioneer Football League (PFL) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I Fo ...

, and the bowling team remained in the

Southland Bowling League The Southland Bowling League (SBL) was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) bowling-only conference. The SBL was founded in 2015 for schools that sponsor women's bowling teams, but did not have bowling sponsored by their primary confe ...

(SBL) until that league agreed to merge into

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

(C-USA) after the 2022–23 bowling season. 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 collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

in 2021, before coming under the MVC when the conference resumed sponsoring men's swimming prior to the 2024-25 season. Valparaiso became a C-USA bowling associate after that league absorbed the SBL. 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", specifically its appropriation by hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.

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 Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...

. Other sports joined conferences in later years.

Venues

Victory Bell of Valparaiso University by Athletics and Recreation Center

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 Uhlan (; ; ; ; ) is a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. The uhlans started as Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, Lithuanian irregular cavalry, that were later also adopted by other countries during the 18th century, including Polis ...

was chosen over the Dunesmen and the Vandals. After debate in 1941 over choosing a mascot less proximate to the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

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 referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

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 has served on the Valparaiso University Board of Directors since 2009 ...

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.

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 College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

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 (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

, 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 ye ...

, 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 (appro ...

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 France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

, the Crusaders did not field a football team due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Valparaiso resumed its football program in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

. It joined the

Indiana Collegiate Conference The Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) was a men's college athletic conference in the United States, in existence from 1950 to 1978. It consisted solely of schools in Indiana. The charter members of the conference were Indiana State University ...

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

and remained a member of the ICC in all sports until

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

. The post-war years began a tremendous run of coaching stability. They hired

Emory Bauer Emory George Bauer (February 13, 1913 – October 1, 1989) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Concordia Teachers College—now known as Concordia U ...

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

. Bauer would coach the team until

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

Walt Reiner Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Anderson (American football) (born 1952), American football official * Walt Arfons (1916- ...

would also coach the team from

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

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 Patria ...

. Until

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, only four other men would coach Valparaiso. This includes Stacy Adams who in 2005 became the university's first African American head coach. In

, Valparaiso joined the

Heartland Collegiate Conference The Heartland Collegiate Conference (HCC) was an NCAA Division II athletic conference that operated from 1978 to 1990. It was formed in June 1978 as the successor to the Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC), after the ICC made up for membership lo ...

. In

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, Valparaiso moved to the

Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference The Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) was a football-only NCAA Division II conference active for nine seasons in the 1990s. The creation of the MIFC was announced in February 1989. The conference play began in September 1990. Th ...

. During their time in these conferences, they would lose more often than win.

Division I

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, the

mandated that schools playing Division I basketball may only play football in Division I. Valparaiso along with five other schools formed the

, where they remain today. Playing primarily against non-scholarship teams, Valparaiso reversed their fortunes. They won their first outright championship in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, when they won the PFL championship game.

Bowl games

Baseball

The Valparaiso baseball team advanced to the NCAA tournament in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, where they lost to play

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

in the Gary Regional. The regional was played at the

U.S. Steel Yard U.S. Steel Yard is an open-air baseball park, baseball stadium located in Gary, Indiana, next to I-90 in the city's Emerson (Gary), Emerson neighborhood. It is home to the Gary SouthShore RailCats, a professional baseball team and member of the ...

. Valparaiso advanced in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

after winning their second straight Horizon League title, where they lost to

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, eliminated

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 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.

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-S ...

, his son

Scott Drew Scott Homer Drew (born October 23, 1970) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach at Baylor Bears men's basketball, Baylor University, a position he has held since 2003. Drew began his coaching career as an assistant for V ...

, 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 at Grand Canyon University. Previously, he served as the head coach at Vanderbilt and in the same capacity at his alma ma ...

. Under the Drews, Valparaiso won 10 conference tournament championships and appeared in the NCAA tournament nine times. Valparaiso is currently coached by Roger Powell Jr. 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 baske ...

Women's basketball

The Valparaiso women's basketball team started play during the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

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, ...

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 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

– 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 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

– 93 season was their first season in the Mid-Continent Conference (now known as The Summit League). Valparaiso advanced to the NCAA tournament in

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 60 ...

seasons under coach Keith Freeman. Valparaiso lost in the first round each of these years, to

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 inst ...

, 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.

Women's Cross Country

Missouri Valley Conference in Valparaiso Beacons colors

The women's cross-country team attained varsity status in 1988.

Field hockey

The field hockey team was dropped in 1987.

Men's golf

The Valparaiso men's golf team existed from 1934 until spring 1992.

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 a college athletics organization in the United States, founded in 1971 to govern women's college competitions in the country and to administer national championships (see AIAW Cham ...

(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 a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...

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

, 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

, 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 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. Valparaiso was sent to the Ann Arbor Regional, where they lost to Michigan and Notre Dame.

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.

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

championships, only losing to

Southern Utah Dixie is a nickname for the populated, lower-elevation area of south-central Washington County, the southwest corner of the State of Utah, bordering nearby Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. The area lies in the northeastern Mojave ...

and

Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...

. 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

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Valparaiso Crusaders, color=white , list1 = {{Missouri Valley Conference navbox {{Mid-American Conference navbox {{Conference USA navbox {{Chicago sports {{Indiana Sports