Washington & Jefferson Presidents
| Washington & Jefferson Presidents | |
|---|---|
| University | Washington & Jefferson |
| Conference | Presidents' Athletic Conference |
| NCAA | Division III |
| Athletic director | Bill Dukett |
| Location | Washington, Pennsylvania |
| Varsity teams | 23 |
| Football stadium | Cameron Stadium |
| Arena | Henry Memorial Center |
| Baseball stadium | Ross Memorial Park |
| Other venues | Brooks Park Janet L. Swanson Tennis Courts Henry Memorial Natatorium Alexandre Stadium |
| Mascot | George Washington & Thomas Jefferson |
| Nickname | The Presidents |
| Colors | Red and Black |
| Website | www |
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents are the athletic teams for Washington & Jefferson College. The name "Presidents" refers to the two presidential namesakes of the college: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. W&J is a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference,[1] the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association,[2] and play in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in both men's and women's varsity sports.[3]
W&J competes in 23 intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division III level. As of the 2008-09 academic year, the Presidents had won more than 30 PAC championships, 35 students were selected as conference MVPs, 250 W&J athletes were awarded First Team All-Conference recognition, 27 received All-American honors, and 17 achieved Academic All-American status.[4]
Football
The Presidents football team has been extremely successful, winning 18 out of the last 21 PAC Championships and advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs 17 times. In 1992 and 1994, the Presidents advanced to the Division III championship game, the Stagg Bowl, only to lose to University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Albion College, respectively. Members of the football team has received individual honors, including 12 conference MVP awards and more than 120 First Team All-Conference selections. Six football players have been named to the Associated Press All-American Team and four players received an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.[5]
In 1922, W&J played to a 0-0 tie in the 1922 Rose Bowl against the California Golden Bears.
Legendary college coach John Heisman, Philadelphia Eagles coach Greasy Neale, Pittsburgh Steelers great John Banaszak all were head coaches for W&J. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is still the all-time leading placekicker in the college's history. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell attended W&J, but did not play football.
Rugby
The Washington and Jefferson Rugby Club was founded in 2004, and fields both men's and women's teams. It is a member of USA Rugby, the Midwest Rugby Union, and the Allegheny Rugby Union. The club competes in the Allegheny Rugby Union Collegiate Division 2. The club also competes in an unofficial Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship every spring. In 2004, the men's club won the 2004 Allegheny Rugby Union Division 3 championship.
Intramural
W&J also offers variety of intramural sports, and its athletic facilities (including tennis and racquetball courts, swimming pools, and weight facilities) are open to recreational student use.
References
- ^ http://www.pacathletics.org/links/pac_members_wj.html
- ^ http://www.ecac.org/membership/division_III/washington_jefferson
- ^ http://web1.ncaa.org/onlineDir/exec/divisionListing?sortOrder=0&division=3
- ^ http://www.washjeff.edu/athletics.aspx
- ^ http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2420&menu_id=536&crumb=545&id=722