Eastern Washington Eagles

The Eastern Washington Eagles are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams that represent Eastern Washington University, located in Cheney, southwest of Spokane. A member of the Big Sky Conference, EWU's athletic program comprises five men's sports: basketball, cross country, football, tennis, and track and field, and seven women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Eastern Washington Eagles
Logo
UniversityEastern Washington University
ConferenceBig Sky
NCAADivision I (FCS)
Athletic directorTim Collins
LocationCheney, Washington
Varsity teams12
Football stadiumRoos Field
Basketball arenaReese Court
MascotSwoop
NicknameEagles
Fight songGo, Eagles, Go
ColorsRed and white[1]
   
Websitegoeags.com
Big Sky logo in Black And Red colors

Varsity athletics
Men's sports Women's sports
BasketballBasketball
Cross CountryCross Country
FootballGolf
TennisSoccer
Track and field†Tennis
Track and field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Eastern has been a member of NCAA Division I since the summer of 1983, moving up from Division II. For most of its history, Eastern was a member of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) before upgrading its programs and joining the NCAA in the late 1970s. EWU has been a member of the Big Sky athletic conference since 1987; the school's mascot is Swoop and the school colors are red and white.

In 2010, EWU won the NCAA Division I FCS national championship, EWU's first at the Division I level for any sport.

In 1973, the student body voted to make Eastern's mascot the Eagles.[2][3] Shortly before that, the board of trustees declared "Savages", its mascot through its first 92 years, no longer acceptable. Eagles are native to eastern Washington and thus a logical choice for a replacement.

Football
Main article: Eastern Washington Eagles football

Eastern football is currently coached by Aaron Best[4] and competes at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level of Division I. Eastern claimed its first national championship in 2010, defeating Delaware 20–19 in the title game.[5]

Men's basketball
Main article: Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball

Eastern men's basketball is currently coached by David Riley. Eastern has claimed two Big Sky regular season championships and two Big Sky conference tournament championships. Eastern advanced to the 2004 NCAA tournament and the 2015 NCAA tournament. Eastern lost to Oklahoma State in the first round in 2004 and Georgetown in the opening round in 2015.

Women's basketball
Main article: Eastern Washington Eagles women's basketball

Former sports

Eastern formerly had varsity programs in baseball, wrestling, and gymnastics (men's & women's).[6][7]

Baseball joined the Northern Pacific Conference in 1980 as its eighth team,[8][9] but after the next season, half of those programs had disbanded,[10] and Oregon dropped the sport as well.[11][12] The NorPac merged into the northern division of the Pac-10 for the 1982 baseball season, bringing the total up to seven schools.[13][14]

Baseball and wrestling were discontinued 33 years ago, following the 1990 seasons.[15][16][17] The EWU wrestling team won NAIA tournament in 1977 scoring 95.5 points. Lanny Davidson is one of only 18 wrestlers in the history of the tournament to win three national NAIA wrestling championships.

National championships

The Eagles have won two team NCAA national championships.

Team
Sport Association Division Year Opponent/Runner-up Score
Men's cross country (1) NCAA Division II 1982 South Dakota State 84–123 (-39)
Football (1) NCAA Division I FCS 2010 Delaware 20–19

Facilities

Roos Field
Roos Field in 2010, with new red turf
Main article: Roos Field

The EWU football team plays at Roos Field, opened in 1967; expanded and renovated in 2004 and 2010 to increase capacity to 11,702. The stadium was originally named 'Woodward Field' in honor of former Eagles head football and basketball coach Arthur C. Woodward. It replaced the original Woodward Field, which was located near the present JFK Library.[18] The introduction of red artificial turf and name change to Roos Field occurred in 2010.

Reese Court
Main article: Reese Court

Reese Court is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to the Eastern Washington University women's volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams. It replaced the Eastern Washington Fieldhouse when it opened in 1975. It was named for William B. "Red" Reese (1899–1974), the athletic director and head coach in multiple sports.

Rivalries

Montana Grizzlies
Main article: EWU–UM Governors Cup

The EWU–UM Governors Cup is the annual college football game between the Montana Grizzlies and the Eastern Eagles. Traditionally, it is in the middle of the regular season, played on the Saturday alternating between Roos Field and Washington–Grizzly Stadium each year. The Eagles currently trail in the series with 11 wins and 25 losses.

Mascot

In 1973, the student body voted to make Eastern's mascot the Eagles.[2][3] Shortly before that, the Eastern Board of Trustees declared "Savages", its mascot through its first 92 years, no longer acceptable. Eagles are native to eastern Washington and thus a logical choice for a replacement.

References
  1. EWU Logo Usage Guide (PDF). Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. "School selects eagle as mascot". Palm Beach Post. UPI. July 13, 1973. p. D5.
  3. "'Cats lead only one statistic". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. October 11, 1973. p. 6.
  4. "Aaron Best named head coach at Eastern Washington". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  5. "Title". Eastern Washington University Athletics. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  6. "Eagle wins all-around". Spokesman-Review. March 3, 1979. p. 22.
  7. "Eastern inducts four individuals in 2008 class". Eastern Washington University Athletics. 2008. Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  8. "Baseball: College – Northern Pacific". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 1, 1979. p. 25.
  9. "Baseball: College – NorPac standings". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 7, 1980. p. B5.
  10. "Baseball: Northern Pacific". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. (standings). May 16, 1981. p. 13.
  11. Rodman, Bob (May 7, 1981). "A gloomy day for Ducks' oldest program". Eugene-Register Guard. Oregon. p. 1C.
  12. "UO axes baseball, gymnastics". Eugene-Register Guard. Oregon. May 7, 1981. p. 1C.
  13. "Pac-10 merger confirmed". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 14, 1981. p. 24.
  14. Rodman, Bob (August 14, 1981). "Expanded ND baseball appears ready to roll". Eugene-Register Guard. Oregon. p. 3B.
  15. Boling, Dave (May 31, 1990). "Baseball, wrestling to go at EWU". Spokane Chronicle. p. C1.
  16. "EWU cuts two sports; audit ends". Spokesman-Review. June 19, 1990. p. C1.
  17. Stalwick, Howie (June 21, 1990). "Wasem says he, program got shafted". Spokesman-Review. p. D1.
  18. "goeags.cstv.com/facilities/ewas-woodward.html". Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
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