Graceland Yellowjackets

The Graceland Yellowjackets are the athletic teams that represent Graceland University, located in Lamoni, Iowa, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) since the 1971–72 academic year.[2]

Graceland Yellowjackets
Logo
UniversityGraceland University
AssociationNAIA
ConferenceHeart of America Athletic Conference
Athletic directorJoe Worlund
LocationLamoni, Iowa
Varsity teams22 (10 men’s, 9 women’s, 3 co-ed)
Football stadiumHuntsman Field
Basketball arenaClosson Center
Baseball stadiumChase Stadium
Softball stadiumHMP Stadium
Soccer stadiumJohn Rasmussen Soccer Complex
MascotSting
NicknameYellowjackets
Fight songGraceland Forever
ColorsBlue and black[1]
   
Websitewww.gujackets.com

Over 50% of the students on Graceland's Lamoni campus are student athletes.[3]

Sports

Graceland competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and rodeo.

Men's sports Women's sports Co-ed sports
BaseballBasketballCheerleading
BasketballCross countryDance
Cross countryFlag footballRodeo
FootballGolf
GolfSoccer
SoccerSoftball
Track and field†Track and field†
VolleyballVolleyball
Wrestling
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

A member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, Graceland University sponsors teams in ten men's and eight women's varsity sports.

Football

In 2005, just four years after completing a season of 0–10, the Yellowjackets won their first HAAC championship title since 1975 and qualified for the NAIA national championships for the first time in the school's history.[4] Herbert Goodman (1998-1999), and Jeff Criswell (1983-1986) went on to play in the NFL. Jerome Messam (2007-2009) as of 2018 plays in the CFL. The coach as of 2017 for the Yellowjackets was Marc Kolb.[5]

Basketball

In 2018 the men's basketball team won the NAIA Division I National Championship. This was the Yellowjackets first appearance in the tournament.

School songs

The school's fight song, Graceland Forever, was written by Warren McElwain in 1925.[6] The school's alma mater was written by Roy A. Cheville in 1926.[6]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Graceland Identity Manual". August 18, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  2. "Quick Facts - Graceland University". Gujackets.com. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  3. Athletics
  4. HAAC Championships by School (Football)
  5. Staff directory
  6. "Graceland Traditions & Trivia". Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  7. "Herbert Goodman MMA Bio". Retrieved August 28, 2017.
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