Sports in Milwaukee
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin is home to a variety of sports teams and events.
Contents |
[edit] Professional
Milwaukee has a rich history of involvement in professional and sports, going back to the 19th century. Currently, its major sports teams include:
Throughout the sports world, Milwaukee is perhaps best known for its tradition of tailgating before Brewers baseball games.[1] The Brewers made their first post-season appearance in 1981 and won the American League pennant in 1982. In 1998, they became the only Major League team in history to switch leagues, doing so to accomdate the expansion franchises of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They also have the distinction of being the only team to have played in four of the six current Major League divisions.
The Bucks won the 1971 NBA Championship, a mere three years after joining the league. They made it back to the Finals in 1974, but soon developed a reputation as "next years champions," winning at least one playoff series for the next 15 years, but still having yet to return to the Finals.
The Wave are the longest continuously-running professional soccer operation in North America. They have also been one of the most successful, having captured four league championships in the past nine years.
[edit] Collegiate
| School | Nickname | Division | Conference(s) | Varsity Sports Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette University | Golden Eagles | NCAA Division 1 | Big East Conference | 11 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
(Milwaukee) |
Panthers | NCAA Division 1 | Horizon League | 15 |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering
(Milwaukee Engineering) |
Red Raiders | NCAA Division 3 | Midwest Collegiate Hockey Conference, | 19[1] |
| Cardinal Stritch University | Wolves | NAIA | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 10 |
| Alverno College | Inferno | NCAA Division 3 | Northern Athletics Conference | 5 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College | Warriors | NCAA Division 3 | Northern Athletics Conference | 14 |
Under the leadership of Al McGuire, Marquette's men's basketball team became a national powerhouse in the 1970's, capturing the NIT Championship in 1970, and the NCAA Championship in 1977. Not only was the '77 championship McGuire's last game, but Marquette remains the last independent school to win the title. It is also the last major sports championship won by a Milwaukee team.
Led by current NBA star Dwyane Wade, Marquette returned to the Final Four in 2003, but was ousted by Kansas in the semi-finals.
Milwaukee made its first post-season appearance in men's basketball that same year, under the tutlage of current Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl. Although they lost to Notre Dame in the first round, they would make their first NIT appearance the following year. In 2005, Milwaukee had its most successful year ever, winning both the Horizon League regular season and tournament championships. They would go on to upset Alabama in the first round of the NCAA tournament before shocking then Big East powerhouse Boston College on its way to the Sweet 16. So much of an impression had the team made that sportswriters shied away from calling their defeat of Oklahoma in the 2006 Tournament an "upset," believing Milwaukee may have actually been the better team.
Starting with the 2007-08 season, the Marquette and Milwaukee will rekindle their annual rivalry game which has been dormant since 1998.
UW-Milwaukee is home to the only Division 1 baseball team in Wisconsin. Its men's and women's soccer teams regularly attain national rankings.
[edit] Amateur/Semi-professional
| Club | Sport | Founded | Current League | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bavarians | Soccer | 1929 | National Premier Soccer League | Bavarian Soccer Club |
| Milwaukee Bombers | Australian Rules Football | 1994 | Mid American Australian Football League | Brown Deer Park |
The Milwaukee Bavarians/Bavarian Soccer Club is one of the oldest and most successful amatuer soccer clubs in the United States, having captured the the National Amatuer Cup on two occasions. They play at the fourth level of the American Soccer Pyramid.
[edit] Other
The Milwaukee suburb of West Allis is home to the Milwaukee Mile auto racing facility, the oldest active auto race track in the United States, located on the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds. The track is located at the grounds for the Wisconsin State Fair. The track has held events sanctioned by major sanctioning bodies, such as the American Automobile Association, USAC, NASCAR, CART/Champ Car World Series), and the Indy Racing League.
Milwaukee is also home to the Pettit National Ice Center, a U.S. Olympic Team training facility, which has been the training site for gold-medal winning speedskaters such as Dan Jansen, Bonnie Blair and Shani Davis.
[edit] Past teams
Previously, numerous other teams have played in Milwaukee, including:
The early 20th century Milwaukee Brewers's time in the American League predates the league's evolution into a major league, going back to the 19th century to its predecessors, the Western Association and Western League. The minor league Milwaukee Brewers was not directly connected to the older team. In fact, there was concern at the time about the prospect of both teams simultaneously playing in 1901 or 1902. It should also be noted that the 19th century baseball teams in Milwaukee were interchangebly referred to as the Cream Citys, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Greys or Milwaukee Unions.[2] This was common during the time as most teams did not have official names and rather adopted names which reporters assigned to them. The table lists the most common name used for each particular team.
The Milwaukee Braves won the National League pennant in 1957 and 1958, and won the World Series in 1957.
Milwaukee is the only major-league city that was never home to a North American Soccer League franchise. However, Milwaukee County Stadium was host to a number of exhibition games of the Chicago Sting, which had planned a permanent move (that never materialized) to the ballpark.[3]. The city has since proven itself to be a viable soccer market, as the Wave were founded in 1984 (the same year the NASL folded) and have been active ever since.
[edit] Green Bay Packers in Milwaukee
The Green Bay Packers played a portion of their home schedule in Milwaukee on a regular basis from the 1930s until 1994 in the following locations:
- Borchert Field, 1933
- Wisconsin State Fair Park, 1934-51
- Marquette Stadium, 1952
- Milwaukee County Stadium, 1953-1994
The first Milwaukee game was played on December 3, 1922, against the Racine Legion. The 1939 Championship between the Packers and the New York Giants was played at State Fair Park. The Packers won, 27-0. A 1931 championship against the Portsmouth Spartans was also scheduled for Milwaukee, but was called off. The Packers final post-season game in Milwaukee was a 1967 divisional playoff against the Los Angeles Rams which the Packers won convincingly 28-7.[4] They went on to capture their last NFL Championship and Super Bowl victory under Vince Lombardi.
The Packers played their final game at County Stadium on December 18, 1994, against the Atlanta Falcons. Although the Packers no longer play in Milwaukee, residents of the area still consider them a "Milwaukee" team, often-times held in higher regard than the Bucks and Brewers. Also in-spite of no longer playing games in the city, the Packers flagship newspaper and radio have remained the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee-based WTMJ-AM, respectivley.
The Packers maintain two separate season ticket plans, reflecting their time spent in Milwaukee: Gold package holders, made up largely of former Milwaukee season ticket holders, have a three-game package consisting of the annual Midwest Shrine preseason contest plus the second and fifth regular-season home games each year; Green package holders (made up of original Green Bay ticket holders) attend the annual Bishop's Charities preseason game and the remaining six regular-season contests.
[edit] Future teams
The Milwaukee Bonecrushers professional indoor football team will play various exhibition games at U.S. Cellular Arena in 2007, and hope to join an organized league by 2008.[5]
Peter Wilt, the former General Manager of the Chicago Fire is attempting to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team (or relocate an existing team) to Milwaukee for the 2009 season due to the popularity of the Wave and the city's growing Hispanic population.[6] However, without the construction of a soccer specific stadium, whether or not Milwaukee will be granted a franchise is up in the air. The Park East Freeway site which was originally proposed was rejected by the city in 2006. The new site for the proposed MLS stadium is just south of the 6th street bridge, adjacent to the Harley-Davidson Museum.
| City of Milwaukee |  |
|---|---|
| Geography • Climate • Government • History • Places and Landmarks • Colleges and Universities • Public Schools • Sports • Music • Community Areas • Neighborhoods • Parks • Metropolitan Area |
