Saint Joseph's Hawks

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Saint Joseph's Hawks
University Saint Joseph's University
Conference A-10
NCAA Division I
Athletics director Don DiJulia
Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Varsity teams 20
Football stadium N/A
Basketball arena Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse
Baseball stadium Elmwood Park
Mascot The Hawk (Saint Joseph's University mascot)
Nickname The Hawks
Fight song Oh When the Hawks Go Flying In!!
Colors Crimson and Grey

             
Homepage http://sjuhawks.cstv.com/

The Saint Joseph's Hawks represent the athletic teams at Saint Joseph's University. The Hawks compete in Division I in the NCAA and the Big 5 in Philadelphia. The school also has intramurals and extramurals, the latter of which compete with the City 6 (the six major universities in Philadelphia). The school is mostly known for its men's basketball team. The Hawk became the school's mascot in 1929. It first flapped its wings at a basketball game in 1956 in a win over La Salle University.

Contents

[edit] Athletics

Saint Joseph's University fields teams in 20 varsity sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Hawks are part of the Atlantic Ten Conference; because the Atlantic 10 does not support men's lacrosse, the Hawks play that sport in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Along with the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's is a member of the Philadelphia Big 5, intensifying rivalries with Temple University and Villanova University. The Saint Joseph's school colors are crimson and gray.

Fall

Winter

Spring

[edit] Men's Basketball

Men's basketball is the most popular sport at Saint Joseph's University. The Hawks have competed in nineteen NCAA Tournaments (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008) and thirteen NIT Tournaments (1956, 1958,1964, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006). The team is currently led by coach Phil Martelli.

[edit] Undefeated Season

During the 2003-2004 season, the Saint Joseph's Hawks went undefeated (27-0) during the regular season and are the last NCAA Division I team to do so. The Hawks were led by a backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, both of whom would end up as starters in the NBA. The Hawks ended the regular season with a #1 ranking nationally and a #1 ranking in the NCAA Tournament. After losing to Xavier University in the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinal, St. Joe's made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. They would finally lose to Oklahoma State in the last seven seconds of the game to end their remarkable run. Nelson was named National Player of the Year while coach Phil Martelli was named Coach of the Year.

[edit] Rivals

Historical rivals of SJU are the La Salle University Explorers. For decades, though, the main rival has been the Villanova University Wildcats which is locally referred to as the Holy War. St. Joseph's also has a heated rivalry with the Temple University Owls. Because games against Drexel University are in-city, the two teams are sometimes considered rivals but Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series 43 to 6. The all-time series between La Salle and the Hawks is 63 to 49 in SJU's favor. They are losing the all-time series against Temple 63 to 75 and winning the series with Penn 45 to 32. Overall, the Hawks are 112-83 in the Big 5 which is the best among Big 5 schools.

Other less intense rivalries include those with A-10 competitors Xavier University and the University of Massachusetts.

[edit] Traditions

Fans of the Hawks often chant "The Hawk Will Never Die!". Since the school's undefeated season, this chant has gained familiarity with the team's opponents. In 2003, Sports Illustrated listed that cheer among The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate (Whatever the Cost), calling it "the most defiant cheer in college sports"[1].

Midnight Madness The first men's varsity basketball practice, Midnight Madness is an event which allows students and fans to attend. Players entertain the crowd by putting on events such as slam dunk contests.

The Drum It is believed the Drum played a significant role in many an important win. The Drum leads the student section during fight songs and chants. Today this tradition lives on with a new generation of drummers.

Rollouts During Big 5 match-ups, each student section prepares written messages on large rollouts that are passed down the crowd.[2] Messages usually insult the opponent. A famed rollout occurred during the 2008 win against Villanova when two SJU students invaded the 'Nova crowd and unleashed a rollout with SJU's motto "The Hawk Will Never Die" in Villanova blue.

The Double Dip Anytime the Saint Joseph's Hawks win the same day or night the Villanova Wildcats lose. A double dip also occurs when the Hawks beat the Wildcats.

Fight Songs 'When the Hawks Go Flying In' is sung before every game and 'Mine Eyes' is sung immediately after every game regardless of the outcome. Cheers include "Let's go St. Joe's!", "SJU", and of course "The Hawk Will Never Die" which is reserved for the end of games.

Free Throw Wave During free throws, the student section puts up its hands and shakes them. The reaction afterwards depends on the team shooting and the outcome of the shot.

[edit] Mascot

SJU's mascot, The Hawk, has garnered numerous accolades in its 50-year history. It won a "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2003-04, has been named the Atlantic 10 Conference's best mascot, and has been selected as the nation's top mascot by The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Street & Smith's Basketball Yearbook, and ESPN College Basketball magazine.[3].

[edit] Accolades & Achievements

The Saint Joseph's University's basketball team was ranked 43rd best of all-time by Smith & Street's magazine in 2005[4].The Hawks have won seven Atlantic 10 regular season titles and two A-10 tournament championships and ranks 33rd all-time in wins with 1,439 and 44th all-time with a .605 winning percentage[5].

[edit] Baseball

The baseball team plays at Latshaw Field under lights making it the only team in the Philadelphia area able to play home games at night. They compete in the A-10 in the East Division. The team is led by coach Shawn Pender but has struggled mightily for the past five years. In 2007, the team was led by strong hitting but no pitchers had ERA's under 5.91. Since 2002, the team has gone 84-227 overall and 47-103 in conference play. The baseball team will be moving to the new field on Maguire Campus during the Spring of 2009 season.

Saint Joseph's played the first game on the Washington Nationals new field, Nationals Park in a loss to George Washington University in 2008.

The team started off 13-19 which is a vast improvement over the last few seasons.

20 SJU baseball players have been drafted in the history of the school's program. Jamie Moyer '85 holds the records for strikeouts and ERA in a season. His is the only number to be retired for baseball.

[edit] Football

Saint Joseph's had a football team from 1922 until 1939 but it was disbanded due to the death of a player and, like many other small, private colleges, World War II. What is now Finnesey Field was expected to become where the football stadium would be built. Saint Joseph's ironically got their nickname, the Hawks, due in part to the football team's potent aerial attack. In 2006, a student proposed an idea to "adopt" and root for fellow Jesuit institution, Boston College's football team. It was greeted with mixed reactions.

[edit] Soccer

SJU's soccer team used to be a part of the unofficial Soccer 7 until Philadelphia University dropped down to Division II.

[edit] Softball

As May 1st, 2008, the softball team has a player, Brooke Darreff, who leads the nation in batting average (.500) and doubles. Darreff was also named the Atlantic 10 softball player of the year.

[edit] Dance

As of early 2008, the dance team was nationally ranked.

[edit] Athletic Facilities

  • East Norriton Field: Located in East Norriton, Pa., East Norriton Field has served as Saint Joseph's University home softball field for the past 11 seasons. Prior to its move to East Norriton Field, SJU used nearby Belmont Plateau as its primary home field.
  • Elmwood Park: The home of Saint Joseph's University baseball is Elmwood Park's Latshaw/McCarthy Field in Norristown, Pa. Originally laid out in 1938, the field was being rebuilt when the Hawks moved in for the 1990 season. The park's dimensions measure 328 feet to the foul poles and 393 feet to center field.
  • Robert Gillin, Jr. Boathouse: Saint Joseph's University celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2000-01. In conjunction with that celebration, the SJU Rowing Program, along with Saint Joseph's Prep, kicked off a capital campaign to finance the construction of a state-of-the-art boathouse on the Schuylkill River. The boathouse provides a permanent home for the Hawk rowing programs. In addition, it provides the University with a significant presence on Kelly Drive. Named in honor of Robert Gillin, Jr., groundbreaking for the facility took place in the fall of 2001 with construction expected to be completed in time for the 2002-03 academic year. The total cost for the project was approximately $3 million dollars, plus an endowment fund to support ongoing operational costs.
  • Finnesey Field: Laid out in a natural bowl in the center of Saint Joseph's campus, Finnesey Field has been the home of Hawk athletic teams since 1929. Originally constructed for football and opened in 1929 with plans for an eventual 70,000-seat stadium, the field has undergone numerous changes over the years.
  • Finnesey Courts: Adjacent to Finnesey Field stand the Finnesey Courts, home to the Hawk men's and women's tennis teams since the late 1940s. Prior to that SJU primarily played its home matches at the nearby Narberth courts. When courts were first built on campus, they were located where Bellarmine Hall now stands. Due to Bellarmine's construction in the summer of 1960, however, the Finnesey courts were torn down and rebuilt in their current location.
  • Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse: The on-campus home of the Hawks, was named for the Saint Joseph's graduates who gave their lives in World War II. The building was officially dedicated on November 11, 1949 and two weeks later, played host to its first basketball game, a 62-46 loss to Rhode Island on November 26. Following that initial setback, SJU would go on to win the next 23 games in the friendly confines of the Fieldhouse. Overall, the Hawks have compiled an impressive 305-76 record (80.0 winning percentage) on Hawk Hill. Among the highlights of the Hawks' homecourt advantage was a 34-game winning streak from the late 1950's to the early 1960's, an 11-0 record in 2000-01 and the unbeaten 11-0 mark as the Hawks made their perfect season run in 2003-04. All told, SJU has had only two losing records in the Fieldhouse over 57 seasons. The Fieldhouse currently can hold 3,200 fans but will soon be renovated to add another 1,000 seats. After the renovation is complete, it will be renamed Michael J. Hagan Arena. Until then, the Hawks will play their home games at the Palestra on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. This temporary relocation will be during the 2008-09 season[6].
  • Maguire Campus: Eventually, fields and courts on the new Maguire Campus will be homes to the baseball, softball, tennis, and field hockey teams.

[edit] Fight Songs

Oh When the Hawks Go flying In!! Sung to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In"

Oh when the Hawks, go flying in,
Oh when the Hawks go flying in,
I want to be in that number,
When the Hawks go flying in.
(Repeat above)
Let's Go St. Joe!
Lets Go St. Joe!
Let's Go St. Joe!

Mine Eyes Sung to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Hawk,
He is flying through the doorway �cause he never, ever walks,
He is flying through the rafters like a loyal, loyal Hawk, The Hawk will never die.
Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly,
Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly,
Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly,
The Hawk will never die!
We have been to Cincinnati and we've been to Buffalo,
We have been to Carolina flying high and flying low,
And when we get to Maryland let everybody know,
The Hawk will never die.
Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly,
Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly,
Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly,
The Hawk will never die!

[edit] Sports Alumni

[edit] Baseball

[edit] Men's Basketball

[edit] Women's Basketball

[edit] Track and Field

[edit] Rowing

  • Richard J. Flanigan

[edit] Boxing

[edit] References

  1. ^ The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate (Whatever the Cost), Sports Illustrated
  2. ^ http://hawkhoopclub.org/images/atradition.jpg
  3. ^ [1], SJU.edu
  4. ^ College Basketball - 100 Greatest Programs :: DAResler.net
  5. ^ 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball All-Time Winningest Teams
  6. ^ St. Joseph's to call Palestra home in '08-09 | Philadelphia Daily News | 01/09/2008
v • d • e
Saint Joseph's Hawks Head Basketball Coaches

Dever • Bennis • Donahue • Lavin • Temple • Ferguson • McMenamin • Ramsay • McKinney • Booth • Lynam • Boyle • Griffin • Martelli