Creighton Bluejays

Creighton Bluejays
University	Creighton University
Conference(s)	Missouri Valley Conference
NCAA	Division I
Athletics director	Bruce Rasmussen
Location	Omaha, NE
Varsity teams	14
Basketball arena	Century Link Center Omaha/D.J. Sokol Arena
Mascot	Billy the Bluejay
Nickname	Bluejays
Fight song	The White and the Blue
Colors	Blue and White
Homepage	www.gocreighton.com

The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams of Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics, competing in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton is the only exclusive Division I program to have the blue jay as its mascot.

Creighton fields 14 varsity teams in eight sports:

Men's sports Baseball Basketball Cross country Golf Soccer Tennis

Women's sports Basketball Crew Cross country Golf Soccer Softball Tennis Volleyball

Baseball

Creighton's baseball team competes in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are coached by Ed Servais who is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Bluejays. His record at Creighton is 254-149 (.630 winning percentage).

The team plays its home games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, also the home of the College World Series. Prior to the opening of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, the program played games at the Creighton Sports Complex and Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in South Omaha, which was also the home of the NCAA College World Series and the Omaha Royals of the Pacific Coast League.

1991 College World Series

See also: 1991 College World Series

Creighton appeared in the NCAA College World Series for the only time in 1991. The Jays advanced to the CWS by defeating the University of Hawaii Rainbows 15-8 in finals of the NCAA West I Regional in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to the victory over Hawaii, the Jays swept the four-game regional by beating Pepperdine University, University of Minnesota and host team University of Southern California in a 10-inning 8-7 victory.

The seventh-seeded Bluejays (49-20) opened play against the second seeded Clemson Tigers in front of then record crowd of more than 16,000 at Rosenblatt Stadium. The game ended with an 8-4 Creighton victory, setting up a second round match with the Wichita State University Shockers.

The Jays had finished the 1991 regular season with an overall record of 46-18, and a 16-8 record in the Missouri Valley Conference, good enough for second place behind league champion Wichita State. The Shockers had swept the regular season four-game series with the Jays, and had also defeated the Jays twice in the 1991 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament.

In one of the more memorable games in College World Series history, the Shockers defeated the Jays 3-2 in 12 innings. With one out in the bottom of the twelfth inning Wichita State center fielder Jim Audley threw out Creighton's pinch-runner Steve Burns at home plate in a play known to Bluejay and Shocker fans alike as "the throw." The game was recently ranked third in the list of the 25 greatest games in College World Series history by the Omaha World-Herald.

The Jays bounced back to defeat Long Beach State 13-4 in an elimination game, to set up a rematch with Wichita State in the National Semifinals. A trip to the title game for Creighton was not to be, however, as Wichita State advanced to the National Championship game after defeating Creighton for the eighth time that season, 11-3.

Louisiana State University defeated Wichita State 6-3 to win the 1991 NCAA Baseball National Championship.

The Bluejays Head Coach during that memorable 1991 season, Jim Hendry, is a former General Manager of the Chicago Cubs. Jim Hendry is also the only former Creighton Bluejay to have his number retired. His name and number (25) hang on the center field fence of Creighton Sports Complex.

Creighton is the host institution (in coordination with the city of Omaha) for the NCAA College World Series.

Notable former Bluejay Baseball players include Hall of Fame inductee Bob Gibson, Dave McKay, Pat Venditte, Dennis Rasmussen, Scott Stahoviak, Scott Servais, Zach Daeges and Alan Benes.

Team Honors:

Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Champions (1): 2005*, 2011*

* Outright

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions (1): 2007, 2011

NCAA Regionals Appearances (9): 1973, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2011

College World Series Appearances (1): 1991

Yearly Summary (note official results were not kept until 1966)

Year	Coach	W-L	Conference	Tournament	Post Season	Other
1966	Herb Millard	12-12	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1967	Herb Millard	15-8	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1968	Herb Millard	14-8	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1969	Tony Trvdik	11-24	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1970	Larry Cochell	25-7	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1971	Larry Cochell	24-21	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1972	Dave Baker	16-17	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1973	Dave Baker	25-16	n/a	n/a	NCAA District 5 Playoffs (0-2)	n/a
1974	Dave Baker	30-18	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1975	Dave Baker	32-12	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1976	Dave Baker	22-27-1	n/a	n/a	none	n/a
1977	Dave Baker	15-16	4th	6th	none	n/a
1978	Jerry Bartee	16-17	6th	5th	none	n/a
1979	Jerry Bartee	17-27-1	7th	T-6th	none	n/a
1980	Jerry Bartee	26-22-1	4th	T-6th	none	n/a
1981	Dave Underwood	37-30	2nd (West)	n/a	none	n/a
1982	Dave Underwood	32-23	2nd (West)	4th	none	n/a
1983	Dave Underwood	39-17	2nd (West)	4th	none	n/a
1984	Dave Underwood / Jim Hendry	23-21	6th	n/a	none	n/a
1985	Jim Hendry	35-27	5th	n/a	none	n/a
1986	Jim Hendry	33-29-1	5th	6th	none	n/a
1987	Jim Hendry	35-24	5th	3rd	none	n/a
1988	Jim Hendry	43-21-1	2nd	T-1st	none	All-American Catcher Scott Servais Drafted in 3rd Round by Houston Astros
1989	Jim Hendry	37-26	4th	4th	none	n/a
1990	Jim Hendry	48-22	3rd	2nd	NCAA Central Regional (2-2)	n/a
1991	Jim Hendry	51-22	2nd	2nd	NCAA West Regional I (4-0) 1991 College World Series (2-2)	All-American Scott Stahoviak Named National Player of the Year, Bluejays finish 3rd in NCAA
1992	Todd Wenberg	41-19-1	2nd	2nd	NCAA Central Regional (1-2)	n/a
1993	Todd Wenberg	32-25	T-5th	3rd	none	n/a
1994	Jack Dahm	28-29	3rd	4th	none	n/a
1995	Jack Dahm	35-22	2nd	3rd	none	n/a
1996	Jack Dahm	19-31-1	7th	n/a	none	n/a
1997	Jack Dahm	27-27	7th	n/a	none	n/a
1998	Jack Dahm	27-27-1	6th	T-5th	none	n/a
1999	Jack Dahm	38-25	3rd	2nd	NCAA South Bend Regional (0-2)	n/a
2000	Jack Dahm	38-22	3rd	4th	NCAA Tempe Regional (0-2)	n/a
2001	Jack Dahm	21-31	7th	n/a	none	n/a
2002	Jack Dahm	30-24	2nd	T-5th	none	n/a
2003	Jack Dahm	20-37	T-6th	T-5th	none	LHP Tom Oldham 6th Round Draft Pick of Seattle Mariners
2004	Ed Servais	35-24	2nd	4th	none	RHP Steve Grasley named All-American; signs with Seattle Mariners
2005	Ed Servais	48-17	1st	2nd	NCAA Lincoln Regional (2-2)	Bluejays win first conference regular season title in school history, RHP Eric Wordekemper 46th Round Draft of New York Yankees, LHP Scott Reese named All-American
2006	Ed Servais	31-21	4th	4th	none	OF Zach Daeges named All-American; 6th Round Draft Pick of Boston Red Sox, LHP Marc Lewis 26th Round Draft Pick of Milwaukee Brewers, RHP Adam Schaecher 31st Round Draft Pick of Texas Rangers, OF Chase Odenreider 49th Round Draft Pick of New York Yankees
2007	Ed Servais	45-17	2nd	1st	NCAA Fayetteville Regional (1-2)	Creighton Wins Conference Tournament, Pitchers Pat Venditte and Ben Mancuso named All-Americans, LHP Marc Lewis 20th Round Draft Pick of Florida Marlins, Catcher Chris Gradoville 24th Round Draft Pick of Texas Rangers, Pat Venditte 45th Round Draft Pick of New York Yankees
2008	Ed Servais	37-21	3rd	T-4th	none	Pitcher Pat Venditte 20th Round Draft Pick of New York Yankees
2009	Ed Servais	31-25	4th	2nd	none	1B Darin Ruf 20th Round Draft Pick of Philadelphia Phillies
2010	Ed Servais	27-25	6th	6th	none	SS Elliot Soto 15th Round Draft Pick of Chicago Cubs, C Carson Vitale 38th Round Draft Pick of Texas Rangers
2011	Ed Servais	45-16	1st	1st	NCAA Corvallis Regional (1-2)	First Creighton baseball team to win both the MVC regular season title and MVC tournament title. P Jonas Dufek 9th Round Draft Pick of Houston Astros, OF Trever Adams 16th Round Draft Pick of Texas Rangers

Main article: Creighton Bluejays men's basketball

Creighton's men's basketball program has been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference since the 1977-78 season. Prior to the 1977-78 season, the Jays participated as an Independent from 1948-1977.

Creighton's current head coach is Greg McDermott. He became head coach on April 27, 2010, following stints as the head coach at Wayne State, Northern Iowa and Iowa State.

The men's team plays all of their home games at the Qwest Center Omaha (17,560). The 2009-2010 season was their seventh at Qwest Center Omaha; Creighton owns a 97-18 (.843 winning percentage) record in their seven years at Qwest Center Omaha. Creighton's average home game attendance has ranked in the top 20, nationally, in each of the last four seasons at Qwest Center Omaha.

Famous individuals associated with Creighton basketball include former players: Bob Gibson, Paul Silas, Bob Portman, Gene Harmon, Benoit Benjamin, Bob Harstad, Chad Gallagher, Rodney Buford, Kyle Korver, Ryan Sears, Nate Funk, and Anthony Tolliver. Famous former coaches include "Red" McManus, Eddie Sutton, Willis Reed, Eddie Hickey, Tony Barone, Arthur A. Schabinger, and Dana Altman.

The all-time leading scorer in Creighton men's basketball history is Rodney Buford. Buford finished his four-year career at Creighton with 2,116 points.

Creighton University, in combination with the Missouri Valley Conference, was the host institution for the First and Second Rounds site at Qwest Center Omaha during the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and will again serve as the host institution for the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Team Honors:

AP National Champions: 1942-43

Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Champions (14): 1929-30, 1930–31, 1931-32*, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1940-41*, 1941–42, 1942-43*, 1977-78*, 1988-89*, 1990-91*, 2000-01*, 2001–02, 2008–09

* Outright

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions (10): 1978, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007

NCAA Tournament Appearances (16): 1941, 1962, 1964, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007

NIT Appearances (10): 1942, 1943, 1977, 1984, 1990, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009

CBI Appearances (1): 2011

CIT Appearances (1): 2010

Guardians Classic Tournament Champions (2): 2002, 2004

Women's basketball

The women's basketball team is coached by Jim Flanery, and were the 2004 WNIT Champions. They play their home games on campus at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Team Honors:

Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions (2): 1990-91*, 1991-92*

* Outright

Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Champions (2): 2001-02*, 2002–03

* Outright

Western Athletic Conference Tournament Champions (1): 1992

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions (1): 2002

NCAA Tournament Appearances (3): 1992, 1994, 2002

WNIT Appearances (7): 1987, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011

WNIT Champions (1): 2004

Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team has gone to the NCAA Tournament in 18 of the previous 19 seasons with three appearances in the College Cup and one appearance in the National Championship Match—as well as being the only soccer program in the nation to have at least one athlete taken in every Major League Soccer (MLS) draft from 1996 - 2011.

Creighton's current men's soccer coach is Elmar Bolowich. Bolowich was named head coach of the Creighton Bluejays on February 9, 2011 following 22 seasons as the head coach at North Carolina.

Prior to Bolowich, Jamie Clark led the Bluejays for one season, 2010, in which they compiled a 13-5-2 and returned to the NCAA tournament with an-large bid after being left out during the 2009 season, breaking a streak of 17 consecutive NCAA appearances.

Prior to Clark's only season at the helm, Creighton has had only two other head coaches since the reinstatement of the program in 1990. They are current Stanford University head coach Bret Simon, who was head coach of Creighton from 1995–2000 and current Penn State head coach Bob Warming, who was head coach of Creighton from 1990–1994 and 2001-2009.

Current Creighton assistant coach Johnny Torres is the only Creighton player to win the Hermann Trophy, doing so in 1997. The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the nation's best men's college soccer player.

Creighton plays their home matches on campus at Morrison Stadium, which is named after former university President Fr. Michael Morrison, S.J. The last time Creighton hosted the Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer Tournament was 2007, but will host the men's soccer tournament again in 2011.

Team Honors:

Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Champions (10): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions (12): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011

NCAA Tournament Appearances (19): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

NCAA College Cup Appearances (3): 1996, 2000*, 2002

*National Runner-Up

Former Bluejays and Current Active MLS Players: Seth Sinovic (New England Revolution); Brian Mullan (Houston Dynamo); Mehdi Ballouchy (Colorado Rapids); Richard Mulrooney (Houston Dynamo); Chris Schuler (Real Salt Lake)

Women's Soccer

The women's soccer team has won three of the last five Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in each of those years. The team also plays its home games on campus at Morrison Stadium.

Team Honors:

Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Champions (1): 2002

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions (4): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007

NCAA Tournament Appearances (4): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007

Football

• See Creighton Bluejays football

Football was discontinued in 1942.

External links

• Creighton Athletics
• The Bluejay Cafe - Unofficial team site
• 1991 Creighton vs. Wichita State College World Series Game