Southwestern College Moundbuilders

Infobox college athletics
name = Southwestern College Moundbuilders

university = Southwestern College (Kansas)
association = NAIA
division = Region IV
conference = Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
director = Mike Kirkland
city = Winfield
state = Kansas
stateabb = KS
teams = 13
stadium = Sonner Stadium (4,000)
arena = Stewart Field House (1,000)
baseballfield =
mascot = Jinx
nickname = Moundbuilders
fightsong =
color1 = Purple
color2 = White
hex1 = 800080
hex2 = FFFFFF
pageurl = http://www.sckans.edu/campus/a_and_a/aanda_ath.html
pagename = Southwestern College Moundbuilders

Southwestern College (Kansas) athletic teams are known as the Moundbuilders (sometimes simply called the "Builders"). They participate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.

"Men's Sports" * Basketball * Cross Country * Football * Golf * Soccer * Tennis * Track & Field

"Women's Sports" * Basketball * Cross Country * Golf * Soccer * Softball * Tennis * Track & Field * Volleyball

The school boasts the following accomplishments:

*143 KCAC Championships in 10 different sports since 1960
*15 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes in 2005-06
*SC finished 77th out of nearly 300 NAIA institutions in the United States Sports Academy Directors Cup for all sports in 2006.
*Seven KCAC Championships this past year in Softball, Men's Golf, Men's and Women's Track, Men's Basketball, and Men's and Women's Cross Country.
*NAIA Region IV titles in Men's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Golf to advance to NAIA National competition.
*Men's Basketball won the KCAC Post-Season tournament and advanced to the National Tournament.
*Women's Track and Men's Track each had National Champions in 2004.
*An SC student-athlete was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in 2006.
*Women's Tennis and Women's Cross Country were NAIA Region IV runners-up in 2005-06.
*In excess of 170 NAIA All-America Scholar Athletes since 1981, an honor requiring a 3.5 GPA.
*Women's Basketball advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the 2004 NAIA National Tournament.
*Conference champions in football in 1997, 1998, 1999.
*Men's and Women's soccer teams advanced to the semi-finals in the 2003 KCAC Post-Season tournament. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/campus/a_and_a/aanda_ath.html Southwestern College in Winfield, KS ] ]

Cross Country/Track & Field

Without a doubt, Southwestern College Athletics have experienced the most success in Track & Field and Cross Country. Since current head coach Jim Helmer took over the programs in 1978, the teams have combined for 27 straight men’s KCAC fall running championships 1980-2006, while the men's track and field teams have produced 26 consecutive conference crowns 1983-2007. The women's track & field teams have followed suit with 16 consecutive KCAC Championships under Mike Kirkland. Since 1978, the Moundbuilders have been awarded seven NAIA National Champions in men’s cross country and track, 81 athletes have earned NAIA All-American status a total of 188 times, and 440 separate athletes have earned All-Conference. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/crosscountry/index.php?page_ID=2261 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ]

Basketball (Men's)

Southwestern College Men's Basketball began in 1904 with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/mensbball/index.php?page_ID=816 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ] Since that time, Southwestern Men's Basketball has appeared in the NAIA national tournament a total of six times with the most recent appearance in 2006 under head coach Doug Hall. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/mensbball/index.php?page_ID=806 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ] The team won the national championship in 1939 and placed third in 1937. [ [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/naia/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/mensd1champhistory.pdf Baseball ] ]

Southwestern shows an all-time record in Men's Basketball of 1246-1019 in its first 101 seasons of play. The school currently competes in the NAIA as a Division II school at Stewart Field House (capacity: 1,000) on the Southwestern College campus [ [http://www.sckans.edu/mensbball/index.php?page_ID=823 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ]

Football

The Southwestern College Moundbuilder football team began in 1903 with 9 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie under coach J. J. Thiel. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/football/index.php?page_ID=563 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ] Since then the Builders have posted three undefeated seasons: 1913, 1918, and 1967. There has never been a season of Southwestern College Football without at least one victory. As of the 2006 season, the program has produced 40 All-Americans, 12 conference championships, 4 national playoff appearances, and 4 bowl games. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/football/index.php?page_ID=564 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ]

Bowl games

Southwestern has participated in 4 bowl games with an overall record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

In 1982, head coach Dennis Franchione led the Moundbuilders to 9 wins and 2 losses, with a conference championship and a win in the Sunflower Bowl. Charlie Cowdrey followed up the next year with an appearance in the Sunflower bowl, and then again in 1985.

1996 saw Southwestern post its second bowl victory in the Wheat Bowl, defeating Baker University 28-20 under head coach Monty Lewis. [ [http://football.victorysportsnetwork.com/fb/wheatbowlinfo/wheatbowl_1996.php NAIAFOOTBALL.NET-The Nation's Home for NAIA Football ] ]

Mascot

Moundbuilders

Southwestern College athletic teams are known as the "Moundbuilders." Since 1927, a ceremony has been repeated every September as the student's assemble at Southwestern. Each student and faculty member, as well as clubs and organizations, place one stone. Often, the rocks are carved or painted to represent the person or organization placing the rock. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/football/index.php?page_ID=567 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ]

The Jinx

The mascot of Southwestern College teams is the "Jinx" -- a black cat. Typically a student is dressed in the costume of a black cat for games.

The legend of "The Jinx" began in the early 1900's. Celebrating an easy victory over arch-rival Fairmount College (now Wichita State University), the students of Southwestern placed a tombstone on Southwestern's campus. The tombstone had a picture of a black cat and the final score of that season's game: 41-3. For the next 14 years the "jinxed" stone stood in defiance as the Moundbuilders won every game against Fairmount.

The players and student body of Fairmount took action. Students made several attempts to remove the stone but each time, the stone was rescued by Southwestern faculty and students.

Finally the Fairmount players sneaked down to Southwestern's campus and stole the tombstone. They then used dynamite to blow it up in a nearby field. The next game all players for Fairmont kept a piece of the stone with them for luck. When that final measure failed to work and Southwestern once again won the game, The frustrated Fairmount players threw down their pieces of the jinxed stone and left the field.

According to several eyewitnesses, the Southwestern students picked up the broken pieces and hid them in various places around Southwestern's campus. Legend holds that the pieces still remain hidden throughout the campus. [ [http://www.sckans.edu/football/index.php?page_ID=567 Southwestern College - Winfield, KS ] ]

References