Saint Joseph's Hawks

Infobox college athletics

logo_width = 125
name = Saint Joseph's Hawks
university = Saint Joseph's University
conference = A-10
association = NCAA
division = Division I
director = Don DiJulia
city = Philadelphia
state = PA
stateabb = Pennsylvania
teams = 20
stadium = N/A
baseballfield = Elmwood Park
soccerlacrossestadium = Finnesey Field
arena = Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse
mascot = The Hawk
nickname = "The Hawks"
fightsong = "Oh When the Hawks Go Flying In!!"
color1 = Crimson
color2 = Grey
hex1 = DC143C
hex2 = 808080
pageurl = http://sjuhawks.cstv.com/
pagename = 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.

There are 20 varsity (10 men, 10 women) and 17 intramural sports at Saint Joseph's.

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
*Men's Soccer
*Women's Soccer
*Men's Cross Country
*Women's Cross Country
*Men's Crew
*Women's Crew
*Men's Golf
*Field HockeyWinter
*Men's Basketball
*Women's Basketball
*Men's Indoor Track
*Women's Indoor TrackSpring
*Baseball
*Softball
*Men's Track & Field
*Women's Track & Field
*Men's Tennis
*Women's Tennis
*Women's Lacrosse
*Men's Golf

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). They have made one Final Four, two Elite Eights, and seven Sweet Sixteens. The team is currently led by coach Phil Martelli. Throughout the school's history, 29 different players have been drafted into the NBA.

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.

Current

The Hawks most recently made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2008. During the 2008-2009 season, SJU will play its home games at the Palestra while its home arena is renovated. Saint Joseph's will play the University of Texas at the Maui Invitational to begin the season.

Rivals

Historical rivals of SJU are the La Salle University Explorers. For decades, though, the main rival has been the Villanova University (Newhouse) 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.

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" [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/sioncampus/09/24/100_things0930/ The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate (Whatever the Cost)] , "Sports Illustrated"] .

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. [ [http://sjuhawks.cstv.com/school-bio/stjs-the-hawk.html] , "SJU.edu"] .

Retired Numbers

Accolades & Achievements

The Saint Joseph's University's basketball team was ranked 43^rd best of all-time by Smith & Street's magazine in 2005 [ [http://daresler.net/info/top/basketball-programs/ College Basketball - 100 Greatest Programs :: DAResler.net ] ] . The Hawks have won seven Atlantic 10 regular season titles and two A-10 tournament championships and ranks 33^rd all-time in wins with 1,439 and 44^th all-time with a .605 winning percentage [ [http://www.ncaa.org/stats/m_basketball/all_time_wins/2007_all_time_wins.pdf 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball All-Time Winningest Teams ] ] .

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.

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.

occer

SJU's soccer team used to be a part of the unofficial Soccer 7 until Philadelphia University dropped down to Division II. Now the "league" is referred to as the Soccer 6. Former Hawk Tim Mulqueen will coach soccer in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

oftball

As May 1st, 2008, the softball team had a player, Brooke Darreff, who was leading the nation in batting average (.500). Darreff was also named the Atlantic 10 softball player of the year. Erika Rosenwinkel ended up leading the NCAA in doubles and Darreff finished fifth in batting average and sixteenth in doubles per game.

Dance

As of early 2008, the dance team was nationally ranked. They dance at all SJU home basketball games and occasionally perform at 76ers home games.

Rowing

Saint Joseph's competes in the Dad Vail Regatta, a nationally recognized event and the largest collegiate regatta in the United States, held on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The Hawks women and men have taken championships home as recently as 2006 and 1999 respectively.

SJU's boathouse sits on the east bank of the Schuylkill River approximately 2 miles up river from the historic Boathouse Row, listed among the "100 Things To Do Before You Graduate" by Sports Illustrated (visit Boathouse Row). [http://www.boathouserow.org]

Former SJU rower Renee Hykel will be competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.

In 2008, SJU rower Debbie Bateman won A-10 student-athlete of the year.

Field Hockey

In 2007, SJU advanced to the A-10 Championship game but lost to UMass. They won the conference tournament and regular season championship in 1995. [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/atl10/sports/w-fieldh/auto_pdf/recordsfh.pdf]

Olympians

There have been 10 Hawks who have represented the United States during the Olympic games. Two of them, Sean Drea and Mike Teti, have competed multiple times.

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 [ [http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20080109_St__Joes_-_Hawks_to_call_Palestra_home_in_08-09.html St. Joseph's to call Palestra home in '08-09 | Philadelphia Daily News | 01/09/2008 ] ] .
*Maguire Campus: Eventually, fields and courts on the new Maguire Campus will be homes to the baseball, softball, tennis, and field hockey teams.

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!

ports Alumni

Baseball

*Jamie Moyer
*Fritz Henrich
*Bryan Brown
*Gerald Hunsicker (GM)

Men's Basketball

*Jameer Nelson
*Delonte West
*Mike Bantom
*Matt Guokas
*Dwayne Jones
*Jim Lynam
*Jack McKinney
*Jim O'Brien
*Jack Ramsay
*Pat Carroll
*Bruiser Flint
*Bill Phillips
*Pat Calathes
*Dan McClean

Women's Basketball

*Debbie Black
*Megan Compain

Track and Field

*Vince Papale
*Donna Stewart

Rowing

*Richard J. Flanigan
*Renee Hykel
*Mike Teti
*Bob Jaugstetter

Boxing

*Chazz Witherspoon

occer

*Tim Mulqueen

wimming

*Wilson "Buddy" Peck

References