Butler Bulldogs
Encyclopedia
All but one of Butler University
's 19 intercollegiate teams compete in the Horizon League
, along with Cleveland State
, Detroit
, Green Bay, Loyola
, Milwaukee
, UIC
, Valparaiso
, Wright State
and Youngstown State
. The football team is a member of the Pioneer League
, which includes Dayton
, Drake
, San Diego, Valparaiso, Morehead State, Davidson, Marist
, Jacksonville
, and Campbell
.
in 1966, came to symbolize not only Butler athletics, but also Indiana "Hoosier Hysteria
." From its opening in 1928 until 1971, the building became the combined home of Butler basketball and the final rounds of the Indiana High School Athletic Association
’s basketball tournament. The legends of Indiana basketball, from Oscar Robertson
to George McGinnis
to Larry Bird
, all played in the Fieldhouse at one time or another.
In 1954, Butler Fieldhouse hosted the historic final when Milan High School
(enrollment 161) defeated Muncie
Central High School (enrollment over 1,600) to win the state title. The state final depicted in the 1986 movie Hoosiers
, loosely based on the Milan Miracle story, was shot in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Varsity Field features a covered area for both team benches, an elevated press box, a storage area for equipment and seating along the southern sideline for up to 500 spectators. The soccer teams are also able to take advantage of the practice fields located north of the main field.
Originally a multi-purpose baseball field and football practice field, Bulldog Park became a baseball-only facility following substantial renovations during the 1990s, which saw the addition of a permanent outfield fence, bleachers, dugouts and a press box. Since its conversion, the field has been home to numerous players who have gone on to play in the professional ranks, including current Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek.
In 2009, Bulldog Park received further upgrades including new bullpens, sodded baselines, new dugout benches, and an indoor hitting facility with three batting cages and a putting green. A 2010 upgrade will see Bulldog Park receive a new net backstop and a turf ring around home plate.
The field features brick dugouts for both the home and visiting benches, a bullpen area and batting cages located down the first base line out of play and spectator seating for up to 500 people. The field's outfield dimensions extend to 200 feet (61 m) from foul pole to foul pole.
A minor renovation during the winter of 2007 saw new dirt added to the infield and regraded for a more consistent playing surface.
The Bulldogs have carried on the winning traditions set forth by Hinkle. In the past decade, Butler teams have captured 26 conference championships (in four different leagues). The Bulldogs have made appearances in NCAA National Championship Tournaments in men's and women's basketball, men's soccer, volleyball, men's cross country, lacrosse, and baseball. Butler won the James J. McCafferty trophy, awarded annually by the conference for all-sports excellence based on conference championship points, five times, including three-straight from 1996-97 to 1998-99 and back-to-back years in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
To date, there have been two dogs to carry the name "Blue", which is named for the university's primary color.
In addition to "Blue," a person in bulldog costume also performs as "Hink" for various Butler University athletic and university events.
from 1932 to 1934, the Mid-American Conference
from 1946 to 1950, the Indiana Collegiate Conference from 1950 to 1978, and currently competes in the Horizon League
where it has competed since the league’s creation in 1979, although it was originally named the Midwestern Cities Conference until 1985, then the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. The Horizon League moniker was adopted in 2001.
Prior to the development of the NCAA Tournament, Butler claimed the AAU national championship in 1924 and the national championship John J. McDevitt trophy by the Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia. The Bulldogs reached post-season play for the first time in 1958, and the team’s first victory in post-season play came the following year when the Bulldogs made it to the NIT Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs have competed in the NIT post-season tournament seven times, twice reaching the quarterfinals.
The bulldogs qualified for the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament for the first time in 1962 when it finished Regional Third Place. In total, the Bulldogs have qualified or been selected for the NCAA Tournament ten times and boast a record of 10-9, including four sweet sixteen finishes.
Recently, the Butler basketball program been considered one of the best "mid-major
" basketball programs, having won at least 20 games and reached postseason play twelve of the last fourteen seasons, including appearances in nine NCAA Tournament
s where the Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2003 and 2007, as well as back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2010 and 2011. Since the start of the 2006-2007 season, the Bulldogs have earned a 15-8 record against members of the BCS leagues, including a 7-2 record against the Big 10. The program’s success has been attributed to "The Butler Way
", a now-unique style of team play that many have said harkens back to the Indiana glory days, as well as being called "the way the game should be played."
The Bulldogs’ recent accomplishments include winning the 2001 BP Top of the World Classic., the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off
, the 2007 Great Alaska Shootout
and the 2010 Diamond Head Classic
. Individual honors include the selection of Butler junior guard AJ Graves as a Wooden Award National Player of the Year finalist in men's college basketball in 2007, the same year Head Coach Todd Lickliter
was named the National Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches after winning the award for mid-season National Coach of the Year. In 2008, Senior Mike Green
was the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award
Winner. In 2010 the Bulldogs made it to the Championship game, in Indianapolis, for the first time in school history. Sophomore Gordon Hayward
entered the NBA Draft
and was a lottery pick
by the Utah Jazz
. Hayward is the first Butler player to play in the NBA since Ralph O'Brien
in the early 1950s. In 2011, they made it to the national championship game for the second straight time.
(AIAW), and saw its first winning season two years later, earning a 9-5 record under the direction of coach Linda Mason. The Bulldogs played in the AIAW National Tournament for the first time in 1982, falling in the second round to William Penn, 77-94. The next year, the Bulldogs began competition at the NCAA Division II level and joined the Horizon League and Division I competition for the 1986-87 season.
The Bulldogs qualified for Division I post-season play for the first time in 1993, competing in the WNIT, and competed in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament for the first time in 1996. Their last post-season appearance in the 1990s was in the WNIT in 1998. The Bulldogs did not return to the post-season until 2009 and 2010 under head coach Beth Couture
, who led the team to four consecutive 20-win seasons in 2008 through 2011.
The Bulldogs have appeared in three playoff games, the last in 1991 when it lost to eventual national champion Pittsburg State 26-16. The Bulldogs saw their greatest success in football over the course of 60 seasons from 1934 to 1994 when Bulldog football teams won 31 conference championships, including seven straight Indiana Collegiate Conference titles from 1934 to 1940, league titles in 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, and seven straight from 1958 to 1964, all under the late great Tony Hinkle.
Following the move from the College Division to NCAA Division II, Butler won 4 straight conference championships from 1972 to 1975, along with another one in 1977, all under the guidance of Bill Sylvester, Sr. Ashland joined Butler and fellow ICC members to form the Heartland Collegiate Conference, in which Butler won league titles in 1983, 1985, and three straight from 1987 to 1989, under coach Bill Lynch. The Bulldogs also went the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1983 and 1988.
Butler and fellow HCC member schools joined with the Great Lakes Valley Conference to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (now the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). Butler added back to back league titles in 1991 and 1992 with Bob Bartlameo at the helm, including a trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1991. The following season, Butler and member school Valparaiso moved up to NCAA Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) to join with Dayton, Drake, Evansville, and San Diego to form the Pioneer Football League
, in which Butler still competes. Butler capped its decade of dominance, seven league titles in ten years with three playoff berths, by winning another conference championship in 1994. The Dawgs were led by the great Arnold Mickens who broke numerous NCAA Division I rushing records, including eight straight 200 yard performances during the campaign.
The Bulldogs won the 2009 Pioneer Football League title by compiling a 7-1 league record and a 11-1 season overall. The conference title run included a come-from-behind 25-24 victory over Pioneer League preseason favorite San Diego, a 31-28 road win at Dayton (who also finished with a 7-1 league record), and a 20-17 title-clinching victory over Drake.
The Pioneer Football League title earned the Bulldogs a berth in the Gridiron Classic. It's Butler's first postseason appearance since 1991 when they were still a Division-II football program. Butler defeated Central Connecticut State 28-23 to win the Gridiron Classic in Indianapolis.
The Hoosier Helmet was created prior to the 2006 season to commemorate the football rivalry that has existed since 1921. The helmet trophy was created to further intensify the rivalry between these two teams. A group of Butler players, along with their head coach, Jeff Voris, came up with the idea for the helmet. After Valparaiso head coach Stacey Adams agreed to play for the helmet, Butler equipment manager John Harding put the helmet together.
The white helmet is mounted on a hardwood plaque and features each team's logo on respective sides of the helmet. A gold plate is added each year to commemorate the winner and score of the contest. Currently, Butler holds a 4-1 series lead when playing for the Hoosier Helmet. Both Butler and Valparaiso compete in the NCAA FCS (formerly division 1-AA), non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.
The event annually showcased 350-400 athletes representing 20-30 colleges and universities. From an attendance of 3,500, the games grew to attract over 10,000 spectators to Butler (Hinkle) Fieldhouse each March. The college's fraternities and sororities vied in yearly ticket sales, parade float, house decoration, and Relay Queen competitions. The University Division "Governor's Cup" went to each year's victor, with Indiana University claiming the inaugural trophy in 1933 and the University of Notre Dame taking the final prize in 1942. The University of Michigan captured the eight intervening awards. Butler claimed the College Division "Mayor's Trophy" between 1938 and 1941. In addition to the participation of legendary American Olympians Jesse Owens, Glenn Cunningham, Ralph Metcalfe, and IU's Don Lash, the Butler Relays saw ten world records set or tied during the meet's decade-long run.
When Phillips became head track and field coach at Purdue University in 1938, Lawrence Holmes directed the relays for one year. Butler alumnus and former world two mile (3 km) record holder Ray Sears staged the games from 1939 until the fieldhouse was dedicated to military use in 1942. The Butler Relays were not reinstituted after World War II because of the expense and the basketball program's influence over fieldhouse scheduling.
. Other sports joined conferences in later years.
We'll sing the Butler war song,
We'll give a fighting cry;
We'll fight the Butler battle--
Bulldogs ever do or die.
And in the glow of the victory firelight,
Hist'ry cannot deny
To add a page or two
For Butler's fighting crew
Beneath the Hoosier sky.
As performed by the Butler Band
Butler Varsity
On, on, O Varsity,
Forever royal blue.
Not a team can bar the way
When you go charging through.
Forward with might and main
To gain the victor's shield
And the varsity forever
Right on down that field.
As performed by the Butler Band
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
's 19 intercollegiate teams compete in the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
, along with Cleveland State
Cleveland State Vikings
The Cleveland State Vikings, or Vikes, are the athletic teams of Cleveland State University. Before as Fenn College they were known as the Fenn College Foxes or Fenn Foxes. Cleveland State competes in NCAA Division I. They have been a member of the NCAA Division I since 1972. They were previously...
, Detroit
Detroit Titans
The Detroit Titans are the NCAA Division I team of the University of Detroit Mercy . The school competes in the Horizon League.-Basketball :On April 12, 2008, UDM announced the hiring of Ray McCallum as Men's Basketball Coach...
, Green Bay, Loyola
Loyola Ramblers
The Loyola Ramblers are the varsity sports teams of Loyola University Chicago. Most teams compete in the Horizon League of the NCAA Division I...
, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Panthers
The Milwaukee Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. A total of 15 Panthers athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I. Panthers have won the James J...
, UIC
UIC Flames
The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Chicago. They are called the Flames as a reference to the Great Chicago Fire, and their team colors are navy blue and fire engine red. Approximately 300 student athletes compete in 18 varsity sports...
, Valparaiso
Valparaiso Crusaders
The Valparaiso University Crusaders compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I .Valparaiso competes in the Horizon League in all sports except for football, which is not sponsored by the conference. The football team is a member of the Pioneer Football League. On May 27,...
, Wright State
Wright State Raiders
For many years, Wright State's sports teams used a character called Rowdy Raider as their mascot; a red-bearded Viking with a horned helmet, which emerged in 1986. In 1997, the Viking was retired and the Wolf was born...
and Youngstown State
Youngstown State Penguins
Youngstown State University is in NCAA Division I. Nicknamed the Penguins, they play in the Horizon League and Missouri Valley Football Conference, and compete in the following sports:*Baseball *Basketball *Cross Country...
. The football team is a member of the Pioneer League
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
, which includes Dayton
Dayton Flyers
The Dayton Flyers are the University of Dayton's intercollegiate athletic teams, which are based in Dayton, Ohio. The Flyers' home arena is the University of Dayton Arena. The name is a reference and homage to Daytonians Orville and Wilbur Wright who pioneered heavier than air flight...
, Drake
Drake Bulldogs
The Drake Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Drake University. Athletic scholarships are offered in basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, tennis, and volleyball. However, all football players are walk-ons as Drake does not offer athletic scholarships in that sport...
, San Diego, Valparaiso, Morehead State, Davidson, Marist
Marist Red Foxes
Marist College plays NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the MAAC. Other schools in this conference include Siena College, Iona College, Niagara University, Manhattan College, Fairfield University, Loyola College in Maryland, Canisius College, Rider University, and Saint Peter's...
, Jacksonville
Jacksonville Dolphins
The Jacksonville University Dolphins are the athletics team of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics, and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the National Lacrosse Conference, and as the Pioneer Football League.-Sports...
, and Campbell
Campbell Fighting Camels
The Campbell University Fighting Camels and Lady Camels are the nicknames of the school's 18 teams that compete at the Division I level of the NCAA.-Sports teams:*Men's sports**Baseball**Basketball**Cross country**Football**Golf**Soccer...
.
Facilities
It was clear from the earliest days that athletics was destined to play a major role in shaping Butler University. When the school moved to its current Fairview campus location, two of the first structures completed were a 15,000-seat fieldhouse and a 36,000-seat football stadium.The Butler Bowl
The football stadium, which came to be known as the Butler Bowl, was built in 1927. The original stadium had seating for 36,000 and hosted games versus the likes of the Four Horsemen from Notre Dame and Red Grange from Illinois. The Bowl was downsized to a 20,000-seat stadium in 1955 with the addition of the Hilton U. Brown Theatre, and is the home field for Butler football and soccer today. A 2006 renovation of the Butler Bowl included seating for 7,500, larger sidelines, and field turf, which allows the Butler Bowl to host football, soccer, and other events. The new Student Apartment Housing overlooks the stadium on the east end, with the original seating on the west side of the stadium. A new press box and new seating on the west end and additional seating on the east end of the Bowl have been completed for the 2010 fall season. New seating and the new entrance on the south end of the stadium will be completed in time for the 2012 season. The new student hill will then be on the north end of the Butler Bowl.Hinkle Fieldhouse
The fieldhouse, which was the largest of its kind when it was completed in 1928 and remained the largest in the U.S. for several decades, is a historical landmark. The Butler Fieldhouse, which was renamed Hinkle FieldhouseHinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse is a basketball arena located on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. When it was built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, and it retained that distinction until 1950. It is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in...
in 1966, came to symbolize not only Butler athletics, but also Indiana "Hoosier Hysteria
Hoosier Hysteria
Hoosier Hysteria is the state of excitement surrounding basketball in Indiana, or more specifically the Indiana high school basketball tournament. In part, the excitement stemmed from the inclusion of all tournament entrants into the same tournament, where a small town's David might knock off a...
." From its opening in 1928 until 1971, the building became the combined home of Butler basketball and the final rounds of the Indiana High School Athletic Association
Indiana High School Athletic Association
The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...
’s basketball tournament. The legends of Indiana basketball, from Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
to George McGinnis
George McGinnis
George F. McGinnis is a retired American professional basketball player, most notably with the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association . He was drafted into the ABA from Indiana University in 1971...
to Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
, all played in the Fieldhouse at one time or another.
In 1954, Butler Fieldhouse hosted the historic final when Milan High School
1954 Milan High School basketball team
The 1954 Milan High School Indians were the Indiana state high school basketball champions in 1954. With an enrollment of only 161, the Indians were the smallest school ever to win a single-class state basketball title in Indiana. The team and town are the inspiration for the 1986 film Hoosiers...
(enrollment 161) defeated Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
Central High School (enrollment over 1,600) to win the state title. The state final depicted in the 1986 movie Hoosiers
Hoosiers
Hoosiers is a 1986 sports film about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. It is loosely based on the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship....
, loosely based on the Milan Miracle story, was shot in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Varsity Field
Other facilities include Varsity Field, which serves as one of the homes of the Butler men's and women's soccer teams. A natural grass field, the complex gives the soccer teams a unique advantage in being able to play games and have practices on both the artificial surface of the Butler Bowl and the natural surface of Varsity Field.Varsity Field features a covered area for both team benches, an elevated press box, a storage area for equipment and seating along the southern sideline for up to 500 spectators. The soccer teams are also able to take advantage of the practice fields located north of the main field.
Bulldog Park
Bulldog Park serves as the home of the Butler baseball team. Located just behind Hinkle Fieldhouse and the Butler Bowl, Bulldog Park provides a nostalgic setting for collegiate baseball, with seating for up to 500 spectators and a fully functional press box. The field features symmetrical dimensions, stretching 330 feet (100.6 m) down both lines, 370 feet (112.8 m) to the gaps and an even 400 feet (121.9 m) to the batter's eye in dead center. The Butler dugout stretches along the third-base line with the visitors situated along first. The bullpens are located in foul territory in both corners of the outfield, while a batting cage sits along the left-field line out of play.Originally a multi-purpose baseball field and football practice field, Bulldog Park became a baseball-only facility following substantial renovations during the 1990s, which saw the addition of a permanent outfield fence, bleachers, dugouts and a press box. Since its conversion, the field has been home to numerous players who have gone on to play in the professional ranks, including current Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek.
In 2009, Bulldog Park received further upgrades including new bullpens, sodded baselines, new dugout benches, and an indoor hitting facility with three batting cages and a putting green. A 2010 upgrade will see Bulldog Park receive a new net backstop and a turf ring around home plate.
Butler Softball Field
The Butler softball team calls the Butler Softball Field home, located adjacent to the Holcomb Gardens across the Inland Waterway Canal. The field is a part of a larger athletic field complex that features Varsity Field (the alternate field for both the men's and women's soccer teams), the outdoor tennis courts and intramural softball and soccer fields.The field features brick dugouts for both the home and visiting benches, a bullpen area and batting cages located down the first base line out of play and spectator seating for up to 500 people. The field's outfield dimensions extend to 200 feet (61 m) from foul pole to foul pole.
A minor renovation during the winter of 2007 saw new dirt added to the infield and regraded for a more consistent playing surface.
The Butler Bubble
The Butler Bubble is home to the Bulldog men's and women's tennis teams and is used as an indoor practice facility for the Butler baseball, football and soccer teams. All of the Butler tennis teams' home matches during the winter and early spring take place inside the bubble, which is located behind Hinkle Fieldhouse off of 52nd Street. The Bubble was originally constructed at the far west end of the Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot, but was relocated to along the right field line of Bulldog Park after the original plot was broke for the construction of the new Health and Recreation Complex in the summer of 2005. The Bubble houses four hard-surface tennis courts as well as additional room for storage of equipment for both tennis teams. The bubble itself is supported by higher air pressure inside and is permanently fixed over the courts.Davey Track and Field
Situated next adjacent to Bulldog Park as a part of the Davey Athletic Complex, the Davey Track & Field is used primarily by the Butler track & field teams and the football team for practices but is also utilized by the other athletics programs for conditioning.Butler Health & Rec. Center
Butler University broke ground on its new, 85000 square feet (7,896.8 m²) Health and Recreation Complex (HRC) in June 2005. The HRC offers many new services to students, faculty and staff, while expanding others presently available. In addition to being the main stomping ground for Butler's department of recreation, the HRC also houses Counseling and Consultation Services, Health Education and Health Services, making it a true wellness center on campus. Since opening Aug 30, 2006, over 250,000 participants have enjoyed it so far.Paul D. “Tony” Hinkle
While the Fieldhouse provided a nationally acclaimed setting for Butler athletics, it was Paul D. "Tony" Hinkle, credited with inventing the orange basketball, who brought national recognition to the school as a coach and athletic administrator. He came to Butler in 1921 and remained with the University until his death in 1992. Hinkle served as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator for nearly half a century and compiled more than 1,000 victories with the school's football, basketball and baseball teams.The Bulldogs have carried on the winning traditions set forth by Hinkle. In the past decade, Butler teams have captured 26 conference championships (in four different leagues). The Bulldogs have made appearances in NCAA National Championship Tournaments in men's and women's basketball, men's soccer, volleyball, men's cross country, lacrosse, and baseball. Butler won the James J. McCafferty trophy, awarded annually by the conference for all-sports excellence based on conference championship points, five times, including three-straight from 1996-97 to 1998-99 and back-to-back years in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Butler mascots
Prior to 1919, Butler's athletic teams were known as the "Christians." Numerous losses in the 1919 football season caused Butler's followers to grow weary of the nickname. During the week leading up to Butler's game with the heated rival Franklin "Baptists," members of the Butler Collegian, which included cartoonist George Dickson, decided something "hot" must be conceived for the school's weekly pep session. About that time, the mascot of a Butler fraternity (a bulldog named Shimmy because you couldn't shake him), wandered into the Collegian office. The idea was born. The next school paper came out with a big page-one cartoon showing Shimmy the bulldog, labeled "Butler", taking a bite out of the pants seat of a figure labeled John the Baptist. The caption was: "Bring on That Platter, Salome!" (Butler lost the game to Franklin, 14-0, but the name "Bulldogs" stuck).To date, there have been two dogs to carry the name "Blue", which is named for the university's primary color.
- Butler Blue I (September 23, 2000 - ) - one NCAA Sweet 16 appearance (2003) and two Horizon League McCafferty All-Sports Championships (2002, 2003). Term of service: 2000–2003
- Butler Blue II (March 27, 2004 - ) - Two NCAA National Championship appearances (2010 & 2011), three Sweet 16 appearances (2007, 2010, 2011) and three Horizon League McCafferty All-Sports Championships (2007, 2010, & 2011). Term of service: 2004–present
In addition to "Blue," a person in bulldog costume also performs as "Hink" for various Butler University athletic and university events.
Sports offered
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball/Softball | X | X |
| Basketball | X | X |
| Cross Country | X | X |
| Football | X | - |
| Golf | X | X |
| Lacrosse | Discontinued | - |
| Soccer | X | X |
| Swimming | Discontinued | X |
| Tennis | X | X |
| Track & Field | X | X |
| Volleyball | - | X |
| Totals | 8 | 9 |
Men's basketball
Historically, the Butler basketball program competed in the Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
from 1932 to 1934, the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
from 1946 to 1950, the Indiana Collegiate Conference from 1950 to 1978, and currently competes in the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
where it has competed since the league’s creation in 1979, although it was originally named the Midwestern Cities Conference until 1985, then the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. The Horizon League moniker was adopted in 2001.
Prior to the development of the NCAA Tournament, Butler claimed the AAU national championship in 1924 and the national championship John J. McDevitt trophy by the Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia. The Bulldogs reached post-season play for the first time in 1958, and the team’s first victory in post-season play came the following year when the Bulldogs made it to the NIT Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs have competed in the NIT post-season tournament seven times, twice reaching the quarterfinals.
The bulldogs qualified for the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament for the first time in 1962 when it finished Regional Third Place. In total, the Bulldogs have qualified or been selected for the NCAA Tournament ten times and boast a record of 10-9, including four sweet sixteen finishes.
Recently, the Butler basketball program been considered one of the best "mid-major
Mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...
" basketball programs, having won at least 20 games and reached postseason play twelve of the last fourteen seasons, including appearances in nine NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
s where the Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2003 and 2007, as well as back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2010 and 2011. Since the start of the 2006-2007 season, the Bulldogs have earned a 15-8 record against members of the BCS leagues, including a 7-2 record against the Big 10. The program’s success has been attributed to "The Butler Way
The Butler Way
The Butler Way is a term used since the 2006-07 men's NCAA college basketball season by broadcasters and sportswriters nationwide to describe the governing philosophy of the Butler Bulldogs, one of the most successful mid-major programs...
", a now-unique style of team play that many have said harkens back to the Indiana glory days, as well as being called "the way the game should be played."
The Bulldogs’ recent accomplishments include winning the 2001 BP Top of the World Classic., the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off
NIT Season Tip-Off
The NIT Season Tip-Off is an annual college basketball tournament that takes place in November of each year, around the beginning of the season. The first two rounds are held at campus sites and the semifinals and the finals are held at Madison Square Garden. The tournament began in 1985 as the...
, the 2007 Great Alaska Shootout
Great Alaska Shootout
The Great Alaska Shootout is an annual college basketball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska that features colleges from all over the United States. The University of Alaska Anchorage hosts the tournament every Thanksgiving. Tournament games are played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage...
and the 2010 Diamond Head Classic
Diamond Head Classic
The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is a three-day invitational college basketball tournament held at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on the campus of the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Each team plays three games, winners facing winners and losers facing losers. The Western...
. Individual honors include the selection of Butler junior guard AJ Graves as a Wooden Award National Player of the Year finalist in men's college basketball in 2007, the same year Head Coach Todd Lickliter
Todd Lickliter
Todd Lickliter is a basketball coach. He was the head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and Butler University Bulldogs men's basketball team. In 2011 he became an assistant coach at Miami .-Early years:...
was named the National Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches after winning the award for mid-season National Coach of the Year. In 2008, Senior Mike Green
Michael Green (basketball, born 1985)
Michael Green is an American basketball player. He played with Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi of the Turkish Basketball League, Liege in Belgium and now Cantù in Italy. Green formerly played with the Butler University Bulldogs. Green was the Horizon League men's basketball player of the year in...
was the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award
Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award
The Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award is presented to a men's college basketball player who is a senior and who has demonstrated personal character both on and off the court, similar to the fictional Chip Hilton character depicted by Hall of Fame coach Clair Bee in the classic Chip Hilton series...
Winner. In 2010 the Bulldogs made it to the Championship game, in Indianapolis, for the first time in school history. Sophomore Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward
Gordon Daniel Hayward , is an American basketball player for the Utah Jazz. He played college basketball at Butler University in Indianapolis for two seasons before leaving for the NBA. Hayward emerged as a superstar in his sophomore year, leading his team to a runner-up finish in the 2010 NCAA...
entered the NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
and was a lottery pick
NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association in which the teams who had missed the playoffs in the previous season, or teams who hold the draft rights of another team that missed the playoffs in the previous season, participate in a lottery process to...
by the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Hayward is the first Butler player to play in the NBA since Ralph O'Brien
Ralph O'Brien
Ralph E. O'Brien is a retired American professional basketball player.A 5'9" guard from Butler University, O'Brien played two seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Indianapolis Olympians and Baltimore Bullets...
in the early 1950s. In 2011, they made it to the national championship game for the second straight time.
Women's basketball
The women's basketball program at Butler University began in the 1975-76 season, competing in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for WomenAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW), and saw its first winning season two years later, earning a 9-5 record under the direction of coach Linda Mason. The Bulldogs played in the AIAW National Tournament for the first time in 1982, falling in the second round to William Penn, 77-94. The next year, the Bulldogs began competition at the NCAA Division II level and joined the Horizon League and Division I competition for the 1986-87 season.
The Bulldogs qualified for Division I post-season play for the first time in 1993, competing in the WNIT, and competed in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament for the first time in 1996. Their last post-season appearance in the 1990s was in the WNIT in 1998. The Bulldogs did not return to the post-season until 2009 and 2010 under head coach Beth Couture
Beth Couture
Beth Couture is the head women's basketball coach at Butler University. From her first season at Butler in 2002–2003 through the 2010–2011 season, she compiled a 148–127 record including three consecutive WNIT appearances and four consecutive 20-win seasons, including a 23–10 mark in 2010, the...
, who led the team to four consecutive 20-win seasons in 2008 through 2011.
Football
The Butler Bulldogs football program has a long history, beginning with Indiana's first intercollegiate football game at the old 7th Street Baseball Grounds in the spring of 1884. For the game between Butler and DePauw, Butler senior John F. Stone compiled the rules by combining association (soccer) rules with eastern intercollegiate rules to form the western intercollegiate rules, which were published by Charles Mayer of Indianapolis. Butler won the game by a score of four goals to one.The Bulldogs have appeared in three playoff games, the last in 1991 when it lost to eventual national champion Pittsburg State 26-16. The Bulldogs saw their greatest success in football over the course of 60 seasons from 1934 to 1994 when Bulldog football teams won 31 conference championships, including seven straight Indiana Collegiate Conference titles from 1934 to 1940, league titles in 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, and seven straight from 1958 to 1964, all under the late great Tony Hinkle.
Following the move from the College Division to NCAA Division II, Butler won 4 straight conference championships from 1972 to 1975, along with another one in 1977, all under the guidance of Bill Sylvester, Sr. Ashland joined Butler and fellow ICC members to form the Heartland Collegiate Conference, in which Butler won league titles in 1983, 1985, and three straight from 1987 to 1989, under coach Bill Lynch. The Bulldogs also went the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1983 and 1988.
Butler and fellow HCC member schools joined with the Great Lakes Valley Conference to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (now the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). Butler added back to back league titles in 1991 and 1992 with Bob Bartlameo at the helm, including a trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1991. The following season, Butler and member school Valparaiso moved up to NCAA Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) to join with Dayton, Drake, Evansville, and San Diego to form the Pioneer Football League
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
, in which Butler still competes. Butler capped its decade of dominance, seven league titles in ten years with three playoff berths, by winning another conference championship in 1994. The Dawgs were led by the great Arnold Mickens who broke numerous NCAA Division I rushing records, including eight straight 200 yard performances during the campaign.
The Bulldogs won the 2009 Pioneer Football League title by compiling a 7-1 league record and a 11-1 season overall. The conference title run included a come-from-behind 25-24 victory over Pioneer League preseason favorite San Diego, a 31-28 road win at Dayton (who also finished with a 7-1 league record), and a 20-17 title-clinching victory over Drake.
The Pioneer Football League title earned the Bulldogs a berth in the Gridiron Classic. It's Butler's first postseason appearance since 1991 when they were still a Division-II football program. Butler defeated Central Connecticut State 28-23 to win the Gridiron Classic in Indianapolis.
Playoffs / Bowl Games
| Season | Game | Winner | Runner-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Division II Playoffs | Cal Davis University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment... |
25 | Butler | 3 |
| 1988 | Division II Playoffs | Tennessee-Martin | 23 | Butler | 3 |
| 1991 | Division II Playoffs | Pittsburg State Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University, also called Pitt State or PSU, is a public university with approximately 7,100 students located in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. A large percentage of the student population consists of residents within the Pittsburg region; the gender proportion is relatively equal... |
26 | Butler | 16 |
| 2009 | Gridiron Classic Gridiron Classic The Gridiron Classic was the name given to a college football game played between teams from the Pioneer Football League and Northeast Conference at the end of the 2006-2009 seasons... |
Butler | 28 | Central Connecticut State | 23 |
Hoosier Helmet Trophy
The Hoosier Helmet was established as the trophy helmet for the rivalry football game played between Butler and Valparaiso University.The Hoosier Helmet was created prior to the 2006 season to commemorate the football rivalry that has existed since 1921. The helmet trophy was created to further intensify the rivalry between these two teams. A group of Butler players, along with their head coach, Jeff Voris, came up with the idea for the helmet. After Valparaiso head coach Stacey Adams agreed to play for the helmet, Butler equipment manager John Harding put the helmet together.
The white helmet is mounted on a hardwood plaque and features each team's logo on respective sides of the helmet. A gold plate is added each year to commemorate the winner and score of the contest. Currently, Butler holds a 4-1 series lead when playing for the Hoosier Helmet. Both Butler and Valparaiso compete in the NCAA FCS (formerly division 1-AA), non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.
Butler Relays
The Butler Relays were a prestigious American Track and Field competition, founded by track coach Herman Phillips who won three NCAA quartermile championships and was a member of the 1928 U.S. Olympic 1,600 meter gold medal relay team.The event annually showcased 350-400 athletes representing 20-30 colleges and universities. From an attendance of 3,500, the games grew to attract over 10,000 spectators to Butler (Hinkle) Fieldhouse each March. The college's fraternities and sororities vied in yearly ticket sales, parade float, house decoration, and Relay Queen competitions. The University Division "Governor's Cup" went to each year's victor, with Indiana University claiming the inaugural trophy in 1933 and the University of Notre Dame taking the final prize in 1942. The University of Michigan captured the eight intervening awards. Butler claimed the College Division "Mayor's Trophy" between 1938 and 1941. In addition to the participation of legendary American Olympians Jesse Owens, Glenn Cunningham, Ralph Metcalfe, and IU's Don Lash, the Butler Relays saw ten world records set or tied during the meet's decade-long run.
When Phillips became head track and field coach at Purdue University in 1938, Lawrence Holmes directed the relays for one year. Butler alumnus and former world two mile (3 km) record holder Ray Sears staged the games from 1939 until the fieldhouse was dedicated to military use in 1942. The Butler Relays were not reinstituted after World War II because of the expense and the basketball program's influence over fieldhouse scheduling.
Soccer
Men's soccer at Butler began in 1989, and the women's team was added in 1991. In the program's 20 year history, the men's soccer team has made five post-season appearances, acquiring a 3-5 record in post-season play. The Bulldogs' last post-season appearance was in 2009. Butler's men's soccer qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2009, reaching the round of 16 in 1995 and 1998. Butler won the Horizon League (formerly MCC) tournament title in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2010. They also won or shared the regular season title seven times, including 1994, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2010. The 1998 squad enjoyed national rankings as high as No. 8 in the country and the 2010 squad was ranked as high as #5 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.Baseball
The Butler baseball team has been led over the past two decades by Head Coach Steve Farley, who in his tenure has surpassed the win total of the late, great Paul D. (Tony) Hinkle. This success includes Horizon League regular season championships in 1996, 1998, and 1999, as well as Horizon League tournament titles in 1998 and 2000, which included berths to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championships. The Bulldogs also had 34 win seasons in 2002 and 2003, surpassing the 30 win season totals in 1998 and 2000. Butler's most famous alumni player in the Major Leagues is middle reliever pitcher Pat Neshek (2001), who has played for the Minnesota Twins from 2006 to 2010 and now plays for the San Diego Padres.Cross Country
Some of Butler's most notable athletic accomplishments have come in Cross Country. Butler has won nine straight Horizon League Championships in Men's Cross Country and five straight Women's Championships. The Men's team has placed as high as 4th in the nation in recent years, earning a team trophy at the NCAA Division I championships in 2004. Both teams have frequently qualified for nationals in recent years, placing individuals as high as 3rd (Mark Tucker, 2003). All-Americans from the Butler Cross Country Team include Julius Mwangi, Justin Young, Fraser Thompson (A Rhodes Scholar), Mark Tucker, Olly Laws, and Andrew Baker. Former coach, Joe Franklin, was named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year for leading the Bulldogs to their 2004 4th place finish.Conference affiliation
Butler first joined a Division I conference in 1932 when the men's basketball team joined the Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
. Other sports joined conferences in later years.
| Years | Football | Men's Basketball | Women's Basketball |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932–1943 | Indiana Collegiate Conference | Missouri Valley Conference Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States... |
- |
| 1944–1950 | Indiana Collegiate Conference | Mid-American Conference Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members... |
- |
| 1951–1977 | Indiana Collegiate Conference | Indiana Collegiate Conference Indiana Collegiate Conference The Indiana Collegiate Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1951 to 1979. It consisted of schools in Indiana.... |
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| 1978–1985 | Heartland Collegiate Conference | Midwestern Cities Conference | Midwestern Cities Conference |
| 1986–1992 | Heartland Collegiate Conference | Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Midwestern Collegiate Conference |
| 1993–present | Pioneer Football League Pioneer Football League The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's... |
Horizon League Horizon League The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States.... |
Horizon League Horizon League The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States.... |
Fight songs
Butler War SongWe'll sing the Butler war song,
We'll give a fighting cry;
We'll fight the Butler battle--
Bulldogs ever do or die.
And in the glow of the victory firelight,
Hist'ry cannot deny
To add a page or two
For Butler's fighting crew
Beneath the Hoosier sky.
As performed by the Butler Band
Butler Varsity
On, on, O Varsity,
Forever royal blue.
Not a team can bar the way
When you go charging through.
Forward with might and main
To gain the victor's shield
And the varsity forever
Right on down that field.
As performed by the Butler Band