IPFW Mastodons
Encyclopedia
The IPFW Mastodons are the athletic teams of Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne. The Mastodons compete as an National Collegiate Athletic Association
Division I school in the The Summit League for most sports and in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
for men's volleyball. The university participates in 15 men’s and women’s sports. Before joining NCAA Division I athletics, IPFW competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
in the NCAA Division II.
in some sports in the NCAA Division II, where in 1993, the men’s basketball team led by brothers Sean and Shane Gibson achieved the ranking of #4 in the country in NCAA Division II competition. Dane Fife was named the IPFW men’s basketball head coach during summer 2005. Fife, who remains the helm, was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach at the time of his appointment, at the age of 26.
, who has led the Volleydons for 30 years, began the 2009–10 school year with more than 460 wins as an NCAA Division I coach. His teams have made six NCAA Final Four appearances, finishing fourth in 1992 and 1994, third in 1991, 1999, and 2006, and second in 2007. Ball is the father of Lloy
, a one-time Volleydon, who has achieved Olympic
success, having served as the U.S. Olympic
volleyball team captain in 1996, 2000, and 2004 and becoming a gold medalist in 2008. Fundraising for the $1 million Arnie Ball Legacy Endowment Fund was completed by January 2010. The university will match this amount. IPFW has become the first American university to establish a men's volleyball program whose scholarships are fully funded from an endowment.
which is adjacent to the portion of the IPFW campus on the west side of the Saint Joseph River. For example, IPFW hosted the 2000 NCAA Men's Division-I volleyball
championship matches at the Coliseum. Smaller athletic events are held at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center
on the IPFW campus.
In 1968 a large bone was discovered during the installation of a farm pond near Angola, Indiana
, about 40 miles north of Fort Wayne. The farmer contacted professors in the Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne geology department, who identified his discovery as the leg bone of a mastodon. Faculty and students from the geology department excavated the greater part of an adult mastodon, including the skull and tusks. The bones were cleaned, preserved, and placed on permanent display at IPFW. In 1970 members of the geology club, led by professors who oversaw the excavation, successfully lobbied the student government committee charged with choosing a name for the university mascot to select the mastodon. And thus, the IPFW Mastodons were born [9]. In addition to serving as a mascot, “mastodon” is used as the athletic moniker for team members and school-spirited references to the student body. The selection of the mastodon as mascot—as well as a tongue-in-cheek borrowing of the term “don” from its academic British English use—lends itself to be a suffix to refer to the athletics teams as well, such as Volleydons for the volleyball teams. In a related reference, the Mastodon STOMP pep band instills school spirit among the fans during home matches and games.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I school in the The Summit League for most sports and in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Illinois in the west to Ohio in the east...
for men's volleyball. The university participates in 15 men’s and women’s sports. Before joining NCAA Division I athletics, IPFW competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes at the NCAA's Division II level. Member institutions are located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin....
in the NCAA Division II.
Men's sports
- BaseballCollege baseballCollege baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Women's sports
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Track and FieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
(indoor and outdoor) - VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Basketball (men's)
Before joining NCAA Division I athletics, IPFW competed in the Great Lakes Valley ConferenceGreat Lakes Valley Conference
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes at the NCAA's Division II level. Member institutions are located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin....
in some sports in the NCAA Division II, where in 1993, the men’s basketball team led by brothers Sean and Shane Gibson achieved the ranking of #4 in the country in NCAA Division II competition. Dane Fife was named the IPFW men’s basketball head coach during summer 2005. Fife, who remains the helm, was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach at the time of his appointment, at the age of 26.
Men's volleyball
IPFW’s men’s volleyball team has gained national exposure repeatedly, based on its showing in several NCAA Final Four tournaments. Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Arnie BallArnie Ball
Armond J. "Arnie" Ball began his 30th season in 2010 as the head coach of the IPFW Men's Mastodon volleyball program. Coach Ball has established a legacy on the courts of both the Mastodons and the national scenes...
, who has led the Volleydons for 30 years, began the 2009–10 school year with more than 460 wins as an NCAA Division I coach. His teams have made six NCAA Final Four appearances, finishing fourth in 1992 and 1994, third in 1991, 1999, and 2006, and second in 2007. Ball is the father of Lloy
Lloy Ball
Lloy James Ball is an American volleyball player who represented the United States men's national volleyball team in four Olympics team competitions...
, a one-time Volleydon, who has achieved Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
success, having served as the U.S. Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
volleyball team captain in 1996, 2000, and 2004 and becoming a gold medalist in 2008. Fundraising for the $1 million Arnie Ball Legacy Endowment Fund was completed by January 2010. The university will match this amount. IPFW has become the first American university to establish a men's volleyball program whose scholarships are fully funded from an endowment.
Venues
IPFW has no football team. Although IPFW has no arena or stadium of its own, the venue for IPFW's large-attendance indoor athletic events is the Allen County War Memorial ColiseumAllen County War Memorial Coliseum
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana, initially built in 1952 for nearly $3 million in Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was originally designed to seat 8,000 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball...
which is adjacent to the portion of the IPFW campus on the west side of the Saint Joseph River. For example, IPFW hosted the 2000 NCAA Men's Division-I volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
championship matches at the Coliseum. Smaller athletic events are held at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center
Hilliard Gates Sports Center
Hilliard Gates Sports Center is a 2,700-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It opened in 1981 and contains of space. It is home to the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons volleyball and women's basketball teams....
on the IPFW campus.
Mascot and Monikers
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, about 40 miles north of Fort Wayne. The farmer contacted professors in the Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne geology department, who identified his discovery as the leg bone of a mastodon. Faculty and students from the geology department excavated the greater part of an adult mastodon, including the skull and tusks. The bones were cleaned, preserved, and placed on permanent display at IPFW. In 1970 members of the geology club, led by professors who oversaw the excavation, successfully lobbied the student government committee charged with choosing a name for the university mascot to select the mastodon. And thus, the IPFW Mastodons were born [9]. In addition to serving as a mascot, “mastodon” is used as the athletic moniker for team members and school-spirited references to the student body. The selection of the mastodon as mascot—as well as a tongue-in-cheek borrowing of the term “don” from its academic British English use—lends itself to be a suffix to refer to the athletics teams as well, such as Volleydons for the volleyball teams. In a related reference, the Mastodon STOMP pep band instills school spirit among the fans during home matches and games.