Saint Louis Billikens
Saint Louis Billikens | |
---|---|
University | Saint Louis University |
Conference | A-10 |
NCAA | Division I |
Athletic director | Chris May |
Location | St. Louis, Missouri |
Varsity teams | 18 |
Basketball arena | Chaifetz Arena |
Baseball stadium | Billiken Sports Center |
Soccer stadium | Robert R. Hermann Stadium |
Other venues | Enterprise Center |
Mascot | The Billiken |
Nickname | Billikens |
Colors | SLU blue and white[1] |
Website | slubillikens |
The Saint Louis Billikens are the
The Billiken name
An early SLU football coach, John R. Bender,[2] is said to have been the inspiration for the nickname "Billikens," which is still used by the school's athletic teams. During the 1911 season, according to one version of the story, local sportswriters commented that Bender bore an uncanny resemblance to a charm doll called a Billiken, which was a national fad at the time. His squad became known as "Bender's Billikens" and the name stuck.
Sports sponsored
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Cross country | Field hockey |
Soccer | Soccer |
Swimming and diving | Softball |
Tennis | Swimming and diving |
Track and field† | Tennis |
Track and field† | |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, St. Louis University sponsors teams in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.
Baseball
In 2006, the Billiken baseball team earned the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 1966 by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament. SLU's most successful baseball team of all time was the 1965 squad, which qualified for the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the College World Series. Darin Hendrickson has been the head coach since 2008 and guided the Billikens to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2013. The team plays at the Billiken Sports Center.
Basketball
Simply known to some as "The Program", the Billikens were ranked first in the first AP basketball poll during the 1948–1949 season.
Coach Rick Majerus died December 1, 2012.
Soccer
The
NCAA Championships
- Men's Soccer: 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967(co-champion), 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973
Swimming and Diving
Saint Louis University head swimming and diving coach Jim Halliburton was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 5 2018, during a ceremony held at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis. Now in his 18th season at Saint Louis, Halliburton has guided the Billiken men’s and women’s teams to more than 500 victories. He ranks sixth in career wins among NCAA Division I swim coaches.
Softball
Under head coach Christy Connoyer, the Billikens won their first Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title in 2023. However, the team has yet to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament and subsequently has failed to appear in the NCAA Division I softball tournament.[4][5]
Volleyball
Under head coach Anne Kordes, the women's volleyball team made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006, the program's first post-season bid since earning a spot in the 1995 National Invitation Tournament. The Billikens returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the RPI and No. 21 in the final Bison/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll. Kordes led the Billikens back to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, receiving an at-large bid. The team plays its home games in the Chaifetz Pavilion on the eastern edge of campus.
Football
The university fielded an intercollegiate squad from 1899 to 1949, going undefeated in 1901, 1904 and 1906.[6] The final home game for the Billikens was on November 24, 1949, a 35–0 loss against Houston.[7] Saint Louis finished the 1949 season with a 2–6–1 record. St. Louis competed at the club level during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although the school no longer has a football team, they made a lasting mark on the sport as the 1906 team, coached by Eddie Cochems, threw the first legal forward pass in college football history, Bradbury Robinson to Jack Schneider on September 5, 1906, vs. Carroll College at Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Conferences
SLU has had six conference affiliations since 1937. SLU has been affiliated with the Missouri Valley Conference (1937–1974); the defunct Metro Conference (1975–1982); the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League (1982–1991); the defunct Great Midwest Conference (1991–1995) and Conference USA (which was created by a merger between the Metro and Great Midwest Conferences). SLU joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2005.
The Bilikens were a charter member of Conference USA in 1995, but left to join the A10 in 2005. By the time Saint Louis left C-USA, it was one of four members of the conference without football programs. The other three also left C-USA in 2005.
Club sports
Ice hockey
SLU fields an
In 2011, the Billikens captured their first MACHA Gold Championship and advanced to the Central Region Qualifier before falling two games short of a National Championship birth.
In 2013, SLU Hockey hosted the ACHA Men's Division II National Championships at the Hardee's Iceplex in Chesterfield, MO. 16 teams from around the United States competed for the right to claim the National Championship. SLU Hockey went 1-2 in pool play and failed to advance and Michigan State University would claim the National Championship. The tournament also featured a St. Louis Blues Alumni vs. ACHA Division II All-Stars game to raise money for local charities around the St. Louis area.[8]
In 2013, rumors of a new hockey rink being built on or near SLU campus began to surface that would finally bring the SLU Hockey team and youth hockey back to the city of St. Louis. This new facility would act both as the St. Louis Blues (NHL) Official Practice Facility and home for SLU Hockey. Meeting between former SLU President Lawrence Biondi and Blues executive Bruce Affleck were rumored to have taken place and locations scouted for a possible rink.[8]
Saint Louis University once fielded an
The current club hockey team began play during the 1996–1997 season as a member of ACHA Division I.[8]
Lacrosse
Saint Louis University (SLU) Men's Lacrosse team competes in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division II and the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC). The program was founded in 1992. SLU has previously placed players on the All-American, 1st Team, 2nd Team, 3rd Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention Lists and the MCLA Scholar Athletes. The team is compiled mostly from students, who have played in elite Jesuit & Catholic high school programs across the country. Each individual brings their own unique skills, talents, and tricks. SLU Lax is known to play games commonly on the SLU Medical Center Stadium. Every year SLU competes against big Missouri schools such as Lindenwood University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Missouri State University just to name a few.
Coaching history
- 2009 – Matt Gardiner,[9] currently the Commissioner for the GRLC
- 2010 – Ron Kelam[10]
- 2011 – Michael Van Tiem[11]
- 2012–present – Jimmy Greene[12]
References
- ^ "Colors and Fonts". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ "What is a Billiken: Unmasking Saint Louis University - Saint Louis University". Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Coaches - Saint Louis University". slubillikens.com. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ "After first conference regular season title, SLU Softball prepares for Atlantic-10 tournament". May 9, 2023.
- ^ "BILLIKENS WIN A-10 REGULAR-SEASON TITLE". Saint Louis University. May 6, 2023.
- ^ "All-Time Records for Saint Louis". stassen.com.
- ^ "1949 Saint Louis Billikens". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c "Billikens Hockey Home Page". billikenshockey.com.
- ^ HTO, LLC. "2009 Saint Louis University Lacrosse Schedule". MCLA.us. Archived from the original on 2012-05-06.
- ^ HTO, LLC. "2010 Saint Louis University Lacrosse Schedule". MCLA.us. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13.
- ^ HTO, LLC. "2011 Saint Louis University Lacrosse Schedule". MCLA.us. Archived from the original on 2012-05-06.
- ^ "Jimmy Greene - Head Coach". hometeamsonline.com.