Ferris State Bulldogs
Ferris State Bulldogs | |
---|---|
University | Ferris State University |
Conference |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Western Collegiate Hockey Association |
NCAA | Division II |
Athletic director | Perk Weisenburger |
Location | Big Rapids, MI |
Varsity teams | 15 |
Football stadium | Top Taggart Field |
Basketball arena | Jim Wink Arena |
Ice hockey arena | Ewigleben Arena |
Softball stadium | FSU Softball Field |
Soccer stadium | FSU Soccer Field |
Other arenas | Ewigleben Sports Arena |
Nickname | Bulldogs |
Colors |
Crimson and Gold |
Website |
www |
The Ferris State Bulldogs (FSU Bulldogs) are the athletic teams that represent Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Bulldogs compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 14 of 15 varsity sports, with the men's hockey team (the only team that competes at the Division I level) playing in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Bulldogs have been members of the GLIAC since 1972.
Year in and year out, nearly 400 student-athletes have the opportunity to compete for the Bulldogs on a regional and national level for conference titles and NCAA Championships. Ferris’ men’s club ice hockey won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 national title in 1994.
Varsity teams
List of teams
Men's sports (7)
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Women's sports (8)
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Facilities
The Ferris Ice Arena and Sports Complex features basketball courts, volleyball courts, hockey rink and a general ice-skating rink located in the Ewigleben Arena, named after former college president Robert Ewigleben. This sports complex hosts university and high school competitions as well as community sports programs.
Championships
National Runners-up:
- 1989: Wrestling—NCAA Division II
- 2004: Women's Golf—NCAA Division II
- 2006: Women's Golf—NCAA Division II
- 2012: Men's Ice Hockey—NCAA Division I
Club Sports National Championships:
- 1994: Men's Ice Hockey—ACHA Division 2
Individual sports
Ice hockey
The 2011–12 season marked the first time in school history that the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey National Championship Finals. In the national championship match at the Frozen Four the Bulldogs lost 4–1 to Boston College in the title contest at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The season came to a close with a 26–12–5 overall record and included a trip to the Frozen Four and a national runner-up finish. Ferris State's 26 wins were the second-most in school history, and the season highlights also included the school's second-ever Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship and a Midwest Regional crown.[1]
Prior to the 2011–12 season, the program's best season performance in the NCAA Division I was the 2002/03 campaign with a school-best 31–10–1 overall record. The Bulldogs also claimed their first-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship title with a first-place 22–5–1 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament's West Regional title game in their initial NCAA Tourney appearance. Ferris State also earned the distinction of being the nation's first team to reach the 30-win plateau in 2002/03 and also competed in the CCHA Super Six Championship Tourney for the first time since 1993.[2]
Football
Conferences
- 1899–1937: Independent
- 1938–1941: Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference
- 1946–1955: Independent
- 1956–1973: NAIA Independent
- 1974–1989: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- 1990–1998: Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference
- 1999–present: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Results
The Bulldogs had good success after Tony Annese was hired, winning multiple GLIAC championships with quarterback Jason Vanderlann. Unfortunately even though they had good success in the regular season that did not result in post-season success. In the best seasons Ferris State football ever had they went 1-2 in the postseason. Their one win was vs 7 seed Texas A&M Commerce at home in 2015, while they got beat by ODU in 2014 and GVSU in 2015, both GVSU and ODU were in-conference teams who were lower seeds, and both losses came in Big Rapids at home. Ferris State had a great four year run but ultimately came short of their promised and predicted multiple national championships after getting beat by two conferences foes in the playoffs.
References
- ↑ "FSU Hockey Ends Year As National Runner-Up" (Press release). Ferris State University. April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ↑ "Bulldog Hockey Head Coach". Ferris State University. Retrieved January 21, 2011.