Georgetown Hoyas

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Jack the Bulldog, the Georgetown Hoyas' mascot

The Georgetown Hoyas are the athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University in college sports. Hoyas (the name means "what" or "such") participate in the NCAA's Division I Big East Conference in 26 sports and the Division I-AA Patriot League in football. The men's basketball team is the school's most famous and most successful program, but Hoyas have achieved some degree of success in a wide range of sports.

Contents

Cultural traditions

\"What is a Hoya\"

The University admits that the precise origin of the term "Hoya" is unknown. [Georgetown University, "What is a Hoya?"] The official story is that at some point prior to 1920, students well-versed in the classical languages invented the Greek hoia or hoya, meaning "what" or "such", and the Latin saxa, to form "What Rocks!" Depending on who tells the story, the "rocks" either refer to the baseball team, which was nicknamed the "Stonewalls" after the Civil War, to the stalwart defense of the football team, or to the stone wall that surrounded the campus. [Hoya Saxa, "What is a Hoya?"] In 1920, students began publishing the campus's first regular newspaper under the name The Hoya, after successfully petitioning Rev. Coleman Nevils, S.J., Dean of the College, to change the name of the young paper, which was originally to be known as The Hilltopper. By the fall of 1928, the newspaper had taken to referring to the sports teams (then called the Hilltoppers in reference to Georgetown's geography) as the Hoyas. Dean Nevils's former school, College of the Holy Cross, also refers to the term "Hoya" in one of its fight songs, as does a third Jesuit school, Marquette University. Big East opponents, whose schools tend to have more concrete nicknames, have long used "What's a Hoya?" as a chant to mock Georgetown. [The Heights, "Crowd shows up for winning streak"] Georgetown fans can take pleasure in knowing that, literally, what is a Hoya.

Mascot

Stubby, predecessor to the current Jack the Bulldog mascot

Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Among the earliest mascots was a terrier named Stubby, whose name is largely unfamiliar today but was perhaps the most famous dog of his generation. Stubby was discovered by a soldier at the Yale Bowl, and went on to fight in World War I. He was personally decorated for valor (as a "Sergeant") by General John J. Pershing in a post-war ceremony at the White House. His owner then entered Georgetown Law School, and Stubby became part of the halftime show.Smithsonian Institution, "[The Price of Freedom: Americans at War -- Stubby]"

From then on, Georgetown had a live dog as its mascot (most famously Rev. Vincent McDonough, SJ's dog, Hoya) until 1951, when the school joined a growing movement among private schools (most notably the University of Chicago) to suspend football programs as un-academic. The dog as a symbol lived on, though, and sporadically students would bring pet bulldogs to games. In 1962 the school adopted as its logo a drawing of an English Bulldog named "Jack", sporting a blue and gray cap. In 1979, the university began the tradition of dressing up a student in a blue and gray bulldog costume.[Hoya Saxa Online], "[Georgetown Traditions: Jack The Bulldog]"

Finally, in 1999, Rev. Scott Pilarz, S.J. revived the tradition of a live bulldog; when he left for the University of Scranton, Georgetown immediately secured a new bulldog puppy and found another Jesuit, Rev. Christopher Steck, S.J., to care for him.[Hoya Saxa Online], "[Georgetown Traditions: Jack The Bulldog]"

Fight song

Georgetown's fight song is rare among U.S. university fight songs (St. Olaf College and Texas A&M presently, and Wisconsin in the past, being other prominent examples) for mentioning other colleges by name. Specifically, it mentions Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, College of the Holy Cross, the United States Naval Academy, and Cornell University, who were all rivals of Georgetown in the early-to-mid 20th century, and mocks their fight songs. In recent years, the Hoyas only play Cornell and Holy Cross regularly (in football), and many of these schools no longer use the fight songs that Georgetown's song mocks.

A prior incarnation of the Jack the Bulldog logo

"It's been so long since last we met Lie down forever, lie down Or have you any money to bet Lie down forever, lie down!

There goes old...Georgetown Straight for a...touchdown (or rebound, when sung at basketball games) See how they...gain ground Lie down forever, lie down Lie down forever, lie down!

Rah! Rah! Rah! Hurrah for Georgetown Cheer for victory today 'Ere the sun has sunk to rest, In the cradle of the west In the clouds will proudly float the Blue and Gray.

We've heard those loyal fellows up at Yale Brag and boast about their 'Boola-Boola' We've heard the Navy yell, we've listened to Cornell We've heard the sons of Harvard tell How Crimson lines could hold them 'Choo! Choo! Rah! Rah!', dear old Holy Cross The proud old Princeton tiger is never at a loss But the yell of all the yells, The yell that wins the day Is the 'HOYA, HOYA SAXA!' for the dear old Blue and Gray."

[Georgetown University Official Athletic Site]

Men's basketball

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Titles and banners

The Men's basketball team is the most successful and well-known sports program at the university. They won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1984 (over the University of Houston) under coach John Thompson, Jr. The Hoyas also reached and lost the Championship game in 1943 (to Wyoming), 1982 (to Michael Jordan's North Carolina), and 1985 (to Big East rival Villanova).

The team was very successful in the early years of the Big East: it won or tied for the regular-season titles in 1980, 1984, 1987, 1989, and 1992. The team was even more dominant in the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: it won in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1989.[Big East Official Georgetown Page]

Hoyas in the pros

The Hoyas have an excellent history of preparing players for the NBA. Two Hoyas were the NBA first overall draft picks: Patrick Ewing in 1985 and Allen Iverson in 1996. Other Hoyas to make the NBA include Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Sleepy Floyd, Othella Harrington, Jaren Jackson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Don Reid, Charles Smith, Michael Sweetney, Jahidi White, Jerome Williams, Reggie Williams, and David Wingate.[Georgetown University Official Athletic Site]

Another Hoya player who never sought an NBA career went on to achieve professional sports fame as an executive in another sport. Paul Tagliabue, who played for the Hoyas in the early 1960s and was one of the leading rebounders in school history [Basketball Record Book, Georgetown University Official Athletic Site], has been Commissioner of the National Football League since 1989.

Brendan Gaughan was a walk-on for the Hoyas (he also played football.) Gaughan is a driver in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series and also raced one season in the Nextel Cup series.

Recent years

Current team

The current coach is Thompson's son, John Thompson III, who took over from Craig Esherick. John Thompson III's first notable win with the team took place on January 21, 2006 when unranked Georgetown upset No. 1 Duke University. This was Georgetown's first win over a No. 1 ranked team in 21 years. An interesting item of trivia is that the last time the Hoyas beat a number one ranked team, John Thompson Jr. was coaching and Patrick Ewing was playing. In their win against Duke, John Thompson III was coaching and Patrick Ewing, Jr. was sitting on the bench (as a redshirt transfer sophomore).Washington Post, Jan. 22, 2006, Page E-1, "[Hoyas KO the Big 1]"

The Hoyas currently employ their own variant of the Princeton offense, a slow, cerebral style of play that is very rare in the modern college game. The hallmark of the offense is the "backdoor" pass, where a player on the wing suddenly moves in towards the basket, receives a bounce pass from a guard on the perimeter, and (if done correctly) finds himself with no defenders between him and a layup. Coach Thompson learned the style while serving under then-Coach Pete Carril of the Princeton University Tigers. Georgetown has been lauded in the sports media for destroying the "warped stereotype" that "African American kids don't want discipline" as well as for proving that the typically brawny Georgetown team can excel by emphasizing offensive efficiency rather than defense.["Princeton Offense Keeps Hoyas on the Move"], Washington Post, Mike Wise, March 23, 2006; Page E12.

2006-07 season

The Hoyas have one of the NCAA's best recruiting classes for next season. Joining the Hoyas will be DaJuan Summers (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh), Vernon Macklin (Hargrave Military Academy) and Jeremiah Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.). Summers, a 6-8 power forward, was named the Baltimore City Player of the Year. Rivers participated in USA Basketball's Youth Development Festival as well as the NBA Players' Association Top 100 camp. [Hoyas Incoming], GUHoyas.com Macklin has been named a McDonald's All-American.[2006 McDonald's All-Americans at Rivals.com] as well as Mr. Basketball in Virginia. This award goes out to the states best player.

Rowing

Georgetown Crew History

Rowing at Georgetown has a distinguished history. Indeed, Georgetown's current University Colors have their origin in the founding of the university's Boat Club in 1876, which deemed Blue and Gray "appropriate colors for the [Boat] Club and expressive of the feeling of unity between the Northern and Southern boys of the College." The colors were enshrined on a blue and gray banner, emblazoned with the Latin "Ocior Euro," or "Swifter Than the Wind," which the girls of Georgetown Visitation School presented to the Boat Club. From the start Georgetown's rowing team raced against the likes of Yale, Harvard, Penn, Cornell and Wisconsin.

Georgetown Crew Today

Today, under the guidance of the legendary Tony Johnson, now Director of Rowing and Varsity Heavyweight Coach, Georgetown still competes as a member of the top league in American rowing, the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. With the addition of a men's lightweight team in 1963, a women's team in 1975, and a women's lightweight team in 1996, Georgetown's four crew teams have seen great success in recent years, including trips to the Henley Royal Regatta for the men's heavyweight and lightweight teams and second-in-the-nation finishes for both men's "Men's Crew Places Second at Lightweight National Championship" [GUHoyas.com] and women's " Georgetown Women's Lightweight Crew Completes Best Season in Program History" [GUHoyas.com] lightweight teams. Many Georgetown oarsmen and -women have gone on to represent the United States on national and Olympic teams,"Groom Wins Olympic Rowing Trials" [GUHoyas.com] and a new boathouse is scheduled to be completed in the near future.["Build the Boathouse"]

Women's lacrosse

The women's lacrosse team has been particularly strong in recent years, winning 6 consecutive Big East titles. The Lady Hoyas reached the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship final in both 2001 and 2002. They play their home games on Multi-Sport Facility ("Harbin Field"), which is surrounded on two sides by dormitories, to respectably large crowds. In 2005, their first season under new coach Ricky Fried, the team went 13-5 and made the NCAA Tournament for the 8th straight year.Hoya Saxa Magazine, January 2006 issue With one game left in the 2006 regular season, the Hoyas are 12-3, ranking #3 in the nation.["No. 3 Georgetown Women's Lacrosse Outlasts Loyola in Amazing OT Nailbiter"], Georgetown University Women's Lacrosse, April 29, 2006

Football

In the 1940s, Georgetown had one of the better college football teams in America. As the college game became more expensive, however, Georgetown refused to make the expensive investments that other Catholic universities like Notre Dame made to maintain a top-notch program.

In 1941, Georgetown played in the Orange Bowl, where they lost 14-7 to Mississippi State. They also played in the 1950 Sun Bowl against Texas Western. Texas Western, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso (more commonly UTEP), won the game by a score of 33-20.

After a 2-7 season in 1950 which included losses to the likes of Penn State, Miami, and Maryland, Georgetown discontinued the sport, which was revived in 1964 by students. Its first game drew 8,000 to campus against New York University (NYU). Today's Georgetown team plays at the Division I-AA level, competing against Ivy League and Patriot League schools.

"Big Jim" Ricca, an NFL defensive end and offensive lineman, graduated in 1949 and was the last Hoya to play in the NFL.["Glory Days: The Past, Present and Future of Hoyas Turned Professional Athletes] The Hoya, January 23, 2004

Perhaps the football team's most accomplished athlete was Al Blozis, who would play for the NFL's New York Giants before being killed in action in World War II. Blozis's great athletic accomplishments, however, came in shotput and discus. He set the world indoor record for the shotput, throwing it 56 feet 4.5 inches in 1941. He was the national indoor and outdoor shotput champion in both 1942 and 1943.["Glory Days: The Past, Present and Future of Hoyas Turned Professional Athletes] The Hoya, January 23, 2004

Other sports

Hoyas have excelled in a wide range of sports over the years:

Three players from the men's soccer team have played professionally for Major League Soccer: Phil Wellington (drafted in 1996), Brandon Leib (1997), and Eric Kvello (1999)
The sailing team finished 2005 ranked #1 Georgetown University Sailing [link], Dec 2 2005 in the [ICSA Sailing World College Rankings]. As of May 2006, they are now #4. Andrew Campbell has led the sailing team to the three singlehanded national championshipsGeorgetown University Sailing [link], Nov 2 2005 and a second place finish in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Associaion (ICSA) championships in Hood River, Oregon. He was named male sailing athlete of the year in 2002 and 2005.Georgetown University Sailing [link] Jan 4 2006

Administration

Athletic directors

Since July 1, 2005, the Director of the Athletic Department has been Bernard Muir. The former directors since the title's creation in 1914 are Charles R. Cox (1914-1920), Rev. Vincent S. McDonough (1920-1924), Louis Little (1924-1930), H. Gabriel Murphy (1930-1941), Rome F. Schwagel (1941-1942, 1947-1949), Joseph T. Gardner (1942-1943), Rev. John J. Kehoe (1943-1944), John L. Hagerty (1946-1947, 1949-1969), Robert H. Sigholtz (1969-1972), Francis X. Rienzo (1972-1999), Joseph C. Lang (1999-2004), and Adam Brick (2004-2005).Hoya Saxa Magazine, January 2006 issue

List of sports

Intercollegiate sports include (inaugural season and current coach in parentheses)Hoya Saxa Magazine, January 2006 issue

Men's: baseball (1860, Pete Wilk), basketball (1907, John Thompson III), crew (1876, Tony Johnson), cross country (1924, Ron Helmer), football (1887, Kevin Kelly), golf (1925, Tommy Hunter), lacrosse (1951, Dave Urick), soccer (1952), swimming and diving (1949, Bethany Bower), tennis (1920), and track and field (1891, Ron Helmer)
Women's: basketball (1960, Terri Williams Fluornoy), crew (1975, Tony Johnson), cross country (1976, Ron Helmer), field hockey (1960, Laurie Carroll), golf (2001, Connie Isler), lacrosse (1975, Ricky Fried), soccer (1991, Dave Nolan), softball (2005, Pat Conlan), swimming and diving (1975, Bethany Bower), tennis (1960), track and field (1976, Ron Helmer), and volleyball (1960, Arlisa Hagan)
Coed: sailing (1937, Mike Callahan)

References

External Links

[Big East Official Georgetown Page]
[Georgetown University Official Athletic Site]
[Georgetown Rowing Association]
[Georgetown University Boathouse]
[HoyaSaxa.com Basketball]
[HoyaSaxa.com Football]
[Georgetown section] in the Washington Post website

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