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The Chicago State Cougars are the varsity athletic teams representing
Chicago State University Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...
of
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
in intercollegiate athletics. The university currently sponsors 15 varsity teams. The Cougars compete in
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
as an independent. They were previously members of the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to most of t ...
from 2013 to 2022.


History

Melvin Bland was the first CSU student athlete to gain NAIA
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n status in 1974 as a wrestler. Tyrone Everhart also was a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American wrestler the same year. Fred Evans as a sophomore became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. The Chicago State University Ice Hockey Team produced 2 NCAA Division 2 All-Americans in the 1975–76 season. George Hansen and Bob Janecyk were selected in 1975–76 to the NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team. Janecyk was selected two more times designated as an NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team
goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near ...
for CSU in 1976–77 and 1977–78. He went on to play for the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
. The first NAIA District #20 Championship Team in any sport was the 1975 wrestling team, which captured the NAIA District #20 Championship coached by Dr. James G. Pappas. The Cougar Wrestling Team also won District #20 titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980. In 1984, the CSU Men's Basketball Team captured third place at the NAIA National Championships. The team's performance throughout the tournament was as follows: * Chicago State (Ill.) 79, Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 62 * Chicago State 105, Kearney State (Neb.) 104 2OT * Chicago State 68, Chaminade (Hawaii) 66 (Quarterfinals) * Fort Hays State (Kan.) 86, Chicago State 84 OT (Semifinals) * Chicago State 86, Westmont (Calif.) 82 OT (3rd) Chicago State joined the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to most of t ...
on July 1, 2013 as part of a six-university expansion."Chicago State University Joins Western Athletic Conference," Chicago State University Athletics, Wednesday, December 5, 2012.
Retrieved March 7, 2013
Along with the
University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...
(UMKC), it was to have anchored the circuit's Midwest division. UMKC left the conference in 2020 and Chicago State announced on January 14, 2021 that it would do likewise on June 30, 2022."Chicago State University Announces Plan to Leave Western Athletic Conference in June 2022," Chicago State University Athletics, Thursday, January 14, 2021.
Retrieved March 14, 2021


Conference affiliations

* 1966–67 to 1976–77 – NAIA Independent * 1977–78 to 1980–81 –
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 14 members are located in the Midwestern United States. In many sports, the ...
* 1981–82 to 1983–84 – NAIA Independent * 1984–85 to 1992–93 – NCAA Division I Independent * 1993–94 –
East Coast Conference The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of C ...
* 1994–95 to 2005–06 –
Mid-Continent Conference The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
* 2006–07 to 2008–09 – NCAA Division I Independent * 2009–10 to 2012–13 –
Great West Conference The Great West Conference (GWC) was an NCAA college athletic conference in the continental United States. Originally a football-only league, it became an all-sports entity during the 2008–09 season. The GWC stopped sponsoring football followi ...
* 2013–14 to 2021–22 –
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to most of t ...
* 2022–23 – NCAA Division I Independent * 2023–24 to Future – To be determined


Sports sponsored

With the school's current financial situation and the needs of the athletic program, in April 2016, the University Budget Committee recommended that the Athletic Department "... study the benefits of being Division 1 or another division." Chicago State University currently sponsors teams in seven men's and eight women's teams in
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
sanctioned sports.


All-Americans

*1974 – Vince Williams – All-American – 6th 220yd Dash Outdoor Track & Field *1974 – Sudie Davis, Vince Williams, Willie Patton, Clifford Fletcher, Wallace Hunter All-Americans NCAA Track and Field *1974 – Melvin Bland – All-American – Third Team Wrestling *1975 – Fred Evans – All-American – Men's Swimming & Diving *1976 – Fred Evans – All-American – Men's Swimming & Diving *1976 – Scott White – All-American – Men's Swimming & Diving *1977 – Fred Evans – All-American – Men's Swimming & Diving *1977 – John Ebito – All-American – Men's Swimming & Diving *1978 – Ken Cyrus – All-American – Second Team Men's Basketball *1979 – Chandler Mackey – All-American – Wrestling *1979 – Joseph Curtis – All-American – Men's Indoor Track & Field *1979 – Joseph Curtis – All-American – Men's Outdoor Track & Field *1979 – Mike Eversley – All-American – Second Team Men's Basketball *1980 – Chandler Mackey – All-American – Wrestling *1980 – Derrick Hardy – All-American – Wrestling *1980 – Ken Dancy – All-American – Second Team Men's Basketball *1981 – Eric Blackmon – All-American – Men's Swimming & Diving *1983 – Jon Jahnke Academic – All-American – Baseball *1983 – Sherrod Arnold – All-American – First Team Men's Basketball *1983 – Stanley Griffin – All-American – First Team Men's Outdoor Track & Field *1984 – Charles Perry – All-Tournament Team – First Team Men's Basketball *1984 – Denise Bullocks – All-American – Women's Outdoor Track & Field *1984 – Denise Bullocks – Outstanding Performer – Women's Outdoor Track & Field *1984 – Denise Bullocks – Scholar-Athlete – Women's Outdoor Track & Field *1984 – Learando Drake – All-American – Third Team Men's Basketball *1984 – Lionel Keys – All-American – Wrestling *1986 – Jimmy McGriff – All-American – Men's Indoor Track & Field *1987 – Chris Garrett – All-American – Men's Outdoor Track & Field *1987 – David Rogan – All-American – Men's Indoor Track & Field *1987 – David Rogan – All-American – Men's Outdoor Track & Field *1987 – Deanail Mitchell – All-American – Men's Indoor Track & Field *1987 – Deanail Mitchell – All-American – Men's Outdoor Track & Field *1987 – Denise Bullocks – All-American – Women's Indoor Track & Field *1987 – Denise Bullocks – All-American – Women's Outdoor Track & Field *1987 – Enos Watts – All-American – Men's Outdoor Track & Field


Notable former athletes

* Deji Akindele, professional basketball player for Yalova Group BelediyeSpor of the
Turkish Basketball First League The Turkish Basketball First League, also called TBL, is the second-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. The league was previously known as Turkish Basketball Second League (TB2L). Format and promotion and relegation The ...
. *
Darron Brittman Darron Brittman (born September 3, 1962) is a former American basketball player who is best known as the first officially recognized NCAA Division I season steals leader in 1985–86. He is also one of only two Division I players ever to rec ...
, former basketball player who is best known as the first officially recognized NCAA Division I season steals leader in 1985–86. * Josephine D'Angelo,
left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering sys ...
who played from through in the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
. She later earned her masters from CSU.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueEncyclopedia of Women and Baseball * James "Chico" Hernandez, FIAS World Cup Vice-Champion in Sombo Wrestling. He graduated from CSU. *
David Holston David Holston (born January 26, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for JDA Dijon Basket of France's LNB Pro A. He played college basketball at the Chicago State University (CSU). In 2019, he was named the Most Valuable Player of ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for
JDA Dijon Basket Jeanne d'Arc Dijon Basket, commonly known as JDA Dijon Basket or simply Dijon, is a professional basketball club from the city of Dijon, France. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the French first tier division. The club has won the Frenc ...
of France's
LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...
. He played for the
Chicago State Cougars men's basketball The Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represents Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The team currently competes as an independent and is led by first-year coach Gerald Gillion, who was hired on July 19, 202 ...
team. * Bob Janecyk,
goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near ...
for the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
from 1983 to 1984 and the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
from 1984 to 1989. He played for CSU and graduated in 1978. *
John Mallee John Daniel Mallee (pronounced "MAY lee"; born May 5, 1969) is an American professional baseball coach, and former Minor League Baseball (MiLB) player. He is current the hitting coach for the Iowa Cubs of Minor League Baseball (MiLB). As a MiLB ...
,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
hitting coach. Mallee is with the
Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
. He attended CSU. *
Wayne Molis Wayne J. Molis (April 17, 1943 – March 24, 2002) was an American professional basketball player. A center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** ...
, professional basketball player who played for the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
from 1966-1967. He played for the
Chicago State Cougars men's basketball The Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represents Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The team currently competes as an independent and is led by first-year coach Gerald Gillion, who was hired on July 19, 202 ...
team. *
Royce Parran Royce Stephon Parran (born August 4, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the Belgian Basketball League. He played college basketball for Chicago State University. He finished his collegi ...
, professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player who last played for
Belfius Mons-Hainaut Belfius Mons-Hainaut is a Belgian professional basketball club that is based in Mons, Wallonia. The club competes in the highest division of the country, the BNXT League. The club's home arena is the Mons Arena. Founded as Quaregnon in 1959, the ...
of the
Belgian Basketball League The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. Through 2014, for sponsorship reasons, the league was previousl ...
. He played for the
Chicago State Cougars men's basketball The Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represents Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The team currently competes as an independent and is led by first-year coach Gerald Gillion, who was hired on July 19, 202 ...
team. * Clarke Rosenberg (born 1993), American-Israeli basketball player in the
Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...
*
Tony Weeden Anthony L. Weeden Jr. (born July 25, 1982) is an American professional basketball player. He is a 184 cm (6 ft 1in) guard. He played competitively at Emmerich Manual High School before transferring to Pike High School where they broug ...
, professional basketball player. He played for the
Chicago State Cougars men's basketball The Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represents Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The team currently competes as an independent and is led by first-year coach Gerald Gillion, who was hired on July 19, 202 ...
team. *
Willye White Willye Brown White (December 31, 1939 – February 6, 2007) was an American track and field athlete who took part in five Olympics from 1956 to 1972. She was America's best female long jumper of the time and also competed in the 100 meters sprint. ...
, first American track and field athlete to take part in five Olympics, competing on the
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...
,
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
,
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
,
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...
, and
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
teams respectively. She graduated from CSU in 1976 with a degree in public health administration.


References


External links

* {{Illinois Sports