Arizona State University Athletics
Encyclopedia
The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams representing Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...

 teams competing in the NCAA
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...

 Pacific-12 Conference. The men compete in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, cross country
Cross country running
Cross 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...

, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

, golf
Golf
Golf 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....

, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...

, track
Track and field
Track 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...

, and wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...

. Women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming/diving, tennis, track, volleyball, and water polo.

Athletes at ASU are known as "Sun Devils." The mascot was adopted in 1946; earlier nicknames were the Normals or the Owls and, later, the Bulldogs. The Sun Devil mascot, Sparky
Sparky (Arizona State Mascot)
Sparky the Sun Devil is the official mascot of Arizona State University. Originally the ASU athletic teams' mascot was an owl, then became a "Normal" , then was later changed to a bulldog. The State Press, the student newspaper, ran frequent appeals during the fall of 1946, urging the Bulldog to be...

, was designed by former Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

 illustrator Bert Anthony. ASU's chief rival is the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

 Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats
-Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...

.

Notable athletic achievements

ASU has 23 NCAA team national championships, including baseball (five times), women's tennis (three times), men's gymnastics (one), men's track and field (one), men's indoor track and field (one), women's outdoor track and field (two times), women's indoor track and field (one), wrestling (one), men's golf (two times), women's golf (thirteen times), softball (two times), and women's swimming and diving (seven times). These combine for a total of 133 team national championships. ASU also has numerous individual NCAA national champions in different sports. Additionally, the baseball team has appeared in the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

 22 times, the men's basketball team has participated in 13 NCAA tournaments, including 3 Elite Eight appearances, and the ASU football team won the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

 in 1987
1987 Rose Bowl
The 1987 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 73rd Rose Bowl Game. The Arizona State Sun Devils, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 22-15....

 and the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...

 in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1982.

ASU won national championships in men's archery 15 times, women's archery 21 times, mixed archery 20 times, men's badminton 13 times, women's badminton 17 times and mixed badminton 10 times, all which are not recognized by the NCAA.

Football

The Sun Devils played in the Border Conference
Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Border Conference , was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961-1962 season...

 between 1931 and 1961, before joining the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...

. Led by legendary head coach Frank Kush
Frank Kush
Frank Joseph Kush is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1...

, the Sun Devils posted a remarkable 62–9 record between 1970 and 1975, culminating in a 17–14 upset of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1975 Fiesta Bowl.

In 1978, both ASU and the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

 joined the Pacific-8 Conference, causing the conference to become the Pacific-10 (which grew again in 2011 to become the Pacific-12). The Sun Devils suffered some down years due to a number of head coaching changes, but were still able to make it to the 1983 Fiesta Bowl and 1987 Rose Bowl winning both.

After the 2006
2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's coach was Dirk Koetter who was fired after the season...

 season, Dirk Koetter
Dirk Koetter
-NFL drafted players under Koetter:-External links:* *...

 was fired after six seasons, and on December 6, 2006, athletic director Lisa Love
Lisa Love (coach)
Lisa Love is the current athletic director of the Sun Devils, representing Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Love is only one of six female athletic directors in Division I FBS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...

 hired Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...

 to become the head coach at ASU. Erickson, in his first year as coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, led the team to 10 wins, a share of the Pac-10 title with USC, and the Holiday Bowl against the University of Texas Long Horns.

Notable football alumni include Jim Jeffcoat
Jim Jeffcoat
James Wilson Jeffcoat, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League. From 2008 to 2010 he served as defensive line coach for the Houston Cougars football team...

, Jake Plummer
Jake Plummer
Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State....

, Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...

, J.R. Redmond
J.R. Redmond
Joseph Robert "J.R." Redmond is an American football running back who is a free agent in the National Football League...

, Danny White
Danny White
Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...

, Terrell Suggs
Terrell Suggs
Terrell Raymonn Suggs is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens tenth overall in the 2003 NFL Draft after playing his college football at Arizona State....

, Randall McDaniel
Randall McDaniel
Randall McDaniel is a former offensive guard in the National Football League. On January 31, 2009 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame...

, David Fulcher
David Fulcher
David Dwayne Fulcher is a former American Football safety who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...

, Darren Woodson
Darren Woodson
Darren Ray Woodson is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 2004...

, Pat Tillman
Pat Tillman
Corporal Patrick Daniel "Pat" Tillman Jr. was an American football player who left his professional career and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he died in the...

, Eric Allen
Eric Allen
Eric Andre Allen is a former professional American football cornerback who played in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders from 1988 to 2001....

, Zach Miller
Zach Miller
Zachary Joseph Miller is an American football tight end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Arizona State.-Early years:Miller Attended Desert Vista High School in...

, Shaun McDonald
Shaun McDonald
Shaun Terrance McDonald is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

, John Jefferson
John Jefferson
John Jefferson is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League . He was selected out of Arizona State University in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He played three seasons in San Diego, where he became the first NFL player to gain...

, Paul Justin
Paul Justin
Paul Donald Justin is a retired National Football League quarterback.Justin, a graduate and football standout at Arizona State University, played with three different teams in his NFL career: the Indianapolis Colts , the Cincinnati Bengals , and the St. Louis Rams...

, Jimmy Verdon
Jimmy Verdon
Jimmy Verdon is an American football defensive end who is a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was originally drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

, Mike Haynes, Al Harris
Al Harris (defensive lineman)
Alfred Carl Harris is a former professional American football defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears during the early 1980s. He played with the team from 1979 to 1984...

 and Ryan Torain
Ryan Torain
Ryan Devon Torain is an American football running back for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State.-Early years:...

.

Men's Basketball

The Arizona State Sun Devils have appeared in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

 13 times, including 3 Elite Eights (1961, 1963, 1975). They have won 8 conference championships (4 WAC and 4 BOR) and finished in the final AP rankings 7 times. The highest national ranking the Sun Devils have achieved was #3 under Ned Wulk
Ned Wulk
Ned W. Wulk was the men's basketball coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1982. He remains the most successful coach in the history of the men's basketball program with a record of 406 - 272 at ASU. Wells Fargo Arena's basketball court was named after him in 1999...

 during the 1980–81 season when the starting lineup included Byron Scott
Byron Scott (basketball)
Byron Antom Scott is a retired American National Basketball Association player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University, but left school in his junior year to...

, Fat Lever, and Alton Lister
Alton Lister
Alton Lavelle Lister is a retired American professional basketball player, in the power forward-center position.The 7' 0" Lister played at San Jacinto Junior College, where he was a teammate of future NBA journeyman shooting guard Oliver Mack...

. Ned Wulk
Ned Wulk
Ned W. Wulk was the men's basketball coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1982. He remains the most successful coach in the history of the men's basketball program with a record of 406 - 272 at ASU. Wells Fargo Arena's basketball court was named after him in 1999...

 was the men's basketball coach from 1958 to 1982 and remains the most successful coach in the history of the program with a record of 406 – 272 (.599).

Arizona State appeared in the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 Men's Basketball National Tournament
NAIA national men's basketball championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 . The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for smaller colleges and universities...

 two years (1948
1948 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1948 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 11th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The championship game featured Louisville beating Indiana State 82-70.The...

 and 1953
1953 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1953 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 16th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The championship game would feature Southwest Missouri State University,...

). Both years losing in the second round, leaving the NAIA with a tournament record of 2–2.

Herb Sendek
Herb Sendek
Herbert J. Sendek is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball coach at Arizona State University.-Background:Sendek was formally introduced as the ASU head coach on April 3, 2006....

 is the current head coach of the Sun Devils. Sendek stepped down as head coach of the North Carolina State Wolfpack and accepted the head coaching job at Arizona State in 2006. During a successful career in Raleigh, Sendek took the Wolfpack to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and also won ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

 coach of the year in 2004. Sendek was credited for bringing a "basketball atmosphere" and level of excitement to the ASU campus that had been absent for years. In his first four seasons at ASU, Sendek led the Sun Devils to three consecutive 20 win seasons, the 2009 Pac-10 conference tournament finals, and the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Thirty-six ASU Sun Devils have been selected in the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...

, including James Harden
James Harden (basketball)
James Edward Harden, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association . A shooting guard, Harden played collegiate basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected 3rd overall by the Thunder in the 2009 NBA Draft...

, Byron Scott
Byron Scott (basketball)
Byron Antom Scott is a retired American National Basketball Association player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University, but left school in his junior year to...

, Isaac Austin
Isaac Austin
Isaac Edward "Ike" Austin is a retired American professional basketball player. He is also the uncle of the top 2012 college basketball recruit, Isaiah Austin....

, Lafayette Lever
Lafayette Lever
Lafayette "Fat" Lever is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is currently the director of player development for the Sacramento Kings....

, Alton Lister
Alton Lister
Alton Lavelle Lister is a retired American professional basketball player, in the power forward-center position.The 7' 0" Lister played at San Jacinto Junior College, where he was a teammate of future NBA journeyman shooting guard Oliver Mack...

, Lionel Hollins
Lionel Hollins
-External links:***...

, Sam Williams, Jeff Pendergraph
Jeff Pendergraph
Jeff Curtis Pendergraph is an American professional basketball player who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft whose draft rights were later traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He attended Etiwanda High School in Ontario and college basketball at Arizona...

, Stevin "Hedake" Smith
Stevin Smith
Stevin L. Smith is an American professional basketball player and former college star, who is also known for his involvement in the 1994 Arizona State point-shaving scandal.- Early life :...

, Mario Bennett
Mario Bennett
Mario Marcell Bennett is an American professional basketball player.- College career :The youngest of four children, Bennett was an early entry candidate for the 1995 NBA Draft despite having been in school for four years, because he missed the entire 1992-93 season recovering from knee surgery...

, Tommy Smith
Tommy Smith (basketball)
Tommy Smith is an American basketball player who played collegiately at Arizona State University. A 6'10" and 225 lb forward, Smith attended North High School and was selected in the 2nd round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and now plays overseas...

, Ike Diogu
Ike Diogu
Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu, referred to as Ike Diogu , is an Nigerian American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.-Family and early life:...

, Eddie House
Eddie House
Edward L. House II , commonly referred to as Eddie House, is an American professional basketball player in the NBA for the Miami Heat.-Early life:...

. Freddie Lewis
Freddie Lewis
Frederick L. Lewis is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association and now defunct American Basketball Association from 1966 to 1977....

, and Joe Caldwell
Joe Caldwell
Joe Louis Caldwell is a retired American professional basketball player. He spent 6 seasons in the NBA and 5 seasons in the now-defunct ABA, and he was one of the few players to be an All-Star in both leagues...

.

Baseball

ASU is one of the most successful baseball programs in the country. The Sun Devils have won five national championships (1965
1965 College World Series
The 1965 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 7 to June 12. The nineteenth tournament's champion was Arizona State University, coached by Bobby Winkles...

, 1967
1967 College World Series
The 1967 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 12 to June 18. The twenty-first tournament's champion was Arizona State University, coached by Bobby Winkles...

, 1969
1969 College World Series
The 1969 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 13 to June 20. The twenty-third tournament's champion was Arizona State University, coached by Bobby Winkles...

, 1977
1977 College World Series
The 1977 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, United States from June 10 to June 18. The Thirty-first tournament's champion was Arizona State University, coached by Jim Brock...

, 1981
1981 College World Series
The 1981 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from May 30 to June 8. The thirty-fifth tournament's champion was Arizona State University coached by Jim Brock...

), the fourth most by any school, and have the third most College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

 victories with 61.

ASU baseball has won 21 conference championships (including four consecutive Pac-10 titles from 2007–2010) and reached the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

 22 times. The Sun Devils have also reached the NCAA tournament 34 times, most recently in 2011.

Starting with Rick Monday
Rick Monday
Robert James "Rick" Monday, Jr. is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball and is currently a broadcast announcer. From 1966 through 1984, Monday, a center fielder for most of his career, played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics , Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 as the #1 pick of the first ever Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 draft in '65, ASU leads all schools with 368 total picks. ASU also has the third most alumni to ever play in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

. Notable baseball alumni include Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

, Paul Lo Duca
Paul Lo Duca
Paul Anthony Lo Duca is a television personality and a former Major League Baseball catcher. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Florida Marlins , New York Mets , and Washington Nationals...

, Fernando Viña
Fernando Viña
Fernando Viña is a retired Cuban-American Major League Baseball second baseman and current MLB analyst for Oakland Athletics...

, Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia is an American professional baseball second baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Pedroia has won several awards in Major League Baseball, including the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award...

, Mike Leake
Mike Leake
Michael Raymond Leake , is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He bats and throws right-handed...

, Andre Ethier
Andre Ethier
Andre Everett Ethier , is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 2009, Ethier hit six walk off hits , which was the most by any player in the Major Leagues since 1974. His four walk-off home runs tied the Major League record for most in a season...

, Willie Bloomquist
Willie Bloomquist
William Paul Bloomquist is a Major League Baseball utility player. He has played every position, aside from either of the battery positions, during his MLB career....

, Bob Horner, Sal Bando
Sal Bando
Salvatore Leonard Bando is a former third baseman and executive in professional baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers . He batted and threw right-handed. During the A's championship years of 1971-75, he captained the team and led the club in runs batted...

, Ike Davis
Ike Davis
Isaac Benjamin "Ike" Davis is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the New York Mets. He and his father Ron Davis, who pitched in the majors for 11 years, are the 197th father-son combination to have both played in the major leagues.He led his high school team to three straight Arizona state...

, Jason Kipnis
Jason Kipnis
Jason Michael Kipnis is an American baseball player who plays second base for the Cleveland Indians. He was called up from the minor leagues to the Indians on July 22, 2011....

, Brett Wallace
Brett Wallace
Brett Alexander Wallace is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.-High school:...

, Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...

, Hubie Brooks
Hubie Brooks
Hubert Brooks, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. During his career, he played as a third baseman, shortstop and right fielder for the New York Mets , Montreal Expos , Los Angeles Dodgers , California Angels and Kansas City Royals .Brooks played varsity baseball...

, and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...

.

Softball

One of the nation's founding programs, the two-time NCAA national champion Sun Devils are in their 45th season on the diamond. ASU has recorded twenty-seven seasons of 30 or more wins and twelve with 40 or more, including an all-time high of 66 wins in 2008. The Sun Devils have appeared in 23 NCAA tournaments (33 postseason bids overall) and have made nine trips to the Women's College World Series
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...

. Prior to the current NCAA format, ASU went to seven WCWS, claiming back-to-back national tiles in 1972 and 1973. Arizona State's storied tradition of softball excellence continues to flourish under head coach Clint Myers, who has led the Sun Devils to two NCAA national championships. Myers joined Linda Vollstedt (women’s golf – 7), Greg Kraft (women’s track & field indoor – 2, women’s track & field outdoor – 1, men’s indoor track & field – 1), Bobby Winkles
Bobby Winkles
Bobby Brooks Winkles is a former baseball coach at Arizona State University. Bobby Winkles coached from 1959–1971 and was the first varsity baseball coach at Arizona State University. Winkles laid the foundation for the legacy that has become Sun Devil baseball. His overall record while head coach...

 (baseball – 3) and Jim Brock
Jim Brock
Jim Brock was the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team for 23 years.Arizona State's second varsity baseball coach was Jim Brock who coached at ASU for 23 years . During his first year as head coach, Brock managed his team to a 64-6 record. That record still holds the NCAA...

 (baseball – 2) as Sun Devil coaches with more than one NCAA title.

The Sun Devils capped off the 2008 season with their first WCWS NCAA national championship on June 3, 2008. Kaitlin Cochran
Kaitlin Cochran
Kaitlin Elizabeth Cochran is an American softball player. She attended Rosary High School and now attends Arizona State University. She plays Outfield. With United States women's national softball team she won 2011 World Cup of Softball.-External links :*...

 hit a three-run home run, Katie Burkhart
Katie Burkhart
Katherine Burkhart is an American softball pitcher who plays for the USA Softball team. Burkhart plays professionally in the United States for the USSSA Pride in the NPF in addition to playing in Japan.-College career:...

 pitched a four-hitter and Arizona State routed Texas A&M 11–0 to win the title. Cochran slammed the first pitch from Megan Gibson over the left field fence in the fifth inning to give the sixth-seeded Sun Devils a 4–0 lead in the fifth inning. The margin ended up matching the second-most lopsided game in Women's College World Series history.

On June 7, 2011, the Sun Devils captured their second NCAA national championship by defeating the Florida Gators. ASU pitcher, Dallas Escobedo, became the first freshman pitcher to lead a team to the NCAA title since 1990.

Golf

Notable golf alumni include Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...

, Billy Mayfair
Billy Mayfair
William Fred Mayfair is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour .-Early years and amateur career:Mayfair was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Before his fifteenth birthday, he had won a number of junior golf tournaments. In 1981, he was on the cover of Boys' Life magazine as "golf's...

, Paul Casey
Paul Casey
Paul Alexander Casey is an English golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. In 2009 he achieved his highest position, third, in the Official World Golf Rankings....

, Bob Gilder
Bob Gilder
Robert Bryan Gilder is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments in his PGA Tour career and currently plays on the Champions Tour where he has ten wins.-Biography:...

, Howard Twitty
Howard Twitty
Howard Allen Twitty is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s; and who currently plays on the Champions Tour....

, Tom Purtzer
Tom Purtzer
Thomas Warren Purtzer is an American professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour....

, Jeff Quinney
Jeff Quinney
Jeffrey Michael Quinney is an American professional golfer.Quinney was born in Eugene, Oregon. He had a successful amateur career, winning the U.S. Amateur in 2000, and represented the USA in the Walker Cup in 2001....

, Matt Jones
Matt Jones (golfer)
Matthew Jones is a professional golfer from Australia who has played on the Nationwide Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia and the PGA Tour....

, Chez Reavie
Chez Reavie
William Chesney "Chez" Reavie is an American professional golfer.Reavie was born in Wichita, Kansas. He played collegiately at Arizona State University....

, Grace Park
Grace Park (golfer)
Grace Park is a South Korean professional golfer on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Park was born in Seoul, South Korea. She moved to Hawaii at the age of 12, and then to Arizona. She received the 1996 Dial Award as top female high-school scholar-athlete in the United States...

, Heather Farr
Heather Farr
Heather Farr was an American professional golfer.Farr won three state championships at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona...

, Anna Nordqvist
Anna Nordqvist
Anna Maria Nordqvist is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...

, Wendy Ward
Wendy Ward
Wendy Ward is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour.-Early life, education and amateur career:Ward was born in San Antonio, Texas....

, and Azahara Muñoz
Azahara Muñoz
Azahara Muñoz Guijarro is a Spanish professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...

.

Wrestling

ASU has had a very successful wrestling team. The Sun Devils have captured one NCAA team national championship (1988), eight individual championships, and 100 total All American honors. Notable alumni include several MMA stars, such as Dan Severn
Dan Severn
Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...

, Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
Cain Ramirez Velasquez is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa...

, Ryan Bader
Ryan Bader
Ryan DuWayne Bader is an American professional mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. On December 13, 2008, Bader defeated Vinicius Magalhães to win a contract with the UFC and the title of The Ultimate Fighter...

, Aaron Simpson
Aaron Simpson
Aaron Simpson, an Emmy-nominated animation producer, is the founder and editor of Cold Hard Flash. A native of Birmingham, Michigan, he recently served as a producer for Warner Bros. Animation's Flash-animated series Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island. Producing more than a dozen development shorts...

, Dan Henderson
Dan Henderson
Daniel Jeffery Henderson, is an American mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler, who competes as a middleweight and light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion...

, Clifford Starks
Clifford Starks
Clifford Starks is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Early career:...

 and C.B. Dollaway
C.B. Dollaway
Clarence Byron Dollaway is an American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 7 making it to the finale where he was defeated by an armbar from Amir Sadollah.-Early life:...

.

Eight Sun Devils have participated in the Olympic games, most recently in the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. There have been two silver medalists; Zeke Jones and Townsend Saunders.

Six Sun Devils have participated in the World Championships of Wrestling since 1985 (a total of 16 entries). those wrestlers placed in the top 10 a total of ten times, including Zeke Jones, the 1991 champion at 114.5 pounds.

During the 1992–1993 season ASU set a Pacific-10 Conference record for most points in a championship meet.

On May 13, 2008, the university announced it will drop the sport of Wrestling as well as Men's Tennis and Men's Swimming to save more than $1 million in operational costs. Just 10 days after the announcement to drop three sports, Arizona State announced it was reinstating the varsity wrestling program. The announcement came as local and civic sponsorship was announced as the reason to bring the sport back.

National championships

Arizona State has 23 NCAA team national championships :

Baseball (5)
  • 1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981
Men's Golf (2)
  • 1990, 1996
Men's Gymnastics (1)
  • 1986
Men's Indoor Track and Field (1)
  • 2008
Men's Outdoor Track and Field (1)
  • 1977
Wrestling (1)
  • 1988
Women's Golf (7)
  • 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2009
Women's Indoor Track and Field (2)
  • 2007, 2008
Women's Outdoor Track and Field (1)
  • 2007
Softball (2)
  • 2008
    2008 Women's College World Series
    The 2008 Women's College World Series was held May 29 through June 4, 2008 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium...

    , 2011
    2011 Women's College World Series
    The 2011 Women's College World Series was from June 2 through June 7, 2011 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams who advanced through a 64-team bracket played in the World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The official host for the event was the University of...



Rivalries

A strong academic and athletic rivalry exists between the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

 and Arizona State University. Arizona leads the all-time record against ASU in men's basketball 139–79 as of January 2010.

Arizona State University fields the more accomplished baseball team with five College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

 national championships (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977 and 1981). As of May 2010, the schools have met 432 times on the baseball diamond, dating back over 100 years to the first contest in 1907. Arizona, recognizing victories against club teams (ASU did not adopt varsity baseball until 1959) claims the all-time series 233–198–1. ASU, recognizing only varsity baseball competition (beginning in 1959), claims a 179–115 edge in the all-time series (as of May 2010).

The annual football rivalry game between the two schools is known as "The Duel in the Desert." It is one of the most heated rivalries in college football. The University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

 has the all-time series lead with a record of 46–37–1 dating back to the time when ASU was the Tempe Normal Owls and Teacher's College Bulldogs. The school adopted the moniker, the Sun Devils, on November 20, 1946. Since Arizona State became a university in 1958, the Sun Devils lead the rivalry series over the University of Arizona Wildcats by a record of 29–23–1. The trophy awarded after each game, the Territorial Cup
Territorial Cup
The Territorial Cup is a trophy that is awarded to the winner of an American college football rivalry game, commonly referred to as "The Duel in the Desert," played annually between the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of Arizona State University and the Arizona Wildcats football team of the...

, is one of the nation's oldest rivalry trophies. It is currently held by Arizona.

In 2009, State Farm introduced the sponsored "State Farm Territorial Cup" for the two schools. Arizona won the inaugural season of the series 10.5 points to 7.5.

The ASU wrestling team has been dominant over the UA Wildcats with a record of 28–8 all time. The University of Arizona no longer has a wrestling program.

ASU athletic facilities

Mona Plummer Aquatic Center
Mona Plummer Aquatic Center
The Mona Plummer Aquatic Center is the aquatic center used by the Arizona State University Sun Devil swim team. It opened in 1981, costing four million dollars to build, and is named after Mona Plummer, a national championship winning coach who died in 1985.The complex consists of three pools,...

  • The Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, located on the campus of Arizona State University, is regarded as one of the country's finest outdoor swimming and diving facilities.


Karsten Golf Course
  • At the ASU Karsten Golf Course, challenge is inherent. Many touring professionals have honed their skills on the fairways and greens of this classic Pete Dye, Scottish links course. The course is home to the ASU Golf Program, which turns out winning teams year after year.


Packard Stadium
Packard Stadium
Packard Stadium is a college baseball stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the home field of the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pacific 12 Conference. Opened in 1974, the stadium's seating capacity is 7,875....

  • Packard Stadium, the home of Arizona State baseball since 1974, is one of the nation's most beautiful ballparks. The outfield wall is lined with orange trees and just beyond the left field fence lies the Salt River which winds its way through the Valley of the Sun. The field is named in honor of College Baseball Hall of Fame
    College Baseball Hall of Fame
    The National College Baseball Hall of Fame, located in Lubbock, Texas, is a museum operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States...

     coach Bobby Winkles
    Bobby Winkles
    Bobby Brooks Winkles is a former baseball coach at Arizona State University. Bobby Winkles coached from 1959–1971 and was the first varsity baseball coach at Arizona State University. Winkles laid the foundation for the legacy that has become Sun Devil baseball. His overall record while head coach...

    . In 2006, Bobby Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark was dedicated to the memory of another College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Jim Brock
    Jim Brock
    Jim Brock was the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team for 23 years.Arizona State's second varsity baseball coach was Jim Brock who coached at ASU for 23 years . During his first year as head coach, Brock managed his team to a 64-6 record. That record still holds the NCAA...

    .


Arizona State University Soccer Stadium
  • On April 1, 2000, Arizona State University unveiled the latest amenity in its sports facilities, the Soccer Stadium. The Soccer Stadium features chair-back bleachers and individual seats with a capacity for 1,051 fans.


Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium
Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium
Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium is the home of the Arizona State University Sun Devils college softball team. The stadium holds 1,535 fans and was built around the old stadium's existing field and was completed in 2000...

  • On April 8, 2000, Arizona State University unveiled the Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium. It is the latest amenity among the sports facilities of Sun Devil Athletics. Farrington Stadium features chair-back bleachers and individual seats with a capacity for 1,535 fans.


Sun Angel Stadium, Joe Selleh Track
  • Arizona State University's men's and women's track and field teams compete at Sun Angel Stadium/Joe Selleh Track, which opened in 1976. The stadium was completed in 1975 at an estimated cost of $3 million.


Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...

  • Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium has played host to football games for more than four decades. On September 21, 1996, the school held Frank Kush
    Frank Kush
    Frank Joseph Kush is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1...

     Day and announced that the playing field at Sun Devil Stadium would be named "Frank Kush Field" in his honor.


Wells Fargo Arena
Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe)
Wells Fargo Arena is a 10,754-seat multi-purpose arena at 634 E Veterans Way in Tempe, Arizona, USA, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona.Constructed in the spring of 1974 as the as the Arizona State University Activity Center and at the cost of $8 million, the facility also plays host to graduation...

  • Wells Fargo Arena is the home for Sun Devil men's and women's basketball as well as volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling. Constructed in the spring of 1974, the 14,198-seat facility also plays host to graduation ceremonies and a variety of concerts and shows.


Whiteman Tennis Center
  • The Whiteman Tennis Center serves as the home to Arizona State's nationally ranked women's tennis teams. The original complex was dedicated May 8, 1976. It featured eight fully lit asphalt-based courts with a seating capacity of 1,200.

External links

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