The
Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at
Cornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous
intramuralIntramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...
and club teams. Cornell participates in
NCAAThe 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...
Division I as part of the
Ivy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
.
The
men'sThe Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team represents Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. Cornell is one of eight members of the academically prestigious Ivy League conference and the hockey team plays in the ECAC Hockey conference.The 1970 Cornell...
and women's hockey teams compete in the
ECAC Hockey LeagueECAC Hockey is one of the five NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conferences that compete in NCAA Division I ice hockey. The conference used to be affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a consortium of over 300 colleges in the eastern United States. This relationship ended in...
. Additionally, teams compete in the
National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing AssociationThe National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association is a women's collegiate fencing organization in the United States. The organization was founded as the IWFA in 1929 by two New York University students, Julia Jones and Dorothy Hafner and Betsy Ross, a student at Cornell University who based...
, the Collegiate Sprint Football League, the
Eastern Association of Rowing CollegesThe Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges is a college athletic conference of eighteen men's college rowing crews. It is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference .-Members:...
(EARC), the
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing CollegesThe Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges is an American athletic conference of eighteen women's college rowing crew teams. The conference is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference .-Members:*Boston College...
(EAWRC), the
Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing AssociationMiddle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association organizes and regulates intercollegiate sailing in Ontario, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, the eastern part of West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Hundreds of sailors participate from 43 colleges and...
, and the
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling AssociationThe Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It has been active since 1905 and has had a variety of schools as members throughout its tenure.-Current members:*American University...
(EIWA).
Facilities
The football, lacrosse, & sprint football teams play in
Schoellkopf FieldSchoellkopf Field is a 25,597-capacity stadium at Cornell University's Ithaca-campus that opened in 1915 and is used for the Cornell Big Red football, sprint football, lacrosse and field hockey teams...
, which has a capacity of 25,597. The
ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams play in
Lynah RinkLynah Rink is a 4,267-seat hockey arena at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935-1943, it is home to the Big Red men's and women's ice hockey teams.Lynah has been home to hockey greats...
, which has a capacity of 4,267. The Cornell men's soccer team plays on Charles F. Berman field on the southeast side of campus. There are also facilities about 2 miles east of campus that has multiple uses, but it is mainly used by the Cornell men's soccer team for practice. Other campus facilities include a
Robert Trent JonesRobert Trent Jones, Sr. was a golf course architect who designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 US states and 35 other countries all around the world...
(a Cornell alumnus) designed
golf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, baseball's
Hoy FieldDavid F. Hoy Field, usually referred to simply as Hoy Field, is a baseball field at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where the Big Red's baseball team plays...
, the Niemand•Robison Softball Field, the Oxley Equestrian Center, and numerous fields and gymnasiums. Some of the athletic playing fields along Tower Road are known as the "Alumni Fields" because the Cornell Alumni Association funded the grading and development of these fields in exchange for a promise that they would remain in perpetuity. A subsequent land swap resulted in giving the Agriculture College building sites at the east end of the fields in exchange for the site of what became Schoellkopf Field and Hoy Field. The Alumni Fields became the site of an underground Synchrotron Laboratory. Since the 1970s, several of the fields were used as sites for new biology buildings and were replaced by new fields along Jessup Road. Today, facilities are spread around campus with tennis courts and basketball courts located near a number of dormitories. In addition, the athletics department operates Helen Newman Hall (formerly the women's athletics building) and Noyes Center as remote fitness facilities.
History
Cornell's teams did not have an official name until after 1905, when a recent graduate,
Romeyn BerryRomeyn Berry was an American sports administrator.Nicknamed "Rym," Berry attended Cornell University, graduating in 1904 and earning a law degree in 1906. During his senior year, Berry was elected to the Sphinx Head Society and editor of the Cornell Widow with George Jean Nathan as business manager...
'04, wrote lyrics for a new football song. The lyrics included the words "the big, red team," and the nickname stuck.
Cornell does not have an official mascot; however, the
bearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
has long been a symbol of Cornell Athletics. In 1915, a live bear named Touchdown first appeared at football games to represent Cornell. The current version, which appears at many of Cornell's sporting events, is a brown bear costume (the live bear was replaced in 1939) that is worn by an undergraduate student; it is referred to as the "Big Red Bear" or by its nickname, "Touchdown." And recently, "red man," a person dressed in a tight red suit, has been seen running up and down the field of men's soccer games.
Cornell's colors, carnelian red and white, date back to the university's Inauguration Day on October 7, 1868.
Many of Cornell's athletic directors have made substantial contributions to collegiate athletics in general, including
Romeyn BerryRomeyn Berry was an American sports administrator.Nicknamed "Rym," Berry attended Cornell University, graduating in 1904 and earning a law degree in 1906. During his senior year, Berry was elected to the Sphinx Head Society and editor of the Cornell Widow with George Jean Nathan as business manager...
,
James LynahJames Lynah was an American businessman and sports administrator who is considered the principal founder of the Eastern College Athletic Conference....
, and
Robert KaneRobert Kane was a celebrated sports administrator.Kane attended Ithaca High School and Cornell University, where he established himself as a talented sprinter. As a senior at Cornell, he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society....
.
Fight Songs
A number of
fight songA fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
s are associated with Cornell sports teams, such as "The Big Red Team", "Fight for Cornell", and "New Cornell Fight Song", but the one with the longest use and tradition is "Give My Regards to Davy", a song written by three Cornellians in 1904. The song is sung to the tune of
George M. CohanGeorge Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
's "
Give My Regards to Broadway"Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play Little Johnny Jones ....
".
Rivalries
Cornell maintains informal athletic
rivalriesA sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
with other collegiate institutions. The
men's ice hockeyThe Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team represents Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. Cornell is one of eight members of the academically prestigious Ivy League conference and the hockey team plays in the ECAC Hockey conference.The 1970 Cornell...
team has a historic
rivalryA sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
with Boston University, but, since BU left what became the ECAC Hockey conference to join
Hockey EastHockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
, this rivalry has been overshadowed by the
more contemporary oneThe Cornell-Harvard Hockey Game is a men's ice hockey sports rivalry between the Big Red of Cornell University and the Crimson of Harvard University dating back to 1910....
with
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, which was highlighted in the 1970 novel
Love StoryLove Story is a 1970 romance novel by American writer Erich Segal. The book's origins were in that of a screenplay Segal wrote and was subsequently approved for production by Paramount Pictures. Paramount requested that Segal adapt the story into novel form as a preview of sorts for the film. The...
and its
film adaptationLove Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
. The men's ice hockey team also has rivalries with
Clarkson-The Clarkson School:The Clarkson School, a special division of Clarkson University, was founded in 1978 as a unique educational opportunity. The School offers students an early entrance opportunity into college, replacing the typical senior year of high school with a year of college...
and
ColgateColgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
. Following tradition, when Harvard plays the men's ice hockey team at Cornell's
Lynah RinkLynah Rink is a 4,267-seat hockey arena at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935-1943, it is home to the Big Red men's and women's ice hockey teams.Lynah has been home to hockey greats...
, some Big Red fans throw fish on the ice. Cornell has traditionally had a men's lacrosse rivalry with
Johns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
and, since 1980,
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. And the rising soccer team has formed a impressive rivalry with Syracuse University after its recent close games.
Cornell and the
University of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
are long-time rivals in football. With more than 114 games played since their first meeting in 1893, this is the seventh most-played rivalry in college football. Cornell's football series against both the University of Pennsylvania and
Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
are tied for second longest uninterrupted college football match-ups in history, both dating back to 1919. The two teams play for the Trustee Cup. They are only surpassed by the Lehigh-Lafayette series, which is uninterrupted since 1897.
In
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, the men's and women's teams maintain rivalries with the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and the
University of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
.
For
men's lacrosseThe Cornell Big Red Men's Lacrosse team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. Cornell competes as a member of the Ivy League, of which they have won 23 conference championships. The Big Red have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22...
, Cornell and
Princeton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
have historically been the perennial favorites in the Ivy League and the Princeton game is usually the most anticipated Ivy-game. Fellow upstate schools
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and
HobartHobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
are also considered Cornell's lacrosse rivals.
Additionally, in Women's Equestrian
Skidmore CollegeSkidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
is a constant rival.
Varsity sports
The
sprint footballSprint football, formerly called lightweight football, is a varsity sport played by United States colleges and universities, under rules similar to American football. The sport is currently governed by the Collegiate Sprint Football League....
team has won the CSFL title six times. The men's
ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team has been NCAA champion twice, ECAC champion 11 times and Ivy League champion 19 times, and recorded the only undefeated season in NCAA Division I Hockey history in 1970. The men's
lacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team has been NCAA champion three times and Ivy League champion 21 times. The men's Lightweight
rowingRowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
team varsity 8+ has won the IRA regatta four times since 1992 (1992, 2006, 2007, 2008). The women's
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
team has won the National Women's Polo Championship 11 times and the women's hockey team has been Ivy League champion 8 times. In total, Cornell's varsity athletic teams have been champions of the NCAA, ECAC, or Ivy League 114 times.
Championship Teams
-
- Ivy 1939, 1940, 1943, 1952, 1972, 1977, 2009
- Men's Basketball
The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988...
-
- Ivy 1988, 2008, 2009 , 2010
- Football
The Cornell Big Red football team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League. It is one of the oldest and most storied football programs in the nation...
- National 1915, 1921, 1922, 1939
- Ivy 1971, 1988, 1990
- Sprint Football
- CSFL
Sprint football, formerly called lightweight football, is a varsity sport played by United States colleges and universities, under rules similar to American football. The sport is currently governed by the Collegiate Sprint Football League....
1975(Co-Champs), 1978, 1982, 1984(Tri-Champs), 1986(Tri-Champs), 2006
- Men's Ice Hockey
- NCAA 1967, 1970
- ECAC 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010
- Ivy 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
- Ned Harkness Cup
The Florida College Hockey Classic is a college Division I men's ice hockey tournament played annually around New Years at the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida, United States....
2003, 2005, 2008
- Women's Ice Hockey
The Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey program represents Cornell University and participates in ECAC Hockey.-History:The Cornell women's hockey program was started in 1971. It would only be in 1972 that the team would play its first game. It was a 4-3 victory over Scarborough. In 1972, they played...
- NCAA 2010 (Frozen Four)
- ECAC 2010, 2011
- Ivy 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1996, 2010, 2011
- Men's Lacrosse
The Cornell Big Red Men's Lacrosse team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. Cornell competes as a member of the Ivy League, of which they have won 23 conference championships. The Big Red have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22...
- NCAA 1971, 1976, 1977
- Ivy 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Men's Polo
- National 1937, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1992, 2005
- Women's Polo
- National 1979, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011
- Men's Heavyweight Crew Cornell's Crews have won more RAAC
The Rowing Association of American Colleges is considered to be the very first collegiate athletic organization in the country. Upon organization by the captains of the leading crews of the day, they devised a primary rule of eligibility: that only undergraduate students should be eligible to...
(12 of 21)(1871-1894) and IRA NationalThe Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
Championships (26) than any other University, most recently:
- IRA National 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1977, 1981, 1982
- Eastern Sprints 1956, 1957, 1960, 1963
- Men's Lightweight Crew
- IRA National 1992, 2006, 2007 2008
- Eastern Sprints
Eastern Sprints refers to the annual rowing championship for the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges . Since 1974, the "Women's Eastern Sprints" has been held as the annual championship for the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges league.*For the women's regatta, see Women's Eastern...
1949, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1992, 2006, 2008
- Women's Crew
- IRA National
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
1989
- Softball
- Ivy 1999, 2001, 2004, 2009
- Men's Swimming
- EISL Dual-Meet 1984 [Co-Champions], 2007
- Volleyball
- Ivy 1991, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2005, 2006
- Men's Wrestling
The Cornell Big Red wrestling team represents Cornell University of Ithaca, New York. The squad is coached by Rob Koll.Koll has lead the team to five top-five finishes in the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament, including second place finishes in 2010 and 2011...
- See footnote See also: 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...
, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling AssociationThe Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It has been active since 1905 and has had a variety of schools as members throughout its tenure.-Current members:*American University...
(EIWA), and NCAA Wrestling Team ChampionshipThe NCAA Wrestling Team Championship was first officially awarded in 1929 and began to be continuously awarded on an annual basis in 1934 except during World War II 1943-1945. In 1928 and from 1931 to 1933, there was only an unofficial title. Oklahoma A&M, now Oklahoma State, won the 1928, 1931...
-
- 2007, 2008, 2009 EIWA champions
- 2010 2nd in NCAA
- 2004-2009 Ivy league champions
- 2011 2nd in NCAA
Other teams
- Men's Cross Country
- Women's Cross Country
- Equestrian
- Women's Fencing
- Men's Golf
- Gymnastics
- Men's Squash
- Women's Squash
- Men's Swimming and Diving
- Women's Swimming and Diving
- Men's Tennis
- Men's Track
- Women's Track
Individual Champions
Cornell Big Red wrestlingThe Cornell Big Red wrestling team represents Cornell University of Ithaca, New York. The squad is coached by Rob Koll.Koll has lead the team to five top-five finishes in the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament, including second place finishes in 2010 and 2011...
- NCAA Wrestling
- 1929 Glenn Stafford, 175 lb.
- 1953 Frank Bettucci, 147 lb.
- 1953 Don Dickason, 167 lb.
- 1959 Dave Auble, 123 lb.
- 1960 Dave Auble, 123 lb.
- 1994 David Hirsch, 126 lb.
- 2003 Travis Lee
Travis Lee is a former NCAA wrestler at the 125 lbs and 133 lbs weight class from Cornell University. Lee was the first individual NCAA wrestling champion from Hawaii, winning titles in 2003 and 2005 at 125 lbs and 133 lbs, respectively.Lee's first sport was judo, in which he...
, 125 lb.
- 2005 Travis Lee
Travis Lee is a former NCAA wrestler at the 125 lbs and 133 lbs weight class from Cornell University. Lee was the first individual NCAA wrestling champion from Hawaii, winning titles in 2003 and 2005 at 125 lbs and 133 lbs, respectively.Lee's first sport was judo, in which he...
, 133 lb.
- 2008 Jordan Leen, 157 lb.
- 2009 Troy Nickerson
Troy Nickerson is a collegiate national champion wrestler from New York.Nickerson attended Chenango Forks High School in Binghamton, New York. At Chenango Forks, Nickerson became the first five-time High School state champion of New York and amassed a record of 217-6 while winning several junior...
, 125 lb.
- 2010 Kyle Dake, 141 lb.
- 2011 Kyle Dake, 149 lb.
See also
- List of Cornell University alumni
- Lynah Rink
Lynah Rink is a 4,267-seat hockey arena at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935-1943, it is home to the Big Red men's and women's ice hockey teams.Lynah has been home to hockey greats...
External links