St. Cloud State Huskies
Encyclopedia
The St. Cloud State Huskies are the athletic teams for St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University is a four-year public university founded in 1869 on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. The university is the largest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system which is the largest single provider of higher...

.
The university currently sponsors 18 Division II teams and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...

 (NSIC). SCSU competes in the (CCSA) for women's Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....

. The St. Cloud State's men's and women's ice hockey teams also compete in Division I for as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....

 (WCHA). The mascot is the Husky
Husky
Husky is a general name for a type of dog originally used to pull sleds in northern regions, differentiated from other sled dog types by their fast hard pulling style...

.

St. Cloud State University was a charter member of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (which has since become known as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...

) in 1932, St. Cloud State competed as a member of the North Central Conference
North Central Conference
The North Central Conference , also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...

 at the NCAA Division II level from 1982 to 2008. The North Central Conference
North Central Conference
The North Central Conference , also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...

 disbanded at the end of the 2007-08 academic year, and St. Cloud State's NCAA Division II sports once again became members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...

 in 2008-09.

Sports

The St. Cloud Athletic Department sponsors the following sports:

Men's intercollegiate athletic teams
  • 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 running
    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....

  • Ice hockey
    Ice hockey
    Ice 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...

  • Swimming
    Swimming (sport)
    Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

     and 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...

  • Tennis
    Tennis
    Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

  • Track and field
    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...

  • Wrestling
    Wrestling
    Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...



Women's intercollegiate athletic teams
  • 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...

  • 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....

  • Ice hockey
    Ice hockey
    Ice 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...

  • Nordic skiing
    Nordic skiing
    Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....

  • Soccer
  • Softball
    Softball
    Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

  • Swimming
    Swimming (sport)
    Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

     and 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...

  • Tennis
    Tennis
    Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

  • Track and field
    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...

  • Volleyball
    Volleyball
    Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...


Ice hockey

The St. Cloud State men's hockey program made the move to the NCAA Division I level in 1987-88, and it joined the always rugged WCHA
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....

 in 1990-91. The Huskies play all of their home games in the National Hockey Center (5,371 capacity), which was opened on December 16, 1989. The St. Cloud State women's hockey team began its first season of intercollegiate competition in 1998-99.

Facilities

The main athletic facilities at St. Cloud State University include Husky Stadium (football and soccer), Halenbeck Hall
Halenbeck Hall
Halenbeck Hall is a 6,900 seat multi-purpose arena in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It was built in 1965. It is the home of the St. Cloud State University Huskies basketball and volleyball teams....

 (indoor track and field, swimming and diving, volleyball, wrestling and basketball), the National Hockey Center
National Hockey Center
The National Hockey Center is a 5,763-seat hockey arena in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It is home to the St. Cloud State University Huskies men's & women's ice hockey teams, and the Saint John's University Johnnies ice hockey team. The main rink is now named for former SCSU President Brendan J....

 (ice hockey) and Selke Field (softball). Baseball is played off-campus at a City of St. Cloud ballpark called Joe Faber Field
Joe Faber Field
Joe Faber Field is a baseball venue located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA. The park opened in 1998 and has a capacity of around 2,000. It is the home of the St. Cloud River Bats of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. It also hosts the baseball team of St. Cloud State...

.

National Hockey Center

St. Cloud State is working on a $29.3 million renovation of its National Hockey Center. The Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...

 has funded $6.5 million of that total, with the balance to come from fundraising. The two-phase construction project, which is expected to be complete in 2013, will transform the building into the National Hockey and Event Center, expanding a predominately hockey-only facility into a multi-purpose event center. Among the renovations will be expanded luxury suites, a new main entrance, and improvements to the ticketing, administration, university store, concourses, restrooms and concession areas.

Athletic alumni

Van Nelson, United States Track and Field Olympian, competed in Cross Country and Track and Field for St. Cloud State University from 1964-1969. Along with Chuck Spoden and Kenny Mitchell
Kenny Mitchell
- Amateur career :Mitchell won the New York Golden Gloves three times. He won the 112 lb Open Championships in 1978, 1979 and 1980. Mitchell was defeated in the 1977 112 lb Sub-Novice Championship by Gino Gelormino. Mitchell trained at the Morrisania Youth Center in 1977 and 1978. In 1979...

, Nelson founded the first SCSU cross country team. His freshman year he qualified for the national meet and finished 8th. While at St. Cloud State, Nelson set a new collegiate record of 13:45.8 for 3 miles in Sioux Falls, SD. Van was a three year, double gold medal winner at the Drake Relays and twice won the Drake Relays’ Outstanding Athlete Award. Nelson still holds the SCSU records for the 5,000m, 10,000m, 15,000m, 20,000m and 30,000m runs. Van qualified to represent the United States at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Going into the games Van was ranked 4th in the world in the 5,000m and 8th in the 10,000m.

A total of 20 former St. Cloud State hockey players have gone on to play professionally in the NHL. Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Brimsek
Frank Brimsek
Francis Charles "Mister Zero" Brimsek was an American professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...

 played for the Huskies in 1933-34 before going on to a sterling professional career with the Boston Bruins and Chicago from 1938-50. He helped the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 win two Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 titles and he is a member of both the international and United State Hockey Hall of Fames.

Other former St. Cloud State players to skate in the NHL include Sam LoPresti
Sam LoPresti
Samuel LoPresti was an ice hockey goaltender. LoPresti played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks. On March 4, 1941, LoPresti set a still-unbroken NHL record when he faced 83 shots against the Boston Bruins. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973...

, Len Esau
Len Esau
Leonard Esau is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman who played a total 27 games in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. The Leafs drafted him in the 5th round 86th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft from the St....

, Steve Martinson
Steve Martinson
Steven Martinson is a retired American professional ice hockey player. He played in 50 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Minnesota North Stars over parts of four seasons...

, Tyler Arnason
Tyler Arnason
Tyler Arnason is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently a Free Agent. He most recently played with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League. He has previously played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and the Colorado...

, Casey Borer
Casey Borer
Casey Patrick Borer is an American ice hockey player who currently plays for the HC Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga.-Playing career:...

, Tim Conboy
Tim Conboy
Tim Conboy is an American professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing for the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League ....

, Matt Cullen
Matt Cullen
Matthew David Cullen is a professional ice hockey center, who currently is an alternate captain of the Minnesota Wild of the NHL.-Playing career:...

, Jeff Finger
Jeff Finger
Jeff Finger is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:...

, Bret Hedican
Bret Hedican
Bret Michael Hedican is a retired American professional ice hockey player and a two-time US Olympian.-Playing career:Hedican was drafted 198th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. A product of St. Cloud State University, Hedican made his NHL debut in the 1991–92 season with...

, Joe Jensen
Joe Jensen
Joseph Paul Jensen is a professional ice hockey center who played for the Albany River Rats of the AHL. He was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes organization.-Playing career:...

, Fred Knipscheer
Fred Knipscheer
Fred Knipscheer is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 28 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues....

, Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Joe Motzko
Joe Motzko
Joseph Andrew Motzko is an American ice hockey forward currently with ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-Playing career:...

, Mark Parrish
Mark Parrish
Mark Daniel Parrish is an American professional ice hockey right winger in the Ottawa Senators organization. He has played 10 seasons in the NHL for the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres-Playing...

, Duvie Westcott
Duvie Westcott
Duvie Westcott is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss NLA. Westcott played his whole National Hockey League career with the Columbus Blue Jackets before signing with Dinamo Riga of the KHL.-Playing career:Westcott was signed by Columbus as...

, Mark Hartigan
Mark Hartigan
Mark Hartigan is a professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for the Dinamo Riga. He now lives in Plymouth, Minnesota.-Playing career:...

, Andreas Nodl
Andreas Nödl
Andreas Nödl is an Austrian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Nate Raduns
Nate Raduns
-International:-External links:...

, and Andrew Gordon
Andrew Gordon (ice hockey)
Andrew Gordon is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger in the Anaheim Ducks system.-Playing career:Gordon began his career with the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. In 2004, he was drafted by the Washington Capitals...

. In recent years, Matt Cullen
Matt Cullen
Matthew David Cullen is a professional ice hockey center, who currently is an alternate captain of the Minnesota Wild of the NHL.-Playing career:...

 and Bret Hedican
Bret Hedican
Bret Michael Hedican is a retired American professional ice hockey player and a two-time US Olympian.-Playing career:Hedican was drafted 198th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. A product of St. Cloud State University, Hedican made his NHL debut in the 1991–92 season with...

 helped the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

 win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 in 2006, while Mark Hartigan
Mark Hartigan
Mark Hartigan is a professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for the Dinamo Riga. He now lives in Plymouth, Minnesota.-Playing career:...

 and Joe Motzko
Joe Motzko
Joseph Andrew Motzko is an American ice hockey forward currently with ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-Playing career:...

 won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

. Hartigan was later a member of the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

 during their Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 championship season in 2008.

Former St. Cloud State football player Todd Bouman
Todd Bouman
Todd Bouman is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at St. Cloud State....

 is a veteran quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 in the NFL. He has played for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

, and most recently a second stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in 2010. Other former St. Cloud State players to play professional football in the NFL include Keith Nord (Minnesota), Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....

 (Minnesota), Jeff Hazuga
Jeff Hazuga
Jeff Hazuga was a player in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings in 2001 as an end. He played at the collegiate level at St. Cloud State University and the University of Wisconsin–Stout.-References:...

 (Minnesota), Harry Jackson
Harry Jackson
Harry Jackson was the first man to be convicted in the United Kingdom via fingerprint evidence.On June 27, 1902, a burglary occurred in a house in Denmark Hill, London, and some billiard balls were stolen. The investigating officer noticed a number of fingerprints on a freshly painted windowsill,...

 (Green Bay), and John Kimbrough
John Kimbrough
John Kimbrough was a college athlete, a member of the Texas Legislature, the star of two western movies and a rancher. His older brother Frank Kimbrough served as head football coach at Baylor and West Texas A&M.-Football:...

 (Buffalo, New England and Oakland). Of note, Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....

 was named the 2006 Arena Football League Rookie of the Year while playing for the San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...

.

St. Cloud State women's basketball player Erika Quigley was named the NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2007. Diver Nate Jimmerson won the NCAA Division II men's one- and three-meter diving titles in 2008. Former St. Cloud State athlete Mary Ahlin won the NCAA Division II titles in women's one- and three-meter diving in 1998 and 1999, while Sarah Loquai won the NCAA Division II women's one-meter diving in 1997. In 2004, the St. Cloud State softball team placed third in the nation at the NCAA Division II softball championships.

External links

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