Willamette University Athletics Department records

The Willamette University Department of Athletics consists of Willamette’s athletics teams, facilities, events and support organizations such as the Bearcat Club and the Bearcat Athletic Fund. Their mission is to “enhance the overall learning environment for scholar-athletes.” Part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III since 1998, the Athletics Department oversees twenty sports played in the fall, winter, or spring: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and volleyball. The mascot is Blitz the Bearcat, formerly Barney the Bearcat.

Athletics have been part of the Willamette community since 1894 with the formation of the Willamette football team. The school colors of cardinal red and gold were selected in 1895. A new gymnasium was built in 1895 and C.R. “Brick” Morse was the first paid football coach in the same year. Faculty and staff were often members of varsity athletics teams. In 1926, Willamette joined Whitman College, Pacific University, the University of Puget Sound, Linfield College, and the College of Idaho to charter the Northwest Conference. Prior to joining the NCAA in 1998, Willamette was part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame began in 1991 to recognize the athletes, coaches, teams and individuals who have made significant contributions to the Bearcat athletic program. Hall of Fame inductees have included athletes such as Harold Hauk ‘30 and Holly Brown ’76 and coaches such as Charles Bowles and Gordie James.