Ferris State Bulldogs
| Ferris State Bulldogs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Ferris State University |
| Conference | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Central Collegiate Hockey Association |
| NCAA | Division II |
| Athletic director | Steve Brockelbank |
| Location | Big Rapids, Michigan |
| Varsity teams | 15 |
| Football stadium | |
| Basketball arena | |
| Ice hockey arena | Ewigleben Arena |
| Softball stadium | FSU Softball Field |
| Soccer stadium | FSU Soccer Field |
| Other arenas | Ewigleben Sports Arena |
| Nickname | Bulldogs |
| Colors | Crimson and gold[1] |
| Website | www |
The Ferris State Bulldogs (FSU Bulldogs) are the athletic teams that represent Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Bulldogs compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 14 of 15 varsity sports, while the men's hockey team (the only team that competes at the Division I level) plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Bulldogs have been members of the GLIAC since 1972.
Year in and year out, nearly 400 student-athletes have the opportunity to compete for the Bulldogs on a regional and national level for conference titles and NCAA Championships. Ferris’ men’s club ice hockey won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 national title in 1994, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national title in 2018, and the football program won the Division II national title in 2021.
Varsity teams[]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Cross country | Cross country |
| Football | Golf |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Ice hockey | Softball |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track and field† | Track and field† |
| Volleyball | |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
Facilities[]
The Ferris Ice Arena and Sports Complex features basketball courts, volleyball courts, hockey rink and a general ice-skating rink located in the Ewigleben Arena, named after former college president Robert Ewigleben. This sports complex hosts university and high school competitions as well as community sports programs.
Championships[]
National Championships:
National Runners-up:
- 1989: Wrestling—NCAA Division II
- 2004: Women's Golf—NCAA Division II
- 2006: Women's Golf—NCAA Division II
- 2012: Men's Ice Hockey—NCAA Division I
- 2018: Football—NCAA Division II[2]
Club Sports National Championships:
- 1994: Men's Ice Hockey—ACHA Division 2
Individual sports[]
Ice hockey[]
The 2011–12 season marked the first time in school history that the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey National Championship Finals. In the national championship match at the Frozen Four the Bulldogs lost 4–1 to Boston College in the title contest, leading to the cheer "Save Ferris" . The season came to a close with a 26–12–5 overall record and included a trip to the Frozen Four and a national runner-up finish. Ferris State's 26 wins were the second-most in school history, and the season highlights also included the school's second-ever Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship and a Midwest Regional crown.[3]
Prior to the 2011–12 season, the program's best season performance in the NCAA Division I was the 2002/03 campaign with a school-best 31–10–1 overall record. The Bulldogs also claimed their first-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship title with a first-place 22–5–1 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament's West Regional title game in their initial NCAA Tourney appearance. Ferris State also earned the distinction of being the nation's first team to reach the 30-win plateau in 2002/03 and also competed in the CCHA Super Six Championship Tourney for the first time since 1993.[4]
Football[]
Conferences[]
- 1899–1937: Independent
- 1938–1941: Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference
- 1946–1955: Independent
- 1956–1973: NAIA Independent
- 1974–1989: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- 1990–1998: Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference
- 1999–present: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Results[]
The Bulldogs had good success after Tony Annese was hired, winning multiple GLIAC championships with quarterback Jason Vanderlann. Unfortunately even though they had good success in the regular season that did not result in post-season success. In the best seasons Ferris State football ever had they went 1-2 in the postseason. Their one win was vs 7 seed Texas A&M Commerce at home in 2015, while they got beat by ODU in 2014 and GVSU in 2015, both GVSU and ODU were in-conference teams who were lower seeds, and both losses came in Big Rapids at home. In 2016, Ferris State defeated rival Grand Valley in the playoffs in Allendale. The win sent the Bulldogs to the National Semifinals. In 2017 the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs and defeated Ouachita Baptist and Fort Hays St before losing to Harding in a 16-14 Regional Championship. The Bulldogs are currently 7-2 vs arch-rival GVSU under Coach Annese.
References[]
- ^ "Colors – Ferris State University". Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Division II Football". NCAA.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "FSU Hockey Ends Year As National Runner-Up" (Press release). Ferris State University. April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ "Bulldog Hockey Head Coach". Ferris State University. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
External links[]
- Ferris State Bulldogs
- Ferris State University