Director's Message
Campaign for Delaware:
Building a Tradition of Excellence
A Proud Tradition
In the fall of 1873, a group of Delaware College students took the field for a series of baseball games against teams from the area. Motivated by the indomitable spirit of friendly competition, the "College Nine" (as they were affectionately known) could scarcely have imagined that their leisurely Saturday afternoon contests would be the launching pad for more than a century of intercollegiate athletics competition.
By the turn of the century, Delaware athletics were on the upswing. With the introduction of football, intercollegiate competition became a reality. The first such contest was held against Swarthmore College in 1890. Delaware athletics found its first director in Brick McAvoy in 1909. And in 1911, the Blue Hen was adopted as the mascot for all Delaware College intercollegiate teams, drawing on the state’s rich Revolutionary War heritage.
As the 1940s rolled around, University of Delaware athletics were poised for the big time. In 1940, the Blue Hen football team, under the aegis of first-year coach William Murray, lost its first three contests by a combined score of 38-0. The team would not, however, lose another game until the 1947 campaign, compiling an extraordinary 36 straight wins. Over the years, the football team has achieved five national championships.
The 1970s and 1980s were an important period for Delaware athletics with the addition of women’s sports. In quick order, several of our women’s teams attained national prominence, with particular strengths in field hockey and lacrosse. The women’s lacrosse team battled to UD’s first national title in 1981 and successfully defended the title in 1982 and 1983. In 1998, women’s rowing became the 23rd intercollegiate varsity sport at the University of Delaware.