History of the Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports and other competitive teams representing Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York. The university sponsors 37 varsity sports and numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in the ECAC Hockey League. Additionally, teams compete in the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association, the Collegiate Sprint Football League, the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC), the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC), the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, and the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).
College Sports Established
1865
Location
Ithaca, New York
College Name
Cornell University
Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division I
1921 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
1954 - Present / Ivy League
Nickname
Big Red - Cornell's teams did not have an official name until after 1905, when a recent graduate, Romeyn Berry '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 bear 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.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 5
1939, 1923, 1922, 1921, 1915
Soccer 0
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
