History of the Bluejays

The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. They compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference.

The first year of Creighton Bluejays football was in 1900. They fielded a football team every year from 1900 to 1942. In 1942, Creighton’s campus became somewhat of a training ground for troops in World War II. As those troops shipped off, football programs across the country shut down, some permanently. Creighton never fielded a football team again.

College Sports Established
1900

Location
Omaha, Nebraska

College Name
Creighton University

Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1921 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
1909 - 1921 / Athletic Association of the United States

Conference History
2013 - Present / Big East Conference
1928 - 1948, 1976 - 2013 / Missouri Valley Conference
1922 – 1928 / North Central Conference

Nickname
Bluejays - Creighton University was founded in 1878, but it wasn’t until 1924 that their mascot was the Bluejays. During the 46 years in between, their athletic teams were known by the moniker “Hilltoppers”, or occasionally, simply the “White and Blue.”

A contest in December of 1923 changed all of that. The Creighton Athletic Board commissioned the Omaha Bee newspaper to ask their readers for suggestions on a mascot for the school. According to a 1983 article in The Creightonian, the contest received over 200 entries, including “Golden Rods”, “Counts”, “Wynners”, “Blues”, “Shamrocks”, “Tigers”, “Bears”, and “Bluejays.” On January 14, 1924, the Omaha Bee announced the winner — “Bluejays” — spelled as one word (unlike the actual bird, which is two words).

NCAA Championships
Baseball 0

Men's Basketball 0

Women's Basketball 0

Football 0

Soccer 0