College Sports Established
1901
Location
Cheney, Washington
College Name
Eastern Washington University
Collegiate History
1978 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1901 - 1977 / NAIA
Conference History
1985 – Present / Big Sky Conference
1978 - 1984 / NCAA Division II independent
Nickname
Eagles - The Eastern Washington Eagles are one of the most popular NCAA teams in the Pacific Northwest, and they have a storied history that dates back to 1901. The team has seen its fair share of success, including four Big Sky Conference championships and two FCS National Championships. But many don't know that their nickname also has an interesting origin story.
Student editor George Ahern first referenced “Eagles” as a mascot for Eastern Washington University in his column "Athletic Notes," published on March 28th, 1929, in The Easterner newspaper. In it, he wrote: “Let's give our athletic teams some sort of name or symbol which will be characteristic; something like 'Eagles' would fill this need admirably." This suggestion was taken up by students, who quickly adopted it as their new mascot and began using it for all athletic events at EWU from then onward.
Since then, the Eagle has become synonymous with school spirit at EWU - from football games to pep rallies - with fans proudly supporting current players and alumni! It's no surprise why so many people have grown attached to this beloved bird; after all these years, we can still look up into those clear blue skies above us here in Cheney, WA, knowing that our Eagles soar high above us!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1901
- 1948
- 1991
- 2010
-
Eastern Washington Eagles football program is established.
Eastern Washington Eagles football program was established in 1901, making it one of the oldest football programs in the Pacific Northwest. In its early years, the team played against local high schools and other small colleges. The team’s first head coach was Bert Kennedy, who led the team from 1901 to 1902. -
Eastern Washington men’s basketball team wins their first conference championship
In 1948: The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team wins their first conference championship as part of the Evergreen Conference. -
Eastern Washington joins the Big Sky Conference
In 1991, Eastern Washington University moved up to the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) and joined the Big Sky Conference. This move elevated the Eagles’ athletics program to the highest level of collegiate competition. The Eagles football team continued to compete in the Big Sky Conference, and other sports programs also began to compete against tougher opponents in the conference. ... -
Eastern Washington men’s basketball team wins the Big Sky Conference championship
In 2010: The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team wins the Big Sky Conference championship and participates in the NCAA Tournament.
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 the player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Eagles
In 1993, Eastern Washington became the second team from its region to qualify for an NCAA tournament berth. The Eagles went on to win two games before falling short against eventual national champion North Carolina State University (NCSU). This was just a sign of things to come as they would make several more appearances over the next decade or so.
In 2004, led by future NBA player Rodney Stuckey and current head coach Shantay Legans, EWU made it all way back into March Madness with an impressive 24–7 record that season; however, they were unable to defeat NCSU again, who ultimately won it all once more that year. The following season saw them reach new heights when they earned a spot at No 1 seed Gonzaga’s home court for round two of March Madness but eventually lost out after being knocked off by George Mason University (GMU) 62–50.
In 2010 under then-head coach Kirk Earlywine, EWU returned, this time making it past GM U, only to fall short against Kansas Jayhawks. Two years later, the school had its most successful run yet when Coach Jim Hayford took his squad Final Four, where fell narrowly defeated Syracuse Orange 63–60. While since then, there has not been another deep tournament run for the school, they continue to be a highly competitive program within Big Sky Conference has won the last three regular seasons' championships along with the 2018 Tournament title as well 2019 runner-up finish, respectively showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon!
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