College Sports Established
1858
Location
St. Bonaventure, New York
College Name
St. Bonaventure University
Collegiate History
1979 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1979 - Present / Atlantic 10 Conference
Nickname
Bonnies - The St. Bonaventure Bonnies are a beloved NCAA Division I basketball team from St. Bonaventure, New York, and have been an integral part of the college sports landscape for decades. But many fans may not realize where their beloved nickname originated from!
In 1925, the school's first athletic director, Father Paul Ebbets SJ, named his teams after one of the great saints in Catholic history - Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622). He was known as "the Gentleman Saint" due to his kind and gentle nature, which matched perfectly with what he wanted represented by his teams: good sportsmanship and fair play on the court or field of competition. As a result, all men's varsity athletic teams at St. Bonaventure were given nicknames related to this saintly figure, such as “Brown Indians” (a reference to Francis' missionary work among Native Americans) or “Greyhounds” (in honor of one particular story about him involving dogs).
In 1972 however, it was decided that all male varsity sports would adopt a unified nickname – The Bonnie(s), derived from Franciscan Friars who had arrived in Olean, NY during 1858 being called 'Bonnies.' This new moniker has stuck around ever since then; even when women joined athletics at SBU, they adopted similar names like Lady Bonnie(s) and other variations like Bona Brave(s).
Today if you ask any fan why they root for The Bonnie(s), chances are they won't know its origins, but those familiar with its past will always be proud knowing that their team is named after such an inspiring figure whose legacy still stands strong today!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1920
- 2000
- 2003
- 2007
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Tri-State League title Win
In 1920: The St. Bonaventure basketball team wins its first conference championship, the Tri-State League title. -
St. Bonaventure men’s soccer team wins the Atlantic 10 Conference championship
In 2000, the St. Bonaventure men’s soccer team won the Atlantic 10 Conference championship. This was a historic achievement for the team, as it was their first-ever conference championship in men’s soccer. The team finished the season with a record of 14-5-2 and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. Although they lost in the first round of the tournament ... -
Men’s basketball team is embroiled in a scandal
In 2003: The men’s basketball team is embroiled in a scandal when it is discovered that a player, Jamil Terrell, had been given credit for a course that did not actually exist. As a result, the team is banned from postseason play and must forfeit several wins from the 2002-2003 season. -
Coach Mark Schmidt Hiring
Schmidt was hired as the head coach of St. Bonaventure in 2007. Under Schmidt’s leadership, the Bonnies have experienced significant success, including multiple NCAA tournament appearances and Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors. In 2018, Schmidt was named the National Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches after leading the Bonnies to a surprising NCAA ...
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.
History of the Bonnies
Since joining Division I athletics in the 1948–49 season, The Bonnies have won multiple conference championships across various sports, including men’s basketball (four Atlantic 10 Conference titles), women's basketball (two A-10 titles), baseball (three Big 4 Tournament wins), softball (one Big 4 title) as well as other individual awards such as All-Americans and Academic All Americans from all programs throughout its history.
In the 1970–71 season under legendary coach Larry Weise – who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last year - led The Brown & White to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, where they defeated Jacksonville before losing to Villanova by two points at Madison Square Garden which remains one of greatest games played there till date. Under Coach Mark Schmidt, since the 2007–08 season, the program has made five consecutive trips to post-season play, highlighted by an Elite Eight run during the 2011–12 campaign, including a victory against third-seeded Florida State at Amway Center Orlando.
Apart from team success, St Bonaventure alumni are represented across professional leagues like NBA( Andrew Nicholson ), CFL( Eric Deslauriers ), etc., showing how far this tiny school can reach when it comes to producing top-level athletes. With strong tradition and unrivaled passion among fans, Bonnies continue to represent themselves proudly each year both on the court and off it making sure that Olean will always be known for something special!
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