History of the Hawks
The Saint Joseph's Hawks are the athletic teams representing Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Hawks compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Philadelphia Big 5. The school also has intramural and extramural, competing with City 6 (the six major universities in Philadelphia). The school is mainly known for its men's basketball team. The Hawk became the school's mascot in 1929. It first flapped its wings at a basketball game in 1956 in a win over La Salle University. The Saint Joseph's school colors are crimson and gray.
College Sports Established
1851
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
College Name
Saint Joseph's University
Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division I
1958 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
1982 - Present / Atlantic 10 Conference
1958 - 1982 / East Coast Conference
Nickname
Hawks - One of the most famous mascots in college sports, the Saint Joseph's Hawk has flapped its wings for 63 seasons.
The Hawk is best known for staying in constant motion by flapping its wings throughout every basketball game and representing the Saint Joseph's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die."
In 2014, the Hawk Mascot was named as the "Best College Basketball Tradition" by NCAA.com.
Jim Brennan originated the idea for a hawk as mascot during the 1954-55 season. Brennan, an ex-Marine and SJU cheerleader, at first wanted to secure an actual hawk, but later switched to the costume idea. The student government raised the 120 dollars needed to buy the initial costume, which Brennan donned for three years. He made his debut as the Hawk on December 3, 1955, a 84-72 win over Rhode Island at the Palestra. Since then, and including this season, a total of 37 SJU students, have donned the costume. The Hawk has not missed a men's basketball game since that first season.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
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.