Butler Bulldogs | |
---|---|
University | Butler University |
Conference |
Big East Pioneer Football League |
NCAA | Division I Division I FCS (Football) |
Athletic director | Barry Collier |
Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
Varsity teams | 19 |
Football stadium | Butler Bowl |
Basketball arena | Hinkle Fieldhouse |
Baseball stadium | Bulldog Park |
Mascot | Butler Blue III |
Nickname | Bulldogs |
Fight song | The Butler War Song |
Colors | Blue and White |
Website | www |
The Butler Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent Butler University. The Bulldogs participate in 19 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. After leaving the Horizon League following the 2011–12 season, nearly all teams competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team is a founding member of the non-scholarship FCS-level Pioneer League. On March 20, 2013, the Butler administration announced that the school would join the Big East, and moved to the new league July 1, 2013.
The most recently added varsity sport is women's lacrosse, with Butler elevating its former club team to full varsity status for the 2016–17 school year (2017 season).
Historically, the Butler basketball program competed in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1932 to 1934, the Mid-American Conference from 1946 to 1950, the Indiana Collegiate Conference from 1950 to 1978, the Horizon League from 1979 to 2012, the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2012–13 season, and are now current members of the Big East.
Prior to the development of the NCAA Tournament, Butler claimed the AAU national championship in 1924 and the national championship John J. McDevitt trophy by the Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia. The Bulldogs reached postseason play for the first time in 1958, and the team's first victory in postseason play came the following year when the Bulldogs made it to the NIT Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs have competed in the NIT postseason tournament seven times, twice reaching the quarterfinals.