San Francisco Dons | |
---|---|
University | University of San Francisco |
Conference | West Coast Conference |
NCAA | Division I |
Athletic director | Scott Sidwell |
Location | San Francisco, California |
Varsity teams | 14 |
Basketball arena | War Memorial Gymnasium |
Baseball stadium | Dante Benedetti Diamond at Max Ulrich Field |
Soccer stadium | Negoesco Stadium |
Mascot | The Don |
Nickname | Dons |
Fight song | "Victory Song" |
Colors | Green and Gold |
Website | www |
The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco (USF). The Dons compete in NCAA Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC), of which USF is a charter member.
Athletics at USF dates back to its founding in 1855, when founder Anthony Maraschi, S.J. organized ball games as recreation for the first students. However, intercollegiate competition only dates back to 1907, when then-Saint Ignatius College began playing organized baseball, basketball, and rugby against other local colleges and high schools. Rivalries with neighboring Santa Clara University and Saint Mary's College of California have their origins in this early period.
Teams were originally known as the "Grey Fog", and red and blue were Saint Ignatius College's colors. However, as the college began to develop an identity distinct from the high school—the college became the University of San Francisco in 1930—it adopted green and gold as its colors in 1927 and chose the Don as its mascot in 1932. The old Saint Ignatius High School later became Saint Ignatius College Preparatory and retained the red and blue colors.
Three USF alumni participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics - Israeli long distance runner Maor Tiyouri, basketball player John Cox and synchronized swimmer Mariya Koroleva.
The University of San Francisco sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports: