Valparaiso Crusaders
| Valparaiso Crusaders | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Valparaiso University |
| Conference | Horizon League |
| NCAA |
Division I Division I FCS (football) |
| Athletic director | Mark LaBarbera |
| Location | Valparaiso, Indiana |
| Varsity teams | 19 |
| Football stadium | Brown Field |
| Basketball arena | Athletics–Recreation Center |
| Baseball stadium | Emory G. Bauer Field |
| Soccer stadium | Eastgate Field |
| Mascot | The Crusader |
| Nickname | Crusaders |
| Colors | Brown and Gold |
| Website | www |
 |
|
The Valparaiso Crusaders is the name of the athletic teams from Valparaiso University, often referred to as Valpo, in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. The Crusaders compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as members of the Horizon League in all sports except football and bowling, neither of which is sponsored by the conference.
A member of the Horizon League, Valparaiso University sponsors teams in ten men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
The Crusaders first joined a Division I conference in 1982 when the men's basketball team joined the Mid-Continent Conference. Other sports joined conferences in later years.
VU plays its home football games, as well as men's and women's soccer games, at Brown Field, which has a seating capacity of 5,000 people and opened in 1919. Surrounding Brown Field is the Warren G. Hoger Track, home to the track and field teams. The basketball, swimming, and volleyball teams play at the adjacent Athletics-Recreation Center (ARC), which has a capacity of 5,000. The Crusaders' baseball team plays at Emory G. Bauer Field. The tennis teams use the Valparaiso University Tennis Complex. The cross country teams compete at Sunset Hills Farm.
After years of going without one, Valparaiso University pursued a mascot in 1931. The Uhlan was chosen over the Dunesmen and the Vandals. After debate in 1941 over choosing a mascot less proximate to the Nazi cause, the Crusader was chosen as the new mascot in 1942. The original illustrated mascot was penned by a Disney artist and patented in 1951, and used until 2010, when the school rebranded itself athletically and academically.
...
Wikipedia