Wichita State Shockers
| Wichita State Shockers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Wichita State University |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Darron Boatright |
| Location | Wichita, Kansas |
| Varsity teams | 15 |
| Football stadium | Cessna Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Charles Koch Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Eck Stadium |
| Mascot | WuShock |
| Nickname | Shockers |
| Colors | Black and Sunflower Yellow |
| Website | www |
The Wichita State Shockers are the athletic teams at Wichita State University who compete in the NCAA Division I as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Wichita State University sponsors teams in seven men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
The name for WSU's athletic teams is the Shockers and, collectively, students are also referred to as being "Shockers". The name reflects the university's heritage. Early students at what was then Fairmount College earned money by shocking, or harvesting, wheat in nearby fields. Early football games were played on a stubbled wheat field. Pep club members were known as Wheaties. Tradition has it that in 1904, football manager and student R.J. Kirk came up with the nickname Wheatshockers. Although the Wheatshockers name was never officially adopted by the university, it caught on among the fan base. Newspaper writers also liked it because it was easily shortened to "Shockers" in headlines, and the shorter name was officially adopted by around the time Fairmount became the Municipal University of Wichita in 1926.
Until 1948, the university used a nameless shock of wheat as its symbol. In 1948, junior Wilbur Elsea won the Kappa Pi honorary society's competition to design a mascot typifying the spirit of the school. Elsea, who had been a marine during World War II, decided that "the school needed a mascot who gave a tough impression, with a serious, no-nonsense scowl." Once Elsea's mascot was adopted, all that was needed was a name. The Oct. 7, 1948, issue of The Sunflower, the student newspaper, ran an advertisement urging students to submit names for the school's new mascot. It was freshman Jack Kersting who suggested the winning name, "WuShock."
In 1998, WuShock, also referred to as "Wu," marked his 50th birthday by undergoing a redesign and getting a pumped-up physique and revved-up attitude. The mascot's costume has changed over the years, as well. With the redesign, a new costume was introduced in fall 1998. In fall 1999, the head of the new costume underwent another redesign after a number of supporters suggested the mascot needed a more intimidating look. In 2006 it was decided to once again update the Wu costume. The general consensus was that many wanted the costume to more accurately reflect the depiction of WU in the school's logo. Many officials feel that a more professional and intimidating mascot on the field will certainly bolster WSU's image.
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Wikipedia