Wildside (Northwestern)
| Northwestern Wildcats | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Northwestern University |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| NCAA | Division I/FBS |
| Athletic director | James J. Phillips |
| Location | Evanston, Illinois |
| Varsity teams | 19 |
| Football stadium | Ryan Field |
| Basketball arena | Welsh-Ryan Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Rocky Miller Park |
| Soccer stadium | Toyota Park |
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
| Fight song | Go U Northwestern |
| Colors | Purple and White |
| Website | www |
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern has eight men's and eleven women's NCAA Division I sports teams. The mascot is Willie the Wildcat. The athletic director is former Northern Illinois University Athletic Director Jim Phillips, who took office in April 2008.
Northwestern is a charter member of the Big Ten Conference. Ever since the University of Chicago dropped out in 1946, Northwestern has been the only private institution in the conference. At only 8,200 undergraduates, it is by far the smallest. The second-smallest school, Iowa, is almost three times as large as Northwestern, at 21,000 undergraduates.
Currently, Northwestern fields 19 intercollegiate athletic teams (8 men's and 11 women's) in addition to numerous club sports. Current successful athletic programs include football, men's soccer, wrestling, men's swimming, men's golf, women's tennis, softball, fencing and women's lacrosse. The women's lacrosse team is the six-time NCAA national champion, and went undefeated in 2005. The 1930–31 Wildcats were retroactively named national champions by both the Helms Athletic Foundation (in 1942) and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.
The Northwestern Athletics' mascot is Willie the Wildcat. However, the team's first mascot was not Willie, but a live, caged bear cub from the Lincoln Park Zoo named Furpaw. In fall 1923, Furpaw was driven to the playing field to greet the fans before each game. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was the harbinger of bad luck and banished him from campus. Willie made his debut ten years later in 1933 as a logo, but did not actually come to life until 1947, when members of the Alpha Delta fraternity dressed up as him during the Homecoming parade. The Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB) performs at all home football and lead cheers in the student section and the alma mater at the end of the game.
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