Ball State Cardinals

Ball State Cardinals
Ball State Cardinals
University	Ball State University
Conference	MAC (primary); MIVA (men's volleyball); MVC (men's swimming & diving)
NCAA	Division I (FBS)
Athletic director	Jeff Mitchell
Location	Muncie, Indiana
Varsity teams	18
Football stadium	Scheumann Stadium
Basketball arena	Worthen Arena
Baseball stadium	Ball Diamond
Mascot	Charlie Cardinal
Nickname	Cardinals
Fight song	Fight, Team, Fight
Colors	Cardinal and white;
Website	ballstatesports.com

The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot.

The Ball State University Pride of Mid-America Marching Band performs at all home football games, many home basketball games, and various other athletic and spirit events across campus.

Nickname

Previously known as the Hoosieroons, the university fell out of favor with the nickname. Then-President L.A. Pittenger told The Easterner, Ball State's newspaper, "[Hoosieroons] is entirely too long", while football assistant coach (and future head coach) Paul B. Parker said, "Hoosieroons is a joke over the state." In 1927, Pittenger led a committee that looked over a list of 45 names—including Goblins, Steamers, Fleet-foot Warriors, Muncie Gleaners, Magicians, Fighting Normalites, and Scrappin' Teachers—all 45 of which were rejected.

On the morning of November 30, a meeting between then-athletic director Paul "Billy" Williams and head football coach Norman G. Wann led to the pair coming up with the idea for the "Cardinals" nickname after seeing a St. Louis Cardinals sweatshirt. They inferred the nickname would work well as the cardinal was the state bird of Indiana. In a student body vote, "Cardinals" won in a landslide with 234 votes out of 500 (77 votes going to "Hoosieroons"). Ball State athletic teams promptly adopted the nickname, and have been known as the "Cardinals" since.^[2]

Sports sponsored

A member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Ball State sponsors teams in seven men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.^[3] The men's volleyball team is a member of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Men's swimming & diving moved from the MAC to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) when sponsorship of that sport transferred from the MAC to the MVC in 2024–25.^[4]

Men's sports	Women's sports
Baseball	Basketball
Basketball	Cross country
Football	Field hockey
Golf	Golf
Swimming & diving	Gymnastics
Tennis	Soccer
Volleyball	Softball
	Swimming & diving
	Tennis
	Track and field^†
	Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.

Football

The Ball State Cardinals compete in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mid-American Conference. It had been a member of the conference's West Division in football from the start of divisional play in 1997 until divisions were eliminated after the 2023 season. The current head coach is Mike Neu.^[5] The Cardinals play at Scheumann Stadium.

On October 5, 2008, Ball State was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in team history, and reached a ranking as high as 12th in the nation during the course of the season. Ball State completed the 2008 regular season with a record of 12–0 and a conference record of 8–0. They won the MAC West Division championship before falling to Buffalo in the MAC Championship at Ford Field in Detroit. Shortly after the departure of head coach Brady Hoke, Ball State lost to the University of Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on January 6, 2009, by a score of 45–13.

Bowl games

The Cardinals have gone to eight Division I bowl games. They have a 1–8 record in these games, with their last appearance being a 51–20 loss to Georgia State in the Camellia Bowl.

Date	Bowl game	Winner		Loser
December 9, 1989	California Bowl	Fresno State	27	Ball State	6
December 17, 1993	Las Vegas Bowl	Utah State	42	Ball State	33
December 18, 1996	Las Vegas Bowl	Nevada	18	Ball State	15
January 5, 2008	International Bowl	Rutgers	52	Ball State	30
January 6, 2009	GMAC Bowl	Tulsa	45	Ball State	13
December 21, 2012	Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl	UCF	38	Ball State	17
January 5, 2014	GoDaddy Bowl	Arkansas State	23	Ball State	20
December 31, 2020	Arizona Bowl	Ball State	34	San Jose State	13
December 25, 2021	Camellia Bowl	Georgia State	51	Ball State	20

Men's basketball

The Cardinals first basketball season was 1920–21. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2000.

The Cardinals have had various levels of success throughout their 94 seasons of competition. Although there was little success in the program from its start until the 1970s, the next two decades would be the highlight of the program's performance. Ball State became a sporadic leader in the Mid-American Conference, winning a record seven MAC tournaments between 1981 and 2000. The Cardinals also accomplished a large feat during the 2001 Maui Invitational Tournament, when they upset #4 Kansas and #3 UCLA on consecutive days. In 2017, the Cardinals beat #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion by a score of 80-77, breaking a sixteen year drought against ranked teams.

Women's basketball

The Ball State Cardinals' women's basketball team won their first MAC tournament in 2009 and subsequently went to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. In the first round, they beat the Tennessee Lady Volunteers 71–55 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 12th-seeded Ball State's win over 5th-seeded Tennessee was the Lady Volunteers' first first-round loss in the 28-year history of the women's NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals earned a lot of attention for their historic first round win and briefly became the Cinderella, feel-good story of the NCAA Tournament before losing to the Iowa State Cyclones 57–71 in the second round. On March 21, 2012, head coach Kelly Packard resigned^[6] On May 12, 2012, Brady Sallee, the former coach at Eastern Illinois University, was named the eleventh head coach in the program's history.^[7]

Baseball

The Ball State baseball team plays in the MAC West Division. They play on Ball Diamond. Their head coach is Rich Maloney, who formerly coached the Cardinals, with an extended stint with the University of Michigan in between. The team began play in 1918. The Cardinals have had 8 players drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Their most notable alumni though is Mr. Jonny Cisna, the inventor of the term launch angle.

Softball

Ball State's softball team has appeared in two Women's College World Series, in 1973 and 1975.^[8]

Fight song

The "Ball State Fight Song" was written by Carl Hofer in 1930. The lyrics go:

Fight team fight for Ball State

We must win this game

Onward now you Cardinals

Bring glory to your name

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Here's to both our colors

Cardinal and White

Praying for a victory

So fight, fight, fight!

References

^ "Brand Colors - Ball State University". Retrieved May 23, 2017.
^ ""Cardinals" New Name for Teams". The Easterner. December 2, 1927. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
^ "(Cardinal logo) Ball State Cardinals". Ball State University. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
^ "MVC To Sponsor Men's Swimming & Diving in 2024-25" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
^ "Ball State Athletics". ballstatesports.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
^ St. Myer, Thomas (March 21, 2012). "Kelly Packard resigns as Ball State women's basketball coach". The Star Press.
^ "Brady Sallee Named Head Women's Basketball Coach - Ball State University Athletics".
^ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.

External links

Official website

40°11′58″N 85°24′45″W / 40.19944°N 85.4125°W / 40.19944; -85.4125

[1] "Brand Colors - Ball State University". Retrieved May 23, 2017.

[2] ""Cardinals" New Name for Teams". The Easterner. December 2, 1927. Retrieved 12 April 2012.

[3] "(Cardinal logo) Ball State Cardinals". Ball State University. Retrieved 25 December 2016.

[4] "MVC To Sponsor Men's Swimming & Diving in 2024-25" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

[5] "Ball State Athletics". ballstatesports.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.

[6] St. Myer, Thomas (March 21, 2012). "Kelly Packard resigns as Ball State women's basketball coach". The Star Press.

[7] "Brady Sallee Named Head Women's Basketball Coach - Ball State University Athletics".

[Plummer-8] Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.

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v t e Mid-American Conference
Full members	Akron Zips Ball State Cardinals Bowling Green Falcons Buffalo Bulls Central Michigan Chippewas Eastern Michigan Eagles Kent State Golden Flashes Miami RedHawks Northern Illinois Huskies Ohio Bobcats Toledo Rockets Western Michigan Broncos
Future members	UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen (joining in 2025)
Field hockey affiliates	Appalachian State Mountaineers Bellarmine Knights James Madison Dukes Longwood Lancers
Women's lacrosse affiliates	Detroit Mercy Titans Robert Morris Colonials Youngstown State Penguins
Women's rowing affiliates (from 2025–26)	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens High Point Panthers Temple Owls
Men's tennis affiliate	UIC Flames
Wrestling affiliates	Bloomsburg Huskies Clarion Golden Eagles Cleveland State Vikings Edinboro Fighting Scots George Mason Patriots Lock Haven Bald Eagles Rider Broncs SIU Edwardsville Cougars
Seasons	1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Championships	Conference champions

v t e Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Current members	Ball State Cardinals Lewis Flyers Lindenwood Lions Loyola Ramblers McKendree Bearcats Ohio State Buckeyes Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Queens Royals Quincy Hawks (leaving in 2025)
Future members	Northern Kentucky Norse (joining in 2025)

v t e Missouri Valley Conference
Members	Belmont Bruins Bradley Braves Drake Bulldogs Evansville Purple Aces Illinois State Redbirds Indiana State Sycamores Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears (leaving in 2025) Murray State Racers Northern Iowa Panthers Southern Illinois Salukis Valparaiso Beacons UIC Flames
Men's soccer associates	Bowling Green Falcons Northern Illinois Huskies Western Michigan Broncos
Men's swimming & diving associates	Ball State Cardinals Miami RedHawks
Women's swimming & diving associate	Little Rock Trojans
Championships & awards	Baseball tournament Men's basketball tournament (Arch Madness) Women's basketball tournament (Hoops in the Heartland) Men's soccer tournament Women's soccer tournament Hall of Fame