Sports in Evansville, Indiana


, USA is the home of three minor league professional, two semi-professional, and one amateur sports team. The city is also the home to two NCAA collegiate teams, and nine high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Evansville is also the annual host to the Hoosier Nationals, a BMX National Series race sanctioned by the National Bicycle League. The Hoosier Nationals take place on the BMX course at Evansville's Burdette Park.

Professional teams in Evansville

Evansville is currently the home of two minor league professional sports teams.
ClubLeagueSportVenueEstablishedChampionships
Evansville OttersFrontier LeagueBaseballBosse Field19952 League titles; 5 Division titles
Evansville ThunderboltsSouthern Professional Hockey LeagueIce hockeyFord Center20160

Evansville Otters

The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville. The team is part of the west division of the Frontier League. The Otters have won two league titles and five division titles since their inception in 1995. The team plays at Bosse Field, which has been used for professional baseball since it opened in 1915 and is the third oldest ballpark used for professional baseball on a regular basis in America. The Otters were previously known as the Lancaster Scouts.

Evansville Thunderbolts

The Evansville Thunderbolts are a professional ice hockey team based in Evansville. The team is part of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Thunderbolts' home arena is the Ford Center where they play all 28 of their home games. The Thunderbolts replaced the ECHL's Evansville IceMen after the IceMen's owner, Ron Geary, and the city of Evansville failed to come to an agreement for a new lease at the Ford Center during the 2015–16 season.

Semi-Professional teams in Evansville

Evansville is the home of two semi-professional sports teams.
ClubLeagueSportVenueEstablishedChampionships
Evansville CrushPremier Arena Soccer LeagueIndoor soccerMetro Sports Center2010

Evansville Crush

The Evansville Crush are a professional indoor soccer team based in Evansville. The team is part of the Premier Arena Soccer League. The Crush's home field is the Metro Sports Center.

Amateur teams in Evansville

Evansville is home to one traveling Women's Flat Track Derby Association teams: the Dynamite Dolls.
ClubLeagueSportVenueEstablishedChampionships
Demolition City Roller DerbyWFTDAFlat Track Roller DerbySoldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum2007-

Dynamite Dolls

The Dynamite Dolls are the A-team for Demolition City Roller Derby, a roller derby league in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association league. The team plays their home bouts at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum in downtown Evansville, Indiana.

College teams in Evansville

Evansville has two universities that field teams for the NCAA: the University of Evansville and University of Southern Indiana. These schools have a combined 9 team national championships.
SchoolEstablishedDivisionConferenceNational TitlesChampionship Sport/Years
University of Evansville Purple Aces1854Div IMVC5 Men's Basketball: 1959*, 1960*, 1964*, 1965* and 1971*
University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles1965Div IIGLVC4 Men's Basketball: 1995
Men's Baseball: 2010, 2014
Softball: 2018

* NCAA College Division national championships

Evansville Purple Aces

The University of Evansville is a member of the NCAA Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference. UE has 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports, eight for women and six for men.
The University of Evansville athletics department was built upon a foundation of success in men's basketball, including NCAA College Division national championships in 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1971. The team was led by legendary coach Arad McCutchan from 1946 to 1977 who led the Purple Aces to a 515–313 record. In 1977 UE began playing in NCAA Division I athletics.

Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles

The University of Southern Indiana Athletic Department is a member of the NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference. USI sponsors 15 varsity intercollegiate sports.
Since 1990, all 15 Screaming Eagles teams have participated in their respective national tournaments and/or were ranked at the national level. USI has claimed four national championships, finished three times as the national finalist, and earned one third-place finish.

Defunct professional teams in Evansville

Evansville has had a long history with professional sports teams. Past professional organizations have included the NFL, Triple-A minor league baseball, arena football, minor league ice hockey, and professional basketball. Past Evansville major league, minor league, and semi professional teams have won a combined 17 championships.

Former professional baseball teams

Former professional football teams

Former professional basketball teams

Former professional ice hockey teams

Evansville events hosted

NCAA events

From 1957 to 1975 Evansville hosted the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship at Roberts Municipal Stadium, and then again in 2002. The city is also slated to host the event at the Ford Center in 2014. From 1999 to 2007 Roberts Stadium hosted the Great Lakes Valley Conference basketball tournaments, and in 2013 and 2014 the same event was held at the Ford Center.
A number of Division I NCAA events have been hosted by the city as well. In 1983 Roberts Stadium hosted the first round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, and in 1980 and 1983 it hosted the Midwestern City Conference men's basketball conference tournament.

Thunder on the Ohio

From 1938 to 1940 and 1979 to 2009, Evansville hosted Thunder on the Ohio, a hydroplane boat race in the H1 Unlimited season. The race was held on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. The winner of Thunder on the Ohio received the Four Freedoms Trophy, which was named after the nearby Four Freedoms Monument which rests along the Ohio River. The race had frequently been broadcast on ESPN and the SPEED television network.
Thunder on the Ohio had been an Unlimited hydroplane mainstay for 30 consecutive years. "Ideal Evansville" replaced Owensboro, Kentucky, on the unlimited calendar in 1979. Evansville was the world headquarters of Atlas Van Lines, Inc., which sponsored Bill Muncey's race team. Muncey played a major role in Evansville being awarded its first sanction.
Prior to Thunder on the Ohio, the 725 Cubic Inch Class boats, the forerunners of the modern unlimiteds, raced at Evansville from 1938 through 1940. Dave Villwock had won more Evansville races than anyone else, including seven with Miss Budweiser.

Evansville HydroFest

Hydroplane racing returned to Evansville in 2017, with the introduction of the Evansville Hydrofest, an American Power Boat Association event.

The Refrigerator Bowl

From 1948 to 1956, Evanville hosted the annual college football Refrigerator Bowl. Currently, Evansville is the only city in Indiana to have hosted a college football bowl game.

Evansville high school state championships

Evansville has a proud high school sport heritage, including 81 team championships. Evansville has 9 active city high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The 78 team titles won by Evansville city high schools includes 23 soccer titles, 16 football titles, 12 wrestling titles, 9 basketball titles, 6 tennis titles, 7 golf titles, 5 baseball titles, 2 softball titles, and 1 bowling title. Defunct IHSAA high schools from Evansville that are no longer active include Evansville Rex Mundi and Evansville Lincoln.
SchoolEstablishedConferenceState Team TitlesChampionship Sport/Years
Evansville Bosse1924SIAC3 Boys Basketball: 1943–44, 1944–45, 1961–62
Evansville Central1854SIAC0
Evansville Day School1946IHSAA Independent0
Evansville Harrison1962SIAC2 Girls Golf: 1988–89 Boys Golf: 2011–12
Evansville Mater Dei1949SIAC21 Baseball: 1998–99 Softball: 2015–16 Boys Basketball: 2003–04 Girls Basketball: 2011–12, 2012–13 Football: 2000–01 Wrestling: 1985–86, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07 Girls Soccer: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
Evansville Memorial1922SIAC35 Baseball: 1977–79, 1988–89, 1992–93 Football: 1937–38*, 1958–59*, 2017–18, 2019-20 Boys Soccer: 1979–80*, 1980–81*, 1981–82*, 1983–84*, 1984–85*, 1986–87*, 1988–89*, 1989–90*, 1990–91*, 1992–93*, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019-20 Girls Soccer: 1988–89*, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2017–18 Softball: 2001–02 Girls Tennis: 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2011–12 Girls Basketball: 2010–11
Evansville North1956SIAC7 Baseball: 1961–62* Boys Basketball: 1966–67 Boys Golf: 1999-00 Girls Golf: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018-19
Evansville Reitz1918SIAC13 Girls Basketball: 1980–81 Football: 1933–34*, 1940–41*, 1948–49*, 1953–54*, 1956–57*, 1957–58*, 1960–61*, 1961–62*, 1971–72*, 2007–08, 2009–10 Bowling: 2011-12+
Evansville Signature2002IHSAA Independent0

* = indicates title won before IHSAA State Tournament was initiated
+ = indicates sanctioned by the Indiana High School Bowling Association

Notable Evansville athletes

Baseball

1986 Billy Hayes Inv. Outdoor Record, Jumped 7–1.75 Champion

Wrestling