Washburn Ichabods


The Washburn Ichabods are the athletic teams that represent Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Named for Ichabod Washburn, the Ichabods are a member of the NCAA Division II and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Sports sponsored

Basketball

Men's

Washburn claims one national championship. Washburn won five straight games to claim the 1925 AAU National Championship, becoming the fourth school to claim an AAU title, N.Y.U., and Butler. They defeated St. Phillips Athletic Club, 34-11, in the final. In 1987, the Washburn men's basketball team defeated West Virginia State 79-77 to win the NAIA national championship at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.

Women's

Coached by Ron McHenry since 2000, the Ichabods posted a record of 35–2, setting a school record for wins and capturing the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball National Championship by defeating Seattle Pacific University 70–53.

Football

Washburn began playing Football in 1891 with a record of 1 win and 4 losses. In 1907, under Garfield Weede the team completed a perfect season of 8 wins and 0 losses to be declared champions of the Kansas Conference, forerunner to the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The program has won 8 conference championships in its history.
The current head coach is Craig Schurig, who has held the position since the start of the 2002 season and led his team to a victory in the Mineral Water Bowl in 2004.
Former coaches at Washburn include John H. Outland, Garfield Weede, Bert Kennedy, Dick Godlove, Ellis Rainsberger, Harold "Bud" Elliott, Tony DeMeo.

"Lady Blues" nickname

When women's teams began competing at Washburn University during the 1969–70 school year, they were called the "Lady Blues". However, in fall 2013, all athletic teams – both men and women – merged to be known as the Ichabods. On May 24, 2013, the Lady Blues nickname was dropped. President Farley stated that "From the moment a student arrives on campus, until the time they graduate and are alumni, they are "Ichabods", not a "Lady Blue".

Notable alumni