Holy Cross University Athletics: A History of Peaks, Valleys, and a Call for Reclassification?
Holy Cross University boasts a rich history of both academic and athletic achievement. While the institution consistently promotes academic success and its student-athletes are some of the most successful in the country when it comes to academics, athletic success has seen peaks and valleys. With a 97% graduation rate in 2018, Holy Cross was in the top 20 out of 351 schools, marking the 10th consecutive year the school had posted such a high rate for student-athletes. But in the athletic arena, recent performance indicators suggest a program struggling to maintain its competitive edge.
A Glimpse at Recent Struggles
The Holy Cross athletic program's last period of national relevance was the baseball team's appearance in the College World Series in 2017, a feat they had last accomplished in 1978. The football team has not been a nationwide news story since Gordie Lockbaum's departure in the late eighties. The last time the football team was ranked in the AP Top 25 was 1951. While the move from FBS to Division 1-AA in football might explain some of this, the last time the team finished the season ranked in 1-AA was 1987.
The basketball team, despite being one of the more successful programs, hasn't won a game in March since the 1952-53 season. Recent highlights include a loss to the University of Oregon in 2016 and sharing the court with Dwyane Wade in 2003. Men's Hockey hasn't made the Tournament since 2006, when they upset the University of Minnesota.
Rowing and Women's Ice Hockey have provided some athletic hope recently. The Men's Rowing team has finished the season in the top twenty four times in the last fifteen years. Out of the 25 sports teams Holy Cross fielded last year, Women's Hockey was the only one to finish with a winning record.
In the 2017-2018 school year, the combined record of all Holy Cross sports was a dismal 141-303-18, a winning percentage of just .305. As of October 31st of the following fall season, the thirteen teams held only two winning records (Women's and Men's Tennis). The total fall record of Holy Cross three weeks into October was 30-108-6, putting the athletics program's winning percentage at a measly .208. Six teams had zero wins as of October 31.
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A Foundation of Success
Despite recent struggles, Holy Cross boasts a long and mostly successful athletic history. The baseball team was founded just thirteen years after Abraham Lincoln's death. Football started at Holy Cross in 1891, five years before the helmet was invented. Basketball began in 1900, just nine years after the sport's invention.
Over the years, many games have been won and many stars have emerged. These include Boston Celtics legends and NBA Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn, Heisman finalist Gordie Lockbaum, 1939 NFL rushing leader and four-time NFL champion Bill Osmanski, football Hall of Famer George Connor, two-time US Amateur champion and PGA Hall of Famer Willie Turnesa, and the first Native American in Major League Baseball, Louis Sockalexis.
Holy Cross is one of only nine schools to have won both a basketball (1947) and a baseball championship (1952). The other eight schools-Stanford, UCLA, University of California, Oklahoma State, University of Michigan, The Ohio State, and the University of Florida-remain prominent athletic powers.
Historical Highlights
- Baseball: The Holy Cross baseball team won the NCAA National Championship in 1952 and remains the only team from the northeastern part of the United States to have won the College World Series. The Crusaders also reached the College World Series in 1958, 1962, and 1963. The Crusaders won their first Patriot League Baseball Tournament title in 2017 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1978 where it defeated No.
- Men's Basketball: The Holy Cross men's basketball team has won two national tournament championships having won the NCAA Tournament in 1947 and the National Invitation Tournament in 1954. The team also reached the Final Four in 1948 and the Elite Eight in 1950 and 1953. In 2016, the team captured its first win in an NCAA Tournament game since the 1953 season. From Jan. 17-Feb. 20, 1950, the men's basketball team achieved the ultimate ranking - No. 1 in the nation. The Crusaders spent five consecutive weeks as the top-ranked team in the Associate Press poll, while beginning the season with 26 straight victories.
- Women's Basketball: The Holy Cross women's basketball team has also made several appearances in the postseason including 12 trips to the NCAA tournament as well as one appearance in both the Women's National Invitation Tournament and the Women's Basketball Invitational. They are 1-12 in the NCAA Tournament with the lone win coming in 1991 as an upset over 6th seeded Maryland. This is the only victory in the NCAA Tournament for any team from the Patriot League.
- Football: The Holy Cross football team played in the 1946 Orange Bowl. The team has since made the FCS postseason in 1983, 2009, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The football team finished the 1987 season as the No.
- Men's Hockey: On March 24, 2006, the Holy Cross men's hockey team made history by defeating the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament by the score of 4-3, in overtime.
The Boston College Rivalry: A Symbol of Shifting Fortunes
The rivalry with Boston College, which began in 1896, exemplifies the shift in Holy Cross's athletic fortunes. Holy Cross's record against Boston College in football is 31-49-3. Before 1967, Holy Cross's record in the series was 29-31-3. However, Boston College then went on an 18-2 tear into the seventies and eighties. After 1986, the rivalry ended because Boston College was no longer interested in the one-sided competition. It has been forty years since Holy Cross beat Boston College. After an over three-decade hiatus, the series resumed in 2018 as Holy Cross traveled to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College.
The Size Factor: A David Among Goliaths?
One explanation for Holy Cross's athletic struggles is its size. Holy Cross is one of the smallest Division 1 schools in the country. For reference, Ohio State has about 46,000 students, University of Alabama 33,000, Oregon State 26,000, Duke 15,000, University of Minnesota 35,000, and Boston College has about 9,400.
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According to Statista, there are 20.46 million college students in America, meaning that only 0.00015% of college students attend Holy Cross. In 1965, when there were about 4.98 million college students, Holy Cross would have enrolled approximately 647 students if it enrolled 0.00015% of the total. In contrast, Ohio State would have enrolled around 9,899 students, making it about 15.3 times bigger than Holy Cross. Boston College would have had an enrollment of about 2,000.
A larger student population provides a larger sample size for finding walk-on players and generating more alumni donations. These donations can be used for better athletic facilities and more experienced coaches, leading to more star power. Holy Cross built the Luth center for just under $60 million, while Clemson built a $55 million facility solely for football, and Alabama built a $14 million facility for "sports nutrition."
While Holy Cross has a good network of alumni and a hefty endowment, it receives fewer donations from former athletes and fans compared to schools like Clemson and Alabama. These schools also prioritize athletic success more than Holy Cross, which has historically focused on academic excellence.
A Call for Reclassification?
Given these challenges, one potential solution is reclassification to Division 2. As a Division 1 college, Holy Cross is often the underdog, and fans are less likely to attend games for struggling teams. Reclassifying to Division 2 would create more equal competition and a more electric atmosphere around the school. While it would mean foregoing opportunities like March Madness and the College World Series, it would allow Holy Cross to compete against teams like Bentley University, Franklin Pierce University, and the University of New Haven.
A Commitment to Excellence
Despite the challenges and potential for reclassification, the Department of Athletics remains committed to a sustained culture of excellence in academics, athletics, and personal development. The college sponsors a comprehensive athletic program at the NCAA Division I level, with 27 varsity athletics teams. In non-league competition, the Crusaders face numerous top Division I programs.
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The college's athletic facilities include the football stadium, the lighted baseball stadium, eight tennis courts, a softball field, the Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium, and Kuzniewski Field. The Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex houses the basketball arena, ice rink, and swimming pool.
Holy Cross is a charter member of the Patriot League and has consistently demonstrated academic prowess. Its athletic teams have tied for sixth in the nation with an overall graduation rate of 98 percent, and 14 teams have achieved a perfect score of 1,000 in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR).
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