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UW-L Athletic Traditions
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UW-L Traditions
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse athletic success has continued throughout its history. The Eagles have won 58 national titles in nine different sports, including 24 since 2001. UW-L has also won numerous Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in school history and has captured the WIAC All-Sports Award four of the last seven years.
In the Learfield Sports Academy Directors’ Cup Standings, which includes all NCAA Division III schools and its performances in the national championships, the Eagles finished 11th in 2008-09.
UW-L has eight top-10 finishes in the 14 years of the Directors’ Cup program, including a school-best seventh in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2006-07. UW-L is one of six institutions in NCAA III history to finish in the top-20 all 14 years joining Williams College (Mass.), The College of New Jersey, Amherst College (Mass.), Middlebury College (Vt.) and Cortland State (N.Y.).
The UW-L L-Club is the foundation’s annual fundraising program committed
to raising money to support all UW-L intercollegiate athletic programs. Managed
in accordance with the policies of the NCAA, the fund was established when it
became clear that revenues could not keep pace with rising expenses.
The UW-L athletic department recognized the need for a broad based group of
alumni, community supporters and friends of UW-L to assist UW-L athletics in
maintaining excellence.
The support of the L-Club makes a difference in recruiting top-quality student-athletes
and recognizing their achievements, enhancing facilities and providing state
of the art equipment and providing professional development for coaches and
staff to keep them abreast of current techniques.
The Wall of Fame recognizes outstanding coaches and staff for their contributions
to UW-L Athletics.
UW-L’s athletic teams sport a contemporary Eagle in the L and caricature
created in 1989. Dave Christianson, a 1973 art major graduate, penned the images
after the UW-L men’s teams took the Eagles moniker. It was the seventh
moniker for the men’s athletic teams. They had previously been called Indians,
Red Raiders, Hurricanes, Racqueteers, Peds and Maroons. Women’s teams started
sporting the Eagles moniker in November 1990. They had been previously known
as the Roonies, which was derived from the university’s school colors -
maroon and gray.
The Eagle in the L is a simple design, but not overly obvious. “At first glance, people see either the L or the eagle,” explained Christianson at the unveiling of the Eagle in the L. “Later, they see both.” The optical illusion, the element of surprise built right into the design makes the image contemporary and popular. The eagle caricature has a link to the past. The eagle’s sweater sports the traditional block-style “L” that has been used by university teams for decades.
