Washburn Ichabods/Lady Blues
From Hoopedia
Washburn University (WU), is a co-educational, public, institution of higher learning located in Topeka, Kansas, USA. The university offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach 6,300 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students, and the university's assets include a $112 million endowment. The president of Washburn University is Dr. Jerry Farley, who has served as president since 1997 and taken an active approach towards improving academics and student life. Washburn University is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.
Washburn University was established in February 1865 as Lincoln College by a charter issued by the State of Kansas and the General Association of Congregational Ministers and Churches of Kansas on land donated by abolitionist John Ritchie. The school was renamed Washburn College in 1868 after receiving a $25,000 donation from Ichabod Washburn, a church deacon and industrialist who resided in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Washburn’s mascot honors the school’s early benefactor, Ichabod Washburn. The original design of the studious-looking, tuxedo-clad figure was created in 1938 by Bradbury Thompson (B.A. ‘34), who became an internationally acclaimed graphic artist. The men's athletic teams use The Ichabods nickname; the school's women's teams are known as Lady Blues. Washburn is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and The National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II.
Contents |
Men's Basketball
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.
Notable Alumni
- Jerry Schemmel - Radio voice of the Denver Nuggets.
Women's Basketball
In 2005 the Washburn Lady Blues basketball team posted a record of 35-2, setting a school record for wins and capturing the NCAA Division II national championship by defeating Seattle Pacific University 70-53.
Notable Alumni
- Billie Jean Moore - 1999 inductee to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She is the former head women's basketball coach at UCLA and 1976 Olympic women's basketball coach.
