Williams Ephs
From Hoopedia
Williams College is a private, coeducational, highly selective liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. As of 2005, the school has an enrollment of 1,945 undergraduate students and 59 graduate students. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
Williams was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams as a men's college. Hence, the school's sports teams are called the Ephmen, or the Ephs (pronounced "Eef," or [if] in IPA) — a shortening of the first name of founder Ephraim Williams.
Williams teams are sometimes called the Purple Cows. At the beginning of the 20th century there was a popular campus humor magazine called The Purple Cow. In 1907 by a vote of the student body, the college mascot was proclaimed to be a purple cow.
Williams has a traditional rivalry with Amherst College and Wesleyan University. The "Little Three," a subset of NESCAC, comprises the three schools. Williams and Amherst participate in notably intense competition, dating back more than a century.
Men's Team
Williams played in the 2003 and 2004 men's basketball Division III national championship games, winning the title in March 2003. Men's basketball also played in the 1997 and 1998 final fours. Williams is the only New England basketball team to have captured a Division III championship.
