Sports in Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, Indiana, USA is the home of three minor league professional, two semi-professional, and one amateur sports team. The city is also the home to two NCAA collegiate teams, and nine high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Evansville is also the annual host to the Hoosier Nationals, a BMX National Series race sanctioned by the National Bicycle League. The Hoosier Nationals take place on the BMX course at Evansville's Burdette Park.

Professional teams in Evansville

Evansville is currently the home of two minor league professional sports teams.

Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Evansville Otters Frontier League Baseball Bosse Field 1995 2 League titles; 5 Division titles
Evansville Thunderbolts Southern Professional Hockey League Ice hockey Ford Center 2016 0
Indiana Firebirds National Gridiron League Indoor Football Ford Center 2018 0

Evansville Otters

The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville. The team is part of the west division of the Frontier League. The Otters have won two league titles (2006, 2016) and five division titles (1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006) since their inception in 1995. The team plays at Bosse Field, which has been used for professional baseball since it opened in 1915 and is the third oldest ballpark used for professional baseball on a regular basis in America. The Otters were previously known as the Lancaster Scouts (1993–1994).

Evansville Thunderbolts

The Evansville Thunderbolts are a professional ice hockey team based in Evansville. The team is part of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Thunderbolts' home arena is the Ford Center where they play all 28 of their home games. The Thunderbolts replaced the ECHL's Evansville IceMen after the IceMen's owner, Ron Geary, and the city of Evansville failed to come to an agreement for a new lease at the Ford Center during the 2015–16 season.[1]

Indiana Firebirds

The Indiana Firebirds are a professional indoor football team based in Evansville. The team is part of the east division of the National Gridiron League. The Firebirds' home arena is the Ford Center. The Firebirds will debut in the NGL's inaugural season in 2019.[2]

Semi-Professional teams in Evansville

Evansville is the home of two semi-professional sports teams.

Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Evansville Crush Premier Arena Soccer League Indoor soccer Metro Sports Center 2010

Evansville Crush

The Evansville Crush are a professional indoor soccer team based in Evansville. The team is part of the Premier Arena Soccer League. The Crush's home field is the Metro Sports Center. {{Clear}

Amateur teams in Evansville

Evansville is home to one traveling Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) teams: the Dynamite Dolls.

Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Demolition City Roller Derby WFTDA Flat Track Roller Derby Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum 2007 None
Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts NA3HL Ice Hockey Swonder Ice Arena 2015 None

Dynamite Dolls

The Dynamite Dolls are the A-team for Demolition City Roller Derby, a roller derby league in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) league. The team plays their home bouts at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum in downtown Evansville, Indiana.

Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts

The Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts are a junior ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League. The junior Thunderbolt's home arena is at Swonder Ice Arena.

College teams in Evansville

Evansville has two universities that field teams for the NCAA: the University of Evansville (Purple Aces) and University of Southern Indiana (Screaming Eagles). These schools have a combined 9 team national championships.

School Established Division Conference National Titles Championship Sport/Years
University of Evansville Purple Aces 1854 Div I MVC 5  • Men's Basketball: (5) 1959*, 1960*, 1964*, 1965* and 1971*
University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 1965 Div II GLVC 4  • Men's Basketball: (1) 1995
 • Men's Baseball: (2) 2010, 2014
 • Softball: (1) 2018

* NCAA College Division (now Division II) national championships

Evansville Purple Aces

The memorial display case at the Ford Center honoring UE's championship tradition

The University of Evansville (UE) is a member of the NCAA Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference. UE has 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports, eight for women and six for men.

The University of Evansville athletics department was built upon a foundation of success in men's basketball, including NCAA College Division (now Division II) national championships in 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1971. The team was led by legendary coach Arad McCutchan from 1946 to 1977 who led the Purple Aces to a 515–313 record. In 1977 UE began playing in NCAA Division I athletics.

Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles

The University of Southern Indiana (USI) Athletic Department is a member of the NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference. USI sponsors 15 varsity intercollegiate sports.

Since 1990, all 15 Screaming Eagles teams have participated in their respective national tournaments and/or were ranked at the national level. USI has claimed four national championships (men's basketball, 1995; men's baseball, 2010 and 2014;softball, 2018), finished three times as the national finalist (men's basketball, 1994 and 2004; women's basketball, 1997), and earned one third-place finish (men's cross country, 1982).

Defunct professional teams in Evansville

Evansville has had a long history with professional sports teams. Past professional organizations have included the NFL, Triple-A minor league baseball, arena football, minor league ice hockey, and professional basketball. Past Evansville major league, minor league, and semi professional teams have won a combined 17 championships.

Former professional baseball teams

Team Sport League Played Venue Class Affiliation Championships
Evansville Baseball Northwestern League 1884
Evansville Hoosiers Baseball Central Interstate League 1889
Evansville Baseball Illinois–Indiana League (Two-I League) 1892
Evansville Blackbirds Baseball Southern League 1895
Evansville River Rats Baseball Three-I League 1901– 1902 B None
Evansville River Rats Baseball Central League 1903– 1910 B Central League Title 1908
Evansville Strikers Baseball Central League 1911 B None
Evansville Yankees Baseball KITTY League 1912 D None
Evansville River Rats Baseball Central League 1914– 1915 Bosse Field B Central League Title 1915
Evansville Evas Baseball Central League 1916– 1917 Bosse Field B None
Evansville Black Sox Baseball Three-I League 1919 Bosse Field B None
Evansville Evas Baseball Three-I League 1920– 1923 Bosse Field B None
Evansville Little Evas Baseball Three-I League 1924 Bosse Field B None
Evansville Pocketeers Baseball Three-I League 1925 Bosse Field B None
Evansville Hubs Baseball Three-I League 1926– 1931 Bosse Field B None
Evansville Bees Baseball Three-I League 1938–1942 Bosse Field B Boston Bees, 1938–1940
Boston Braves, 1940–1942		 None
Evansville Braves Baseball Three-I League 1946– 1957 Bosse Field B Boston Braves, 1946–1953
Milwaukee Braves, 1953–1957		 Three-I League Title 1946, 1948, 1956, 1957
Evansville White Sox Baseball Southern League 1966– 1968 Bosse Field AA Chicago White Sox, 1966–1968 None
Evansville Triplets Baseball American Association 1970– 1984 Bosse Field AAA Minnesota Twins, 1970
Milwaukee Brewers, 1971–1973
Detroit Tigers, 1974–1984		 American Association Title 1972, 1975, 1979
Evansville Outlaws Baseball National Semi-Pro Baseball Association 1990– 2007 Various Semi-Pro N.A. US Baseball Congress Semi-Pro World Series Champions 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007

Former professional football teams

Team Sport League Played Venue Championships
Evansville Crimson Giants Football National Football League 1921– 1922 Bosse Field None
Evansville Vipers Football Ohio Valley Football League, 2000–2006
Mid Continental Football League, 2006–2007		 2000– 2007 Goebel Soccer Complex None
Evansville BlueCats Football National Indoor Football League, 2003–2005
United Indoor Football, 2005–2007		 2003– 2007 Roberts Municipal Stadium None
Evansville Express Football National Women's Football Association 2004– 2005 Goebel Soccer Complex None
Tri-State Titans Football Mid Ohio Football League 2008– 2009 Goebel Soccer Complex None
Ohio River Bearcats Football Great Midwest Football League 2008–2010 Reitz Bowl GMFL Title 2008

Former professional basketball teams

Team Sport League Played Venue Championships
Evansville Agogans Basketball National Professional Basketball League 1950–1951 Old Evansville Central High School Stadium (Current Downtown Evansville YMCA Stadium) None
Evansville Thunder Basketball Continental Basketball Association 1984–1986 Roberts Municipal Stadium None

Former professional ice hockey teams

Team Sport League Played Venue Championships
Evansville IceMen (2008–2010) Ice hockey All American Hockey League 2008–2010 Swonder Ice Arena Rod Davidson Cup Title: 2010
Evansville IceMen Ice hockey Central Hockey League
ECHL		 2010–2016 Swonder Ice Arena
Ford Center

Evansville events hosted

NCAA events

From 1957 to 1975 Evansville hosted the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship (Elite Eight) at Roberts Municipal Stadium, and then again in 2002. The city is also slated to host the event at the Ford Center in 2014. From 1999 to 2007 Roberts Stadium hosted the Great Lakes Valley Conference basketball tournaments, and in 2013 and 2014 the same event was held at the Ford Center.

A number of Division I NCAA events have been hosted by the city as well. In 1983 Roberts Stadium hosted the first round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, and in 1980 and 1983 it hosted the Midwestern City Conference (now Horizon League) men's basketball conference tournament.

Thunder on the Ohio

From 1938 to 1940 and 1979 to 2009, Evansville hosted Thunder on the Ohio, a hydroplane boat race in the H1 Unlimited season. The race was held on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. The winner of Thunder on the Ohio received the Four Freedoms Trophy, which was named after the nearby Four Freedoms Monument which rests along the Ohio River. The race had frequently been broadcast on ESPN and the SPEED television network.

Thunder on the Ohio had been an Unlimited hydroplane mainstay for 30 consecutive years. "Ideal Evansville" replaced Owensboro, Kentucky, on the unlimited calendar in 1979. Evansville was the world headquarters of Atlas Van Lines, Inc., which sponsored Bill Muncey's race team. Muncey played a major role in Evansville being awarded its first sanction.

Prior to Thunder on the Ohio, the 725 Cubic Inch Class boats, the forerunners of the modern unlimiteds, raced at Evansville from 1938 through 1940. Dave Villwock had won more Evansville races than anyone else, including seven with Miss Budweiser.

Evansville HydroFest

Hydroplane racing returned to Evansville in 2017, with the introduction of the Evansville Hydrofest, an American Power Boat Association event.[3]

The Refrigerator Bowl

From 1948 to 1956, Evanville hosted the annual college football Refrigerator Bowl. Currently, Evansville is the only city in Indiana to have hosted a college football bowl game.

Date playedWinning teamLosing teamNotes
December 4, 1948Evansville College13Missouri Valley College7[4][5]
December 3, 1949Evansville College22Hillsdale College7[6][7]
December 2, 1950Abilene Christian College14Gustavus Adolphus College7[8]
December 2, 1951Arkansas State College46Camp Breckinridge12[9]
December 7, 1952Western Kentucky State College34Arkansas State College19[10][11]
December 6, 1953 Sam Houston State Teachers College14College of Idaho12[12]
December 5, 1954Delaware19Kent State7[13][14]
December 4, 1955Jacksonville State Teachers College12Rhode Island10[15]
December 1, 1956Sam Houston State Teachers College27Middle Tennessee State College13[16]

Evansville high school state championships

Evansville has a proud high school sport heritage, including 77 team championships. Evansville has 9 active city high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The 77 team titles won by Evansville city high schools includes 20 soccer titles, 15 football titles, 12 wrestling titles, 9 basketball titles, 6 tennis titles, 7 golf titles, 5 baseball titles, 2 softball titles, and 1 bowling title. Defunct IHSAA high schools from Evansville that are no longer active include Evansville Rex Mundi and Evansville Lincoln.

School Established Conference State Team Titles Championship Sport/Years
Evansville Bosse 1924 SIAC 3  • Boys Basketball: (3) 1943–44, 1944–45, 1961–62
Evansville Central 1854 SIAC 0
Evansville Day School 1946 IHSAA Independent 0
Evansville Harrison 1962 SIAC 2  • Girls Golf: (1) 1988–89  • Boys Golf: (1) 2011–12
Evansville Mater Dei 1949 SIAC 19  • Baseball: (1) 1998–99  • Softball: (1) 2015–16  • Boys Basketball: (1) 2003–04  • Girls Basketball: (2) 2011–12, 2012–13  • Football:(1) 2000–01  • Wrestling: (12) 1985–86, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07  • Girls Soccer: (1) 2017–18
Evansville Memorial 1922 SIAC 33  • Baseball: (3) 1977–79, 1988–89, 1992–93  • Football: (3) 1937–38*, 1958–59*, 2017–18 • Boys Soccer: (14) 1979–80*, 1980–81*, 1981–82*, 1983–84*, 1984–85*, 1986–87*, 1988–89*, 1989–90*, 1990–91*, 1992–93*, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18  • Girls Soccer: (5) 1988–89*, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2017–18  • Softball: (1) 2001–02  • Girls Tennis: (6) 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2011–12  • Girls Basketball: (1) 2010–11
Evansville North 1956 SIAC 7  • Baseball: (1) 1961–62*  • Boys Basketball: (1) 1966–67  • Boys Golf: (1) 1999-00  • Girls Golf: (4) 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018-19
Evansville Reitz 1918 SIAC 13  • Girls Basketball: (1) 1980–81  • Football: (11) 1933–34*, 1940–41*, 1948–49*, 1953–54*, 1956–57*, 1957–58*, 1960–61*, 1961–62*, 1971–72*, 2007–08, 2009–10  • Bowling: (1) 2011-12+
Evansville Signature 2002 IHSAA Independent 0

* = indicates title won before IHSAA State Tournament was initiated
+ = indicates sanctioned by the Indiana High School Bowling Association

Notable Evansville athletes

Baseball

Don Mattingly

Basketball

Cycling

  • Frank Kramer, 18-time national sprint bicycling champion, 2-time Grand Prix de Paris Champion, first American to win the World Professional Sprint Championship, US Bicycling Hall of Famer

Football

Golf

Ice hockey

Horse Racing

  • Chic Anderson, sportscaster
  • Hillsdale ((Thoroughbred)), one of only 5 horses in history to sweep the prestigious Santa Anita's Strub Stakes Series

Soccer

Swimming

Tennis

  • Byron "Buddy" Buckley, Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Famer
  • Louise Owen, tennis player
  • Sara Turber, formerly ranked second in the world in Lawn Tennis
  • Woodie Sublette-Walker, Chief of tennis officials for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta

Track & Field

  • Charles Hornbostel, United States Olympic Track & Field team member in 1932 and 1936
  • Roger Brown, Evansville, Indiana (United States), 1984 Big Ten Outdoor champion for Indiana University, high jump 7–0.25" (2.14)

1986 Billy Hayes Inv. Outdoor Record, Jumped 7–1.75 (2.18)Champion

Wrestling

References

  1. ↑ "Evansville will be home to Southern Professional Hockey League franchise". Evansville Courier & Press. February 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Professional indoor football returning to Evansville with the Indiana Firebirds". Evansville Courier & Press. August 31, 2018.
  3. ↑ "HydroFest boat race called a success, will return in 2018". Evansville Courier & Press. 27 September 2017.
  4. ↑ http://www.moval.edu/aboutmvc/press/2006/FootballHoF.pdf
  5. ↑ "Missouri Valley's Streak Of 41 Grid Wins Snapped". The Hartford Courant. December 5, 1948.
  6. ↑ Evansville Athletics – Football
  7. ↑ "EVANSVILLE ON TOP, 22–7; Pins First Defeat on Hillsdale in Refrigerator Bowl". The New York Times. December 4, 1949.
  8. ↑ Athletic Hall of Fame – Gustavus Adolphus College
  9. ↑ "Arkansas State Wins Refrigerator Bowl". The Washington Post. December 3, 1951.
  10. ↑ Western Kentucky University Official Sports Site
  11. ↑ "REFRIGERATOR BOWL GAME WON BY W. KENTUCKY". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 8, 1952.
  12. ↑ ‘Yote Notes – Aug
  13. ↑ BuckeyeXtra – The Columbus Dispatch : Former Buckeye helped rebuild Kent State program
  14. ↑ "DELAWARE BEATS KENT STATE, 19–7; Wins in Refrigerator Bowl as Zaiser Scores Twice in Fourth Period". The New York Times. December 6, 1954.
  15. ↑ "Rhode Island Loses Refrigerator Bowl Duel To Jacksonville, Ala., State, 12–10". The Hartford Courant. December 5, 1955.
  16. ↑ ESPN – Middle Tennessee bowl history – College Football
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