Ithaca College - Athletics

Athletics

The Ithaca athletics nickname "Bombers" is unique in NCAA athletics, and the origins of the nickname are obscure. Ithaca College's sports teams were originally named the Cayugans, but the name was changed to the Bombers sometime in the 1930s. Several possibilities for the change have been posited. It may have made reference to the New York Yankees, who are known as the Bronx Bombers, or (less likely) boxer Joe Louis, known as the Brown Bomber. The most common explanation is that the school's baseball uniforms - white with navy blue pinstripes and an interlocking "IC" on the left chest - bear a striking resemblance to the distinctive home uniforms of the New York Yankees. It may also have referred to the Ithaca basketball team of that era and its propensity for half-court "bombs." Grumman Aircraft also manufactured airplanes including bombers in Ithaca for many years. The first “Bombers” reference on record was in the December 17, 1938 issue of the Rochester Times-Union in a men’s basketball article.

The name has at times sparked controversy for its perceived martial connotations. It is an occasional source of umbrage from Ithaca's prominent pacifist community, but the athletics department has consistently stated it has no interest in changing the name. The athletics logo has in the past incorporated World War II era fighter planes, but currently does not.

Ithaca is a member of the NCAA's Division III, the Empire Eight Conference, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Ithaca has one of Division III's strongest athletic programs. The Bombers have won a total of 15 national titles in seven team sports and five individual sports.

Coached by Jim Butterfield for 27 years, the football team has won three NCAA Division III National Football Championships in 1979, 1988 and 1991 (a total surpassed only by Augustana, Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater). Bomber football teams made a record seven appearances in the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, which has since been surpassed by Mount Union in 2003. The Bombers play the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons for the Cortaca Jug, which was added in 1959 to an already competitive rivalry. The matchup is one of the most prominent in Division III college football.

Most recently, the women's crew won back-to-back NCAA Division III championships in 2004 and 2005.

Women's soccer has won two national championships in Division III and is consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally.

The Men's Wrestling team won NCAA Division III National Championships in 1989, 1990 and 1994.

Ithaca is also home to more than 60 club sports, many of which compete regularly against other colleges in leagues and tournaments.