Athletics
Oral Roberts University is a member of the Southland Conference after leaving its former conference home, The Summit League, in July 2012. Its athletic programs include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis along with track and field for men and women. There is also a baseball program for men and volleyball for women.
ORU's early sports team nicknames were the Titans for men and the Lady Titans for women, adopted in 1965 by a vote of the student body. On April 30, 1993, all teams for both men and women became known as the Golden Eagles. ORU's current mascot is "Eli" the Golden Eagle, who hatched out of his papier-mâché egg on November 17, 1993 before the start of an exhibition basketball game as the official symbol of a new era in ORU athletics. The mascot's name is an acronym for education, lifeskills and integrity.
The men's basketball team coached by Scott Sutton went to three straight NCAA tournaments from 2006-2008. ORU's women's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA tournaments in the past eight seasons.
The ORU baseball team has played in 21 NCAA regional tournaments. ORU advanced to the College World Series in 1978. In 2006, ORU advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against Clemson. ORU baseball has now won 12 conference championships in a row and has played in 12 NCAA regional tournaments in a row (1998 to 2009).
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