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NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY
Intercollegiate Athletics
Significant History of Notable Developments and Changes
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YEAR
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HISTORICAL NOTE
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1932
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First varsity men's basketball team founded. Team played its home games in Margaret Williams Theater.
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1954
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School nickname changed from “Crows” to “Gothics” for 1954-55 year. School nickname had been “Crows” since its inception.
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1955
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Leslie Fries Gymnasium opens, giving Athletic Department its first "recreation and athletics" facility.
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1957
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JCSC joins New Jersey State Collegiate Athletic Conference (NJSCAC) as charter member.
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| 1962 |
Gained membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on September 1, 1962. |
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1965
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Men's basketball team reaches National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tournament round of 16.
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1966
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Club football is started with games played at Roosevelt Stadium. Baseball team also hosted games at Roosevelt Stadium.
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1968
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Fries Gymnasium Annex completed with locker room facilities, an auxiliary gymnasium, and a 25-meter swimming pool.
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1972
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Football team earns NJSCAC co-championship with an 8-1 record.
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1972
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Intercollegiate Athletic Council formed to receive input from faculty and administrative staff in the development of intercollegiate athletics at JCSC.
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1973
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Men's basketball team gets its first berth in the NCAA College Division Tournament: JCSC's first-ever NCAA post-season championship berth in any sport.
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1975
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Roosevelt Stadium closed, later to be demolished. Now site of Society Hill residential community.
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1976
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Land acquired on the Newark Bay for development of outdoor athletic facilities. To be named The Tidelands Athletic Complex.
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1977
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Thomas Gerrity retires as Athletic Director after 18 years as JCSC’s second Athletic Director. Larry Schiner named Director of Athletics.
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1977
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Student representation added to the Intercollegiate Athletic Council.
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1978
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Football and baseball games hosted at The Tidelands Athletic Complex.
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1979
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JCSC Athletic Hall of Fame inducts charter group.
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1982
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Judy Davis wins the Division III A.I.A.W. national championship in the 100-meter dash in women’s outdoor track and field, becoming the school’s first individual national champion of any kind.
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1982
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Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) is absorbed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) establishing a single national governing body for men's and women's athletics. JCSC and all members of the NJSCAC are registered as championship status
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1984
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Women's sports merged into NJAC Championship play.
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1985
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First Student-Athlete Reception held in the Gilligan Student Union. Student-athletes greeted to the college by the President and key administrators.
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1985
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Old New Jersey State Collegiate Athletic Conference (NJSCAC) renamed New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)
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1985
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Nickname changed from “Gothics” to “Gothic Knights” for 1985-86 year.
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1986
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Men's basketball team reaches NCAA Division III Final Four.
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1991
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Grandstands, press box and temporary field house at the football field and dugouts at the baseball field complete second phase of development at The Tidelands.
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1992
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Men's basketball team returns to NCAA Division III Final Four.
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1992
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Six new varsity tennis courts constructed behind West Side Avenue parking lot.
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1993
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Women's soccer added as a varsity sport bringing total number of women's sports teams to five. Men have six varsity sports teams.
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1994
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"Fries Out" celebration marks final men's and women's basketball games in Fries Gym.
Over 100 former men's and women's players and support staff attend basketball doubleheader and post-game reception.
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1994
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Athletic, Recreation & Fitness Center (ARFC) opens, giving JCSC one of the best indoor recreation and athletic facilities in the region.
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1994
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Women's indoor/outdoor track is added as a club sport.
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1994
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Press box/storage building is added to baseball facility.
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1995
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Tidelands re-named for Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex
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1995
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Soccer field re-named for Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
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1995
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Dugouts added to softball field
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1996
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Softball facility upgrades at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex include the installation of a portable outfield fence and new batting cage.
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1999
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Men’s tennis team is discontinued.
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2000
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Women’s Bowling becomes an intercollegiate varsity sport.
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2001
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Diana Lawson wins the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship in the 55-meter dash in a record 6.98 seconds. Her victory marks the first NCAA individual national championship in school history.
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2002
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Men’s indoor and outdoor track & field are reintroduced at the University for the first time since the 1981-82 season.
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2002
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Diana Lawson wins her second consecutive NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship in the 55-meter dash.
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2003
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Football is eliminated; school administration points to budget deficit.
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2003
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Men’s cross-country is reintroduced.
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2004
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NJCU announces its intention to withdraw from the NJAC effective July 1, 2004, after 47 years as a league member. Application for membership in the Skyline Athletic Conference is denied. NJCU will begin 2004-05 season as an independent.
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2004
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NJCU men’s basketball wins a conference-record 11th NJAC championship; advances to Sweet 16 for sixth time in school history.
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2004
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NJCU announces it will join City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) as an affiliate member in the sport of baseball.
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2004
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Diana Lawson wins her third NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship in the 55-meter dash, breaking her own national record in the trials in 6.93 seconds.
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2004
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NJCU launches www.NJCUGothicKnights.com, its current athletics website.
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2004
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NJCU women’s bowling selected to the eight-team field for the first-ever NCAA women’s bowling national championship. Gothic Knights advance to the Final Four, defeating FDU-Teaneck before losing to the University of Nebraska in the semifinals to place third nationally. Junior Jennifer Viens rolls the first perfect 300-game in NCAA championship play history.
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2005
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NJCU dedicates the Athletic and Fitness Center as the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
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2005
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Anthony Miles wins the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship in the 55-meter dash. He is the first NCAA male individual national championship in school history. Andrea Herbert wins NCAA National Championship in the triple jump, becoming the second female individual champion.
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2005
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NJCU women’s bowling rises to No. 2 nationally in March 26, 2005 national poll; highest ranking of any team in school history.
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2005
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NJCU women’s bowling selected for second consecutive NCAA championship; finish fifth.
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2005
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Diana Lawson wins her fourth and fifth NCAA Division III national championships, claiming the women’s outdoor titles in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.
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2005
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NJCU rejoins the New Jersey Athletic Conference for the 2005-06 season.
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2005
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NJCU wins New Jersey Athletic Conference women’s volleyball championship—the first by any women’s team in school history.
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2006
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NJCU unveils its new Hall of Fame display, housed in the main hallway of the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
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2006
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Anthony Miles repeats as NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship in the 55-meter dash.
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2006
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NJCU women’s bowling selected for third consecutive NCAA championship. Gothic Knights advance to the Final Four for second time in three years, finish fourth.
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2006
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NJCU men’s outdoor track and field makes history at the Penn Relays as a team of Anthony Miles, Thomas Hunter, Ronald Hussey, and Terry Pearson crush the NCAA Division III record in the 4x100-meter relay, becoming the first DIII school to run a sub-40 second race, timing 39.95 seconds.
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2007
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NJCU women’s bowling selected for fourth consecutive NCAA championship; finish seventh. Vicki Spratford is named Division III National Player of the Year, becoming the first athlete in any sport to be a National Player of the Year recipient.
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2007
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Larry Schiner retires as Athletic Director after 30 years as NJCU’s third Athletic Director. Alice De Fazio named Director of Athletics.
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2007
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Charles Brown retires as head men’s basketball coach after 25 seasons and a record 483 wins.
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2008
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NJCU women’s bowling selected for fifth consecutive NCAA championship. Gothic Knights advance to the Final Four for third time in five years, finish third. Vicki Spratford repeats as Division III National Player of the Year.
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2008
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Center court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center is dedicated as “Coach Charlie Brown Court.”
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2009
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NJCU women’s bowling selected for school-record record sixth consecutive NCAA championship; finish fifth. Amanda Small is named Division III National Player of the Year, becoming the third straight athlete from NJCU to earn the accolade.
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2009
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The main stadium at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex is rededicated as the new Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. The Gerrity Complex is renovated to include a new parking lot, new scoreboards for soccer and softball, and a more permanent fence for baseball.
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2009
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NJCU women’s bowling joins Division I Northeast Conference as an associate member.
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2009
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NJCU adds men’s golf as a club sport for the 2009-10 season; will be elevated to varsity level status as the school’s 16th sport for the 2010-11 season.
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2010
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NJCU hosts 2010 NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship in North Brunswick, marking the first national championship event it has hosted.
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