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Eastern Michigan University Athletics

EMU Traditions

Not Always the Eagles
Since the 1991 season, Eastern Michigan University athletic teams have gone by the nickname "Eagles."

The Eagles name was officially adopted on May 22, 1991, when the EMU Board of Regents voted to replace the existing Huron nickname and logo with the new one.

EMU originally went by the nicknames "Normalites" and "Men from Ypsi" and various other titles down through the years before "Hurons" was adopted in 1929.

The "Hurons" first came into being as the result of a contest sponsored by the Men's Union in 1929. On Oct. 31 of that year, a three-person committee, composed of Dr. Clyde Ford, Dr. Elmer Lyman and Professor Bert Peet, selected the name "Hurons" from the many entries in the contest.

The name was submitted by two students, Gretchen Borst and George Hanner. Hanner was working at the Huron Hotel at the time of the contest and was no doubt as much influenced by his place of employment as by the Huron Indian tribe. The runner-up name in that contest was Pioneers.

EMU began investigating the appropriateness of its Huron Indian logo after the Michigan Department of Civil Rights issued a report in October 1988 suggesting that all schools using such logos drop them. The report indicated that the use of Native American names, logos and mascots for athletic teams promoted racial stereotypes. At that time, four colleges, 62 high schools and 33 junior high/middle schools in Michigan used Indian logos or names.

The EMU Board of Regents voted to replace the Huron name with Eagles, taken from three recommendations from a committee charged with supplying a new nickname. The other two final names submitted were Green Hornets and Express.

Green, White and Yellow?
The EMU Eagles' colors are green and white, but the track and cross country teams both feature yellow on their uniforms. There is a reason these teams stand out, and the history behind it goes back to 1967. EMU Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Parks offered some insight to the story behind how the yellow came about.

"When I got to EMU in January 1967, the team was wearing dark green singlets and dark green shorts. In that season, we ran a meet at Western Michigan University, and the finish line was beneath the balcony which was very dark. In the hurdle final, there were six men, three from Michigan State and three from EMU. MSU's uniforms were almost identical to ours. When the finish positions were announced, we got the short end of the stick. You could hardly see the runners under the dark balcony area, and they got the finish wrong. At that point, I decided to get uniforms that showed up better.

"Back then, Kansas was a big name in collegiate track, and they wore pink shorts and powder blue singlets with pink lettering. Everyone thought they were great. I decided to copy them and ordered orange shorts and green singlets with white lettering trimmed in orange. We wore them for about four years, but the Regents decided that all of our teams should be wearing green and white. When they made us get rid of the orange and green, I ordered green and gold, colors I had always liked. At first, they weren't going to let us use them, but I pointed out that our football team was wearing green and gold. Our administration could hardly argue with me, since our gridders were wearing it too. "

"We have worn it ever since, and it is known from coast to coast, as our men have done traditionally well nationally. It also differentiates us from MSU and Ohio University's color schemes. The green and gold does show up well at the finish line, but nowadays they use computer cameras, so it is less of a problem as it was in the 60s and 70s."
Eastern Michigan University Athletic Directors Through the Years
Wilbur Bowen - 1903-28
Joseph McCulloch 1931-47
Elton Rynearson 1948-63
Dr. Keith Bowen - 1963-66
F.L. "Frosty" Ferzacca - 1966-73
John C. Fountain (Interim) - 1974
Dr. Albert E. Smith - 1975-76
Alex Agase - 1977-82
Paul Shoults - 1982-86
Gene Smith - 1986-93
Tim Weiser - 1993-97
Carole Huston (Interim) 1997-99
Dr. David Diles - 1999-05
Bob England (Interim) - 2005-06
Dr. Derrick Gragg - 2006-13
Dr. Melody Reifel Werner (Interim) - 2013
Heather Lyke - 2013-17
Christian Spears (Interim) - March-May 2017
Erin Kido (Interim) - May-July 2017
Scott Wetherbee - 2017-Present
Eastern Michigan University Olympians Through the Years

EMU has had a track representative at the summer Olympic Games since Hayes Jones in 1960. The Eagles have had 19 representatives in 61 years, 16 men and three women.

EMU's Track and Field Olympic Athletes
1960 - Hayes Jones
1964 - Hayes Jones
1968 - Dave Ellis
1972 - Hasely Crawford, Tony Nelson
1976 - Hasely Crawford, Deby Lansky LaPlante
1980 - Hasely Crawford
1984 - Earl Jones, Hasely Crawford
1988 - Tommy Asinga
1992 - Tommy Asinga
1996 - Paul McMullen, Tommy Asinga, Greg Rhymer, Sevatheda Fynes, Clement Chukwu
2000 - Clement Chukwu, Nduka Awazie, Fabian Rollins, Sevatheda Fynes
2004 - Jamie Nieto
2008 - Sasha Springer-Jones
2012 - Eric Alejandro, Jamie Nieto
2016 - Eric Alejandro
2020 - Donald Scott, Brittni Mason (Paralympics)
2024 - Donald Scott 

EMU's Track and Field Olympic Medals
1960 - Hayes Jones - USA - 110 m hurdles - Bronze
1964 - Hayes Jones - USA - 110 m hurdles - Gold
1976 - Hasely Crawford - Trinidad and Tobago - 100 m - Gold
1984 - Earl Jones - USA - 800 m - Bronze
2000 - Clement Chukwu - 4x400 Relay - Nigeria - Silver
2000 - Nduka Awazie - 4x400 Relay - Nigeria - Silver
2020 - Brittni Mason - USA - 4x100m Relay - Gold, 100m T47 - Silver, 200m T47, Silver 
Eastern Michigan University Athletic Highlights
Click Here to View EMU's Mid-American Conference Championships Won

EMU has had a track representative at every summer Olympic Games since Hayes Jones in 1960. The Eagles have had 19 representatives, 16 men and three women, in 61 years. Eastern Michigan student-athletes have brought home two gold medals, two silver and two bronze during that span.

Eastern Michigan has produced 15 national team championships between the NAIA and NCAA levels since 1966. The total is the most of any Mid-American Conference institution. The titles won include: baseball (NAIA - 1970), men's cross country (NAIA - 1966, 1967, 1970), men's indoor track and field (NAIA - 1969, 1970, 1971), men's outdoor track and field (NAIA - 1970, 1971; NCAA Division II - 1972) and men's swimming and diving (NAIA - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971; NCAA Division II - 1972).

Since 1932, Eastern Michigan has produced 55 individual national champions. The men's track and field team leads the way with 37, while the men's swimming and diving squad boasts 15. 

Since joining the Mid-American Conference, Eastern Michigan has racked up 153 team championships in 17 sports.

The EMU men's basketball team advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the 1991 NCAA Tournament.

The 1976 EMU baseball team steamrolled its opponents to the tune of a 46-16 record and a College World Series runner-up finish. That season, the Green and White featured a lineup full of major-league talent including the pitching duo of Bob Owchinko and Bob Welch. Seven additional players from the team were eventually drafted. Prior to Eastern Michigan's runs to the College World Series in 1975 and 1976, only two other MAC schools (Ohio University and Western Michigan University) had ever advanced to the national tournament. Kent State's trip to college baseball's grand stage in 2012 was the first by a Mid-American Conference team since EMU.
Eastern Michigan University Songs

Eastern Eagles Fight Song
"Eastern Eagles, hats off to you!
Fight, fight, fight for ole EMU.
Look to the sky, the Eagles will fly,
the bravest we'll defy.
...Rah,rah, rah!"

"Hold that line for ole Green and White.
Sons and daughters show your might.
So, FIGHT, FIGHT! for ole EMU
and vic-tor-y!"


EMU Alma Mater
Eastern, sacred Alma Mater to your name we shall be true.
Ever marching on to victory, we'll stand by to see you through,
Softly floating on the breeze, verdant green with white of snow,
This our banner we will carry in our hearts whe'er we go


Go Green
Go Green, roll up the score.
Go Green, let's get some more.
Raise a cheer for old Green and White.
Let's show them we came here to fight.
Go Green, vic'try we'll claim.
Go Green, let's win this game.
We'll always fight for old EMU.
Come on and let's go Green!