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{{Short description|Intercollegiate sports teams of Drake University}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox college athletics
| name = Drake Bulldogs
| logo = Drake Bulldogs logo.svg
| logo_width = 150
| university = [[Drake University]]
| association = [[NCAA]]
| conference = [[Missouri Valley Conference]] (primary)<br>[[Pioneer Football League]]<br>[[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]] (women's rowing)<br>[[Summit League]] (men's tennis)
| division = [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]])
| director = Brian Hardin
| location = [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]], [[Iowa]]
| teams = 18
| stadium = [[Drake Stadium (Drake University)|Drake Stadium]] (football, track)
| basketballarena = [[Knapp Center]]
| mascot = Spike (costumed)<br>Griff II(live)<ref name="drake1">{{cite web|url=http://news.drake.edu/2015/10/08/drake-welcomes-new-live-mascot-griff/ |title=Drake welcomes live mascot Griff &#124; Newsroom &#124; Drake University |website=News.drake.edu |date=October 8, 2015 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}</ref>
| nickname = Bulldogs
| pageurl = https://godrakebulldogs.com/
| altlogo = [[File:Drake bulldogs wmark 2011.png|200px]]
}}

The '''Drake Bulldogs'''  are the [[College athletics in the United States|intercollegiate athletics]] teams that represent [[Drake University]], located in [[Des Moines, Iowa]], United States. The Bulldogs' athletic program is a member of the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] (MVC) <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/valleyinfo/default/#.VgQh-ctVhBc |title=This is the Missouri Valley Conference |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |access-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915170401/http://www.mvc-sports.com/valleyinfo/default/#.VgQh-ctVhBc |archive-date=September 15, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and competes at the [[NCAA Division I]] level.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=NCAA |title=Bradley University |url=https://www.ncaa.com/schools/bradley |access-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref> Drake also sponsors teams in the [[Pioneer Football League]], [[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]], and [[Summit League]]. Drake's live [[bulldog]] mascot is Griff II; the costumed mascot is Spike; and the school colors are blue and white.

==History==
[[file:1907 Drake football team.jpg|thumb|left|Drake football team of 1907]]
Drake University began its athletics program in 1893 with football, baseball, and men's track.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/d/drake/yearly_results.php?year=1893 |format=PDF |title=Drake Yearly Results |website=Cfbdatawarehouse.com |access-date=March 18, 2017 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319113536/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/d/drake/yearly_results.php?year=1893 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The men's basketball program began in 1906. In 1907, Drake joined the Missouri Valley Conference, having previously played as an independent. The teams were known as "The Drakes" until 1908, when [[John L. Griffith]], the newly appointed football coach, brought [[English Bulldog]]s to the sidelines of games, prompting  [[Des Moines Register]] sports editor Art Gordon to dub the teams "the Bulldogs". Drake's current live mascot, Griff, is named for Griffith as a result.<ref name="drake1"/>

Griffith was later instrumental in another major component of Drake athletics when he organized the first [[Drake Relays]] in 1910. The Relays moved to [[Drake Stadium (Drake University)|Drake Stadium]] when it opened in 1925.

Drake played the first-ever night game at [[Soldier Field]] in 1930, falling to  [[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon]] 14-7.

[[File:The 1945 Drake University National Championship Cross Country Team.jpg|thumb|left|Drake's cross country team of 1945]]
Drake won the national championships for cross country in 1944, 1945, and 1946, with Fred Feiler winning the individual titles in 1944 and 1945. Feiler became the second Bulldog to win an individual national championship, joining 1935 high jump champion Linn Philson; Drake would later see Jim Ford (1952, 200 meters) and Rick Wanamaker (decathlon, 1970) win individual track titles.

On October 20, 1951, Drake's [[African American|black]] football star [[Johnny Bright]] was [[Johnny Bright incident|assaulted]] in a game at [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma A&M]] (now known as Oklahoma State). As a result of the incident and the failure of the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] to take action against Oklahoma A&M or the offending player, Drake and fellow conference member [[Bradley Braves|Bradley]] both withdrew from the conference. Bright would finish 5th in the balloting for the [[Heisman Trophy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.drake.edu/heritage/bright/story/ |title=Johnny Bright &#124; Drake Heritage Collection |website=Lib.drake.edu |access-date=March 18, 2017}}</ref> Drake rejoined the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] for non-football sports in 1956.<ref>{{cite news|title=Drake Returns To Conference |date=August 30, 1955|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=21|location=Kansas City, Missouri}}</ref>

In 1969, the men’s basketball team advanced to the [[1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament#Final Four|national semifinals]], losing narrowly to [[1968–69 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team|UCLA]]. Legend [[Dolph Pulliam]] becomes the first athlete to be selected in both the [[NBA]] and [[NFL]] drafts. Pulliam was drafted by the [[Boston Celtics]] and [[Dallas Cowboys]] in 1969.

Football returned to the MVC in 1971, 20 years after the Bright incident. Baseball was dropped in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdm15183.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15183coll1/id/14097/rec/137 |title=Drake Times-Delphic, vol. 93 no. 22 – November 22, 1974 :: Drake University Student Newspapers |publisher=Cdm15183.contentdm.oclc.org |date=November 22, 1974 |access-date=January 25, 2013}}</ref> Following changes in NCAA regulation in 1985, football was briefly dropped before returning as a non-scholarship Division III sport; it later returned to Division I but remains non-scholarship.

Alumnus [[Zach Johnson]] has won two [[Men's major golf championships|major championships]], the [[2007 Masters Tournament|2007 Masters]] and the [[2015 Open Championship]].

==Sports sponsored==
Drake University athletics began in 1893. and since 1910, the school has been home to and sponsor of what has become one of the world's premier collegiate athletic events, the annual [[Drake Relays]] track and field meet held in April.

{| class="wikitable" style= " "
|-
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Drake Bulldogs|Men's sports|Women's sports}}
|-
| [[Drake Bulldogs men's basketball|Basketball]] || [[Drake Bulldogs women's basketball|Basketball]]
|-
| Cross country || Cross country
|-
| [[Drake Bulldogs football|Football]] || Golf
|-
| Golf || Rowing
|-
| [[Drake Bulldogs men's soccer|Soccer]] || Soccer
|-
| Tennis || Softball
|-
| Track and field{{sup|1}} || Tennis
|-
| || Track and field{{sup|1}}
|-
| || Volleyball
|-
| colspan="2" style="{{NCAA secondary color cell|Drake Bulldogs }}" | {{small|{{sup|1}} – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.}}
|}

==Drake Relays==
{{Main|Drake Relays}}
Drake University also hosts the [[Drake Relays]] during April. This [[track and field]] event has been held since 1910, and, after the NCAA Championships, is the second-largest collegiate track and field event in the United States. Participants come from all over the world to compete in this three-day event, which also helps to draw large crowds of spectators to Des Moines. Many Olympic athletes can be found participating in these events, which commonly break national and world records.

==Facilities==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Drake Bulldogs|Facility|Year Opened|Sport|Capacity}}
|- 
| [[Drake Stadium (Drake University)|Drake Stadium]] || 1925 || Football, Track & Field || 14,557
|- 
| [[Knapp Center]] || 1992 || Basketball, Volleyball || 7,152
|-  
| Rodger Knapp Tennis Center || 1992 || Tennis || 1,000
|- 
| Buel Field  || 2005 || Softball || 1,000
|-  
|Mediacom Stadium || 2023  || Soccer || 4,000  
|}

==Notable Bulldogs==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Johnny Bright]] – football player
*[[Billy Cundiff]] – football player
*[[Adam Emmenecker]] – basketball player
*[[York Hentschel]] – football player
*[[Zach Johnson]] – professional golfer
*[[Karl Kassulke]] – football player
*[[Lewis Lloyd]] – basketball player
*[[Al McCoy (announcer)|Al McCoy]] – sports broadcaster
*[[McCoy McLemore]] – basketball player
*[[Bob Netolicky]] – basketball player
*[[Dolph Pulliam]] – basketball player
*[[Lee Stange]] – baseball player
*[[Bill Stevenson (offensive lineman)|Bill Stevenson]] – football player
*Danielle Tyler - softball player
*[[Willie Wise]] – basketball player
*[[Felix Wright]] – football player
*[[Wanda Ford]] – basketball player
*[[Lorri Bauman]] – basketball player
*[[Willie McCarter]] - basketball player
{{div col end}}

===Olympians===
{| class="wikitable"; style= "text-align: "
! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Drake Bulldogs|border=1|color= white }}"| Games
! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Drake Bulldogs|border=1|color= white }}"| Athlete
! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Drake Bulldogs|border=1|color= white }}"| Nat.
! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Drake Bulldogs|border=1|color= white }}"| Sport
|-
| [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]] || [[Don Pettie]] || {{flag|CAN}} ||100 meters, 200 meters
|-
| [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952]] || [[Arnold Betton]] ||{{flag|USA}} || High Jump
|-
| [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952]]|| [[James Lavery]] || {{flag|CAN}} || 400 meters, 4x400 relay
|-
| [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960]] || [[Bob Soth]] || {{flag|USA}} || 5,000 meters
|-
| [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996]]|| [[Dani Tyler]] || {{flag|USA}} || softball
|-
| [[2002 Winter Olympics|2002]] ||  [[Ann Swisshelm]] || {{flag|USA}} || curling
|-
| [[2014 Winter Olympics|2014]] || [[Ann Swisshelm]] || {{flag|USA}} || curling
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons cat}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Drake University}}
{{Navboxes
|titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Drake Bulldogs|color=white}}
|list =
{{Missouri Valley Conference navbox}}
{{Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference navbox}}
{{Summit League navbox}}
{{Iowa Sports}}
}}

[[Category:Drake Bulldogs| ]]