STORMY PETRELS - Oglethorpe University

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS PRIDES ITSELF
ON BEING A STRONG PROGRAM WITH A LEGACY OF
ACCOMPLISHED ATHLETES AND PROMISING SCHOLARS.
Yesterday & Today
Oglethorpe’s sports history includes exceptional moments (like a
1926 win over Georgia Tech in football), memorable teams (like the
1961 men’s basketball team, led by the legendary Coach Pinholster,
who played the first integrated college basketball game in Georgia
history), and noteworthy individual athletes (like the OU Hall of Fame
members listed on the following pages.) Today, Oglethorpe is still
basking in the glory of its first-ever national NCAA Championship
won by Men’s Golf in 2009 and a trip to the NCAA Final Four by
Women’s Basketball in 2008.
—Frank Anderson,
OU baseball coach
(1916–44) and “father of
Oglethorpe athletics,”
as quoted at a 1963
Oglethorpe sports
banquet speaking
to student-athletes.
But, what could our future hold?
As an outstanding university with promising scholar-athletes
and tremendous coaches, Oglethorpe has the foundation to
be the premier program in its conference. In 2010, 58 Oglethorpe
student-athletes were named to the SCAC academic honor roll.
Going head-to-head with other SCAC colleges such as Trinity,
Rhodes, Sewanee, and Centre, Oglethorpe currently boasts 15
teams—including lacrosse, the latest addition. OU’s head coaches
have spent 250 years combined coaching their respective sports.
For Oglethorpe’s athletic standing to keep pace with
its academic standards is an achievable goal.
In spring 2010, the Oglethorpe University Board of Trustees
approved five strategic initiatives, one of which focuses on improving
campus facilities and infrastructure in ways that support students’
personal, academic, and athletic development. Among those are
renovations to Dorough Field House and Schmidt Center, as well as
a facility to house locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and fitness areas,
complementing improvements already made during the past few
years. Looking even further ahead, there’s a need for a stadium and
field for lacrosse and soccer, as well as enhancements to the track.
By focusing on students’ needs, we hope to enhance the athletic
experience for the entire Oglethorpe community.
Already, the university has entertained local and national
architectural firms with expertise in athletic facilities design and
formed a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees’ Buildings and
Grounds Committee to review the proposals. Those proposals
will continue to be coordinated through the committee, along
with initiatives for other important enhancements—a proposed
new academic building and new (or renovated) student center.
These initiatives set the stage for Oglethorpe to carry on its athletics
legacy and pave the way for future Stormy Petrels to take the OU
courts and fields.
FALL 2010 | CARILLON 5