Grabbing Your A10tion
Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Founded: 1851
Enrollment: 3900
Nickname: Hawks
Colors: Crimson and Gray
President: Rev. Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.
Director of Athletics: Don DiJulia
Joined the A-10: 1983
Driving distance from Charlotte: 538 miles
Website: www.sjuhawks.com
Sports in which the 49ers and Hawks will compete: Baseball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Cross-Country, Women’s Cross-Country, Men’s Golf, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis
Other Sports: Field Hockey, Women’s Lacrosse, Women’s Rowing
Recent League Tournament Titles: Men’s Cross Country (2000); Women’s Cross Country (2000)
Recent NCAA appearances: Men’s Basketball (2004; 2003; 2001); Women’s Basketball (2000)
Note: Saint Joseph’s has won a record five straight A-10 Regular-Season Championships in men’s basketball
1.) 2004 A Memorable Season ... The Hawks blazed unbeaten through the regular-season behind the National Coach of the Year Phil Martelli and consensus National Player of the Year Jameer Nelson. Along the way the Hawks spent eight straight weeks in the top three of the national rankings, securing the #1 ranking on March 9. The Hawks earned one of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight.
2.) The Hawk... One of the most famous mascots in the nation, the Hawk first took flight in 1956 during a men’s basketball victory over city-rival La Salle. Twenty-five students have donned the Hawk costume. A 16,000-dollar endowed scholarship goes with the position, but it’s not easy being the Hawk. There’s an arduous application process - including interviews with coaches and the athletic director, plus there’s the Saint Joseph’s tradition that the Hawk’s wings be constantly flapping from the moment it arrives on the court until it disappears after game’s end. Selected as the nation’s top mascot by Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith Basketball Yearbook and ESPN Magazine, The Hawk is enshrined in the Saint Joseph’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
3.) Hawk Hill... Saint Joseph’s is also known as Hawk Hill. The nickname is not only derived from the mascot but also the school’s position atop the western edge of the Philadelphia city limits. At one time the University’s Barbelin tower was the highest point in Philadelphia.
4.) The Hawks... Ironically, the nickname “Hawks” came into being in 1931 because of the football team’s aerial attack. The nickname has far outlived the sport. Football began at St. Joe’s in 1922 but was disbanded in 1939. Football, however, is still remembered fondly on Hawk Hill. The entire program has been inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
5.) Hall New to the Hill... Despite some 100 years of collegiate athletics, Saint Joseph’s had no Hall of Fame until November 1999. “With the millennium and the University’s sesquicentennial at hand, the timing was perfect for this historic event,” said SJU athletics director Don DiJulia. The first class had19 inductees, including the Hawk, the entire football program, legendary basketball coach Dr. Jack Ramsey, now an ESPN commentator and major league pitcher Jamie Moyer. The second class added 18 more, including former NBA players Mike Bantom and Matt Guokas, Houston Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker, “The Mighty Mites” (see below), and three sport women’s star Debbie Black who played in the WNBA.
6.) The Mighty Mites... This group of six men’s basketball players, along with Hall of Fame coach Bill Ferguson, helped put Saint Joseph’s on the national map. Philadelphia area sportswriters dubbed the six “The Mighty Mites” in the mid 1930’s. Matt Guokas, Sr., John McMenamin, Dan Kenney, Jim Smale, John Kenney and Joe Oakes were 54-17 during their years on Hawk Hill. Two of their more memorable wins came over Clair Bee’s nationally-ranked Long Island team, and city-rival Penn in front of more than 10,000 fans at the famed Palestra.
7.) Lights, Camera, Action... While many coach’s tv shows have become extinct, Phil Martelli’s HawkTalk is spreading its wings and flying high. The show’s debut coincided with the 1997 NCAA Tournament runs by both the men’s and women’s teams. The show created an immediate stir for its Philadelphia viewers with a unique format. The antithesis of the traditional coaches’ show, HawkTalk put personable coach Phil Martelli as host from behind the desk - a la Johnny Carson - for wacky interviews and shtick...and a few basketball highlites too. The show gained attention almost immediately, with clips airing nationally on ESPN and CBS. Print coverage peaked with a Sports Illustrated profile that year. Later renamed Phil Martelli’s HawkTalk, the show was honored in January 2001 as the Best Coaches’ Show in all of college basketball by The Sporting News.
8.) Let’s Eat... As was reported in our preview of La Salle, there’s a great deal of argument as to who serves the best cheesesteaks in town. Most people know of the big three: Pat’s (remember the Boyz to Men video?), Gino’s (right across the street from Pat’s), and Jim’s (Located on South Street). Those are all great places to try, but if you’re near the Saint Joe’s campus, Larry’s Steaks, on 54th Street, right behind the Saint Joe’s FieldHouse is a favorite of the locals. A popular postgame spot for students, alumni and fans is the Muddy Duck, at 54th and City Line Avenue.
9.) The Barnes Foundation... This is one of the world’s most extensive collections of Post-Modern and Impressionist art and it’s just a stone’s throw from the SJU campus. Including furniture and sculpture, the collection contains 2,500 pieces. There is an extensive collection of African masks, 1,100 paintings and scores of grandfather clocks that chime on the hour, nearly in unison. In all, the collection is valued at more than four billion dollars . Some say it is worth much more. The Barnes owns 180 Renoirs in addition to 69 Cezannes, and 60 Matisses, as well as the works of Pippin, Picasso, Modigliani, Rousseau, Monet, Manet and Van Gogh.
