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Ferris State Bulldogs

Intercollegiate sports teams of Ferris State University

Intercollegiate sports teams of Ferris State University

FieldValue
nameFerris State Bulldogs
logoFerris State Bulldogs logo.svg
logo_width150
universityFerris State University
associationNCAA
conferenceGLIAC (main)
CCHA (ice hockey)
divisionDivision II
directorSteve Brockelbank
locationBig Rapids, Michigan
teams15
stadiumTop Taggart Field
basketballarenaJim Wink Arena
icehockeyarenaEwigleben Arena
soccerstadiumFSU Soccer Field
softballstadiumFSU Softball Field
arena2Ewigleben Sports Arena
mascotBrutus
nicknameBulldogs
pageurlhttps://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/
altlogo200px

CCHA (ice hockey)

The Ferris State Bulldogs (FSU Bulldogs) are the athletic teams that represent Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Bulldogs compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 14 of 15 varsity sports, while the men's hockey team (the only team that competes at the Division I level) plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Bulldogs have been members of the GLIAC since 1972.

Year in and year out, nearly 400 student-athletes have the opportunity to compete for the Bulldogs on a regional and national level for conference titles and NCAA Championships. Ferris' men's club ice hockey won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 national title in 1994, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national title in 2018, and the football program won the Division II national title in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.

Varsity teams

Ferris State Bulldogs }}"† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Basketball

Led by power forward/center Zach Hankins in 2015-16, who had 130 blocks on the season, which led Division II and set the school single-season school record, the team won a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament title and had a then-school record for wins with a 28–5 record. Ferris State reached the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division II Tournament before falling to GLIAC rival Findlay 68–63. In his junior season, Hankins averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game and had a field goal percentage of 63 percent. His 128 blocks led the nation. Hankins repeated as GLIAC Player of the Year. He was named the National Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. On the season, Ferris State compiled a 38–1 record and claimed the school’s first national championship in the 2018 NCAA Division II Tournament, defeating Northern State in the final by a score of 71–69.

Football

Main article: Ferris State Bulldogs football

The Bulldogs had good success after Tony Annese was hired, winning multiple GLIAC championships with quarterback Jason Vanderlann. Their first playoff win was vs 7 seed Texas A&M Commerce at home in 2015, while they got beat by ODU in 2014 and GVSU in 2015, both GVSU and ODU were in-conference teams who were lower seeds, and both losses came in Big Rapids at home. In 2016, Ferris State defeated rival Grand Valley in the playoffs in Allendale. The win sent the Bulldogs to the National Semifinals. In 2017 the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs and defeated Ouachita Baptist and Fort Hays St before losing to Harding in a 16–14 Regional Championship. The Bulldogs are currently 7–2 vs arch-rival GVSU under Coach Annese.

Annese guided the team to its first national championship appearance in 2018 before losing to Valdosta State 49–47. In 2021, the Bulldogs returned again to the playoffs and would win their first national championship in school history by defeating Valdosta State 58–17. In 2022, they made it back to the national championship claiming their second in school history going back-to-back by defeating the Colorado School of Mines. In 2024, the team returned to the national championship game, defeating Valdosta State 49–14 to claim a third title.

Ice hockey

The 2011–12 season marked the first time in school history that the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey national championship finals. In the national championship match at the Frozen Four the Bulldogs lost 4–1 to Boston College in the title contest, leading to the cheer "Save Ferris" . The season came to a close with a 26–12–5 overall record and included a trip to the Frozen Four and a national runner-up finish. Ferris State's 26 wins were the second-most in school history, and the season highlights also included the school's second-ever Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship and a Midwest Regional crown.

Prior to the 2011–12 season, the program's best season performance in the NCAA Division I was the 2002/03 campaign with a school-best 31–10–1 overall record. The Bulldogs also claimed their first-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship title with a first-place 22–5–1 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament's West Regional title game in their initial NCAA Tourney appearance. Ferris State also earned the distinction of being the nation's first team to reach the 30-win plateau in 2002/03 and also competed in the CCHA Super Six Championship Tourney for the first time since 1993.

Facilities

The Ferris Ice Arena and Sports Complex features basketball courts, volleyball courts, hockey rink and a general ice-skating rink located in the Ewigleben Arena, named after former college president Robert Ewigleben. This sports complex hosts university and high school competitions as well as community sports programs.

Championships

National Championships:

Club Sports National Championships:

  • 1994: Men's Ice Hockey—ACHA Division 2

References

References

  1. (March 20, 2017). "Ferris State's Zach Hankins Becomes First Bulldog Sophomore to Earn All-America Honors". [[MLive.com]].
  2. (March 23, 2018). "Hankins Transforms into One of Nation's Top Basketball Players at Ferris State". [[Petoskey News-Review]].
  3. (March 27, 2018). "Big Break: Fate Made Zach Hankins 'Best-Ever' at Ferris". [[The Detroit News]].
  4. (March 24, 2018). "Ferris State Basketball Wins Division II National Championship, 71–69". [[Detroit Free Press]].
  5. (April 7, 2012). "FSU Hockey Ends Yearas National Runner-Up". Ferris State University.
  6. "Bulldog Hockey Head Coach". Ferris State University.
  7. "2018 Division II Football". National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Info: Wikipedia Source

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