Excellence

Athletics success at Illinois State is broad-based. With 19 intercollegiate sports, the Redbird program constitutes one of the largest in the Midwest. With 147 league titles since 1982, it also represents one of the most successful.

Illinois State began its athletics program more than 100 years ago and the winning tradition began simultaneously. The school, which had already been an NCAA Division I competitor for more than a decade, left behind its independent status during the 1981-82 school year and affiliated itself with conference play.

Today, 17 of the 19 Redbird sports compete in the Missouri Valley Conference, the oldest collegiate league west of the Mississippi River.

Illinois State has won the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Sports title 12 times since 1985, and with the six Gateway All-Sport championships, has claimed 18 since 1983. The Redbirds have finished in the top-five of the Valley's All-Sports race for 30-straight years and have finished first, second or third in the past 22 years. In 2012, ISU won titles in soccer (regular season and tournament), softball, gymnastics and women's cross country, leading to a third-place finish with a score of 3.353.

On an individual sport level, here are some of the highlights from each of ISU's 19 intercollegiate sports program histories.

Football

  • Three Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearances
  • One Missouri Valley Football Conference championship (1999)
  • Five-straight Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year Awards (each season from 2002-06)
  • Two MVFC Offensive Player of the Year honors
  • Three MVFC Freshmen of the Year (Dusty Burk, Tom Nelson, Matt Brown)
  • The Redbirds had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft each year from 2005-07
  • 18 First-Team All-American selections

Volleyball

  • Two All-Americans: Julie Mueller-Paska (1984), Jolene Jordan-Hoover (1985)
  • Three MVC Titles (last: 1997)
  • Three MVC Tournament Titles (last:1997)
  • Four MVC Players of the Year

Soccer

  • Three NCAA appearances
  • Three MVC Tournament Titles
  • Eight MVC Regular-Season Titles
  • Five MVC Players of the Year
  • Six MVC Defensive Players of the Year
  • 91 All-Valley Selections
  • 17 All-Great Lakes Region

Men's Basketball

  • Nineteen All-Americans
  • Two Larry Bird Valley Players of the Year
  • Four State Farm Valley Tournament Most Outstanding Players of the Year
  • Sixty-seven All-Valley selections
  • Six NCAA Tournament appearances
  • Twelve NIT appearances
  • Three Valley regular-season championships
  • Four Valley Tournament championships

Women's Basketball

  • Four NCAA Tournament appearances
  • Eleven WNIT appearances
  • Four MVC Tournament champions
  • Six MVC Regular-Season Champions
  • Five Player of the Year Awards
  • Six Coach of the Year Awards, including current head coach Stephanie Glance

Gymnastics

  • One MIC (Midwest Independent Conference Title
  • Kim Genereux won the MIC All-Around Title (2012)
  • Kim Genereux and Samantha King qualified for the NCAA Regional as All-Around competitors

Track & Field

  • Thirty-two All-Americans
  • Fifty-two All-American Honors
  • Five Individual National Championships
  • Five Olympians

Cross Country

  • Fifteen Conference Championships
  • Sixty-eight All-Conference Performers
  • Two All-Americans

Men's Tennis

  • Two Valley Regular Season Championships
  • 11 Valley Individual Singles Championships
  • Ten MVC Individual Doubles Championships
  • 16 Valley Scholar-Athletes
  • 27 All-Valley Conference Selections

Women's Tennis

  • Five Valley Regular Season Championships
  • Four Valley Tournament Championships
  • Finished in the top-three in the Valley during the regular season in 14 out of the last 17 years
  • Four NCAA Tournament appearances

Men's Golf

  • Five Valley Championships
  • Six MVC Individual Medalist Honors
  • Five Valley Coach of the Year Awards (Harland Kilborn, 4), including current head coach Ray Kralis
  • Professional player D.A. Weibring is an alum of the program

Women's Golf

  • Twelve Valley Championships, including four-straight
  • Twelve MVC Individual Medalist Honors
  • Seven Valley Coaches of the Year Awards, including four-straight current head coach Darby Sligh

Swimming & Diving

  • Seven Divers of the Year
  • Two Swimmers of the Year
  • Fifteen Coach of the Year Awards for current head coach Steve Paska (Midwest Independent 1986, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91; Gateway Conference 1986, 88, 89, 90, 92; National Independent 1993, 94, 95; Missouri Valley Conference 1996
  • Three Diving Coach of the Year Awards (Weiden, 2; Hoffmann, 1)
  • Five Missouri Valley Conference Championships

Baseball

  • First Season: 1890
  • 1969 College Division National Championship
  • Two MVC Tournament Titles
  • Three MD-I NCAA Postseason Appearances (2010, 1994, 1976)
  • Former pitcher Neal Cotts won game two of the 2005 World Series, helping lead the Chicago White Sox to their first world championship since 1917

Softball

  • One Women's College World Series Appearance
  • Twelve Regular Season MVC Titles
  • Six MVC Tournament Titles
  • Three NCAA Appearances
  • Nine MVC MVP Awards
  • Six MVC Coach/Staff of the Year
  • Thirty-one MVC Scholar-Athlete selections