Springfield College

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Springfield College

Former names	YMCA of School for Christian Workers in Springfield (1885–1891) International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (1891–1912) International YMCA College (1912–1954)
Motto	Spirit, Mind, Body
Type	Private university
Established	1885; 139 years ago (1885)
Academic affiliations	CIC YMCA CCGS
Endowment	$79.6 million (2020)[1]
President	Mary-Beth A. Cooper
Students	2,921[2] (fall 2022)
Undergraduates	2,178
Postgraduates	1,028
Location	Springfield, Massachusetts , U.S.
Campus	Main campus size: 100 acres (40 ha) East campus size: 81 acres (33 ha)
Colors	Maroon and white[3]
Nickname	Pride[4]
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III – NEWMAC
Mascot	Spirit the Majestic Lion
Website	www.springfield.edu
Location in Massachusetts

Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others^[5] It is also notable for its historical significance as the birthplace of basketball, which was invented on campus in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor and graduate student James Naismith.^[6][7]

Founded in 1885, as the Young Men's Christian Association department of the School for Christian Workers in Springfield, the school originally specialized in preparing young men to become General Secretaries of YMCA organizations in a two-year program. In 1887, it added a Physical Education department. In 1890, it separated from the School for Christian Workers and became the YMCA Training School and in 1891, the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School.

In 1905, the school became a degree-granting institution.^[8] In 1912, it took the name International YMCA College and in 1954, Springfield College.^[9]

Since 1999, the institutional archives have included archival material from the Society of Health and Physical Educators and some of its affiliates, including the papers of their leaders.^[10]

Springfield College has had 13 leaders:^[11]

Springfield College offers bachelor's degrees in more than 40 majors, 25-plus master's degrees, and doctoral programs in counseling psychology, educational leadership, medical science, physical therapy, physical education and more. The institution is by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).^[12]

The institution comprises three schools:^[13]

• School of Arts and Sciences^[14]
• School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership:^[15] This school incorporates the Springfield College East Campus Outdoor Learning Center.
• School of Health Sciences:^[16] The school is a member of the College of Health Deans.^[17]

Springfield College also offers bachelor's degree completion programs and master's degrees in business, education, counseling and more, that are geared toward working adult students at its main campus, and online.^[18]

The campus of Springfield College is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, The main campus spans 100 acres (40 ha) and contains ten residence halls, recreational and fitness facilities, science and academic facilities, a performing arts center, and the Flynn Campus Union, which includes a food court, activity and lounge space, and bookstore.^[19]

In fall 2023, Springfield College opened a new Health Sciences Center, which facilitates, expands on, and celebrates interprofessional education. Inside the four floors of the 86,000-square-foot building, simulation, anatomy, pediatrics lab, and makerspace environments enhance interdisciplinary collaboration as does expanded meeting space. ^[20]

Springfield College's East Campus, which encompasses 82 acres (33 ha) of forest ecosystem, is located about one mile from the main campus.^[21] This location provides rustic facilities for conferences and meetings, and space for outdoor research and recreation. East Campus is also home to the Springfield College Child Development Center, which provides early education services for children of members of the faculty and staff, students, and families in the community.

Springfield College's athletic teams have been known since 1995 as the Pride;^[22] the teams were nicknamed the Chiefs from 1968 through 1994, and prior to that were known as the Gymnasts or Maroons. The institution is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and most teams compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Springfield's football team joined the NEWMAC when it began sponsoring football in 2017. The men's soccer, men's golf, cross country and gymnastics teams are affiliate members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). The men's volleyball team competes as an independent.

Springfield College is known as the "Birthplace of Basketball",^[23] a game created by alumnus and faculty member James Naismith under the founding head of the Physical Education department Luther Gulick Jr. in 1891. Gulick is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,^[24] which is named for Naismith.^[25][26]

Alumnus William G. Morgan invented the game of volleyball.^[27]

Stagg Field serves as the institution's main athletic field; it was named after former coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg who briefly coached Springfield and went on to play a pivotal role in the development of modern football.

On October 19, 2017, Springfield College unveiled a one-of-a-kind intercollegiate and adaptive baseball field that resulted from a partnership between Springfield College and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. On that day, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. joined Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new field. The name of the baseball field was changed from Berry-Allen Field to the Archie Allen Field. ^[28]

The Springfield softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1977.^[29]

The Springfield College women's gymnastics team won the first intercollegiate national championship in 1969 and three of the first four (1971 and 1972).

In 1940 Springfield was one of eight teams to make the 1940 NCAA basketball tournament, losing to eventual champion Indiana 48–24 in the regional semifinals held at Butler Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In 2006 and 2007, the institution hosted the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Final Four.

The men's volleyball team has six non-NCAA national titles in the now-defunct Molten Invitational championship, an event for NCAA Division III schools that ran from 1997 through 2011, and also won the first three NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championships in 2012 through 2014. All nine championships were won under Head Coach Charlie Sullivan. The Pride followed up with two more national championships in 2016 through 2018. Ten of the 11 championships were won under Head Coach Charlie Sullivan.

The Springfield College Women's Basketball team of 2004–2005, made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III basketball tournament. Springfield earned its second-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in February 2024 and made its eighth appearance in the national tournament to cap off the 2023-24 season. At the end of that season, Head Coach Naomi Graves and her staff were chosen as the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Coaching Staff of the Year.

Women's basketball has won several conference tournament championships, including the season of 2006. The 2023-24 team competed in the first round of the NCAA Division III championship.

Springfield College graduates Rusty Jones G '86 and Jon Torine '95 participated in Super Bowl XLI as the Head Strength and Conditioning coaches of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.^[30] Steve Spagnuolo ’82 has served as a defensive coordinator six times in the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants, and three of those games resulted in Super Bowl victories.

The Springfield College Women's Field Hockey Team has won the NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) title for five consecutive years (2004–2008), and competed in the NCAA Division III tournament in those five years as well.

The men's lacrosse team won six straight titles (2008–2013) in the now-defunct Pilgrim Lacrosse League, which has since been absorbed by the NEWMAC.

Springfield's Women's Swimming and Diving Team has won the NEWMAC Conference title for ten consecutive years (2001–2010) in the Division III Conference.

Springfield's Men's soccer team were voted National College Champions by the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association in 1946, 1947 and 1957. This was before the NCAA championship soccer tournament in 1959.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Springfield College #26 for Best Regional Universities—North Region for 2021,^[33] the sixth consecutive year that it has been in the top 30.^[34] U.S. News also ranked Springfield College #18 among Best Value Schools for Regional Universities—North, the school's fifth consecutive year on the list.^[33]

Springfield College was the recipient of the 2016 Presidential Award in the education category of the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This honor is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.^[35]

In 2015, the institution successfully for an optional community engagement classification in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.^[36]

Springfield College was named a 2016–17 College of Distinction for providing an innovative, teacher-centered undergraduate education with a strong record of preparing its graduates for real-world success.^[37]

• Rocky Aoki – founder of Benihana
• Harold Amos – microbiologist and professor
• Mark Banker – safeties coach for the Washington State Cougars football team
• Peter Avdoulos - American former competition All-American diver for Springfield College, who coached the Springfield College Diving team from around 1984 through 2024, leading them to seven national championships.^[38]
• Stanley F. Battle – American educator, author, civic activist and former leader of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Coppin State University and Southern Connecticut State University, 1973
• Marilyn Bevans – In 1977, she became the first Black American female to earn a medal at the Boston Marathon  
• Vaughn Blanchard, 1912 Olympian in Track and Field and Baseball
• Rick Blangiardi, 15th mayor of Honolulu and former television executive
• Jeff Blatnick – 1984 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, 2015 UFC Hall of Fame inductee^[39]
• Roscoe Brown – flew 68 missions as part of the Tuskegee Airmen
• Raymond Castellani – did not graduate; actor, activist on Los Angeles' Skid Row
• John Cena – professional wrestler and actor
• J. Howard Crocker – Canadian YMCA educator, and sports executive for the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee; granted an honorary Master of Physical Education degree in 1916, for work in China and establishing the Far Eastern Championship Games^[40]
• Nancy Darsch – Collegiate, Olympic, and WNBA coach
• Tony DiCicco – head coach of USA Women's Soccer National Team 1994–1999, coach of the FIFA Women's Soccer 1999 Championship Team
• W. Dean Eastman – educator (graduate assistant track coach 1974–76, MSE 1976, CAGS 1977)
• John Forslund – TV play-by-play announcer for the Seattle Kraken of the NHL
• Nancy E. Gary – (ScB 1958) dean of Albany Medical College and Executive Vice President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Dean of its F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine.
• Dave Gettleman – pro football executive, currently General Manager of the New York Giants
• Wayne Granger – former Major League Baseball relief pitcher and National League saves leader in 1970
• Sally M. Hage – professor of psychology
• Don Ho – Hawaiian musician and entertainer (attended for one year)
• Dan Hunt – head football coach at Colgate University, 2014-2021
• Rusty Jones, strength and conditioning coach for the Chicago Bears
• Peter V. Karpovich – Professor of physiology (1927-1947), director of health education (1947-1955), research professor of physiology (1955-1969);^[41] founder of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).^[42]
• Leslie Mann — MLB outfielder and founder of the International Baseball Federation
• William G. Morgan – inventor of volleyball.
• James Naismith – Canadian faculty member, invented basketball in 1891
• Max Nacewicz – Professional Football Player
• Erin Pac – bronze medal winner in bobsled at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
• Boris Pash – commanded the Alsos Mission during World War II.
• Fernando Picó - historian, expert on the history of Puerto Rico^[43]
• Albert I. Prettyman – head coach of the United States Hockey Team at the Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
• John Quinlan – model and actor, former professional wrestler
• Manuel Rivera-Ortiz – did not graduate; documentary photographer; attended classes at Springfield College as part of the Massachusetts Migrant Education summer program, where he was offered his first courses in photography and film development.
• Angela Salem – professional soccer player and coach^[44]
• Ted Shawn – Adjunct faculty member (1932-1933); founder of the Denishawn Dance School and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and a key figure in establishing male modern dance
• Craig Shirley – political consultant and author, associated with Ronald Reagan
• Justine Siegal – baseball coach and sports educator
• Charles Silvia - International Hall of Fame swimming coach, Springfield College All-American swimmer and 1934 alumni who coached Springfield College swimming from 1937-1978, winning ten New England Interscholastic Team Championships.^[45]
• Steve Spagnuolo – former head coach of the National Football League's St. Louis Rams
• Amos Alonzo Stagg – head football coach 1890–1891; later head of multiple national champion teams at the University of Chicago.^[46]
• Sue Thomas — the first deaf person to work as an undercover specialist doing lip-reading of suspects for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Tom Waddell – alumnus, physician and founder of Gay Games
• Glenn Warner – president of National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 1953, head coach of the Naval Academy's men's soccer team from 1942 to 1975
• Scotty Whitelaw - former Commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference
• Mike Woicik – football coach (1978–79) and strength and conditioning coach for several professional football teams
• Bill Yorzyk – physician and only USA swimming gold medalist in 1956 Olympics, 200 m butterfly

• Official website
• Official athletics website

42°6′15.6″N 72°33′18.2″W / 42.104333°N 72.555056°W / 42.104333; -72.555056