Gonzaga Bulldogs

Gonzaga University was founded in 1887 by Fr. Joseph Cataldo, a Sicilian-born priest. At one time, Gonzaga went by the nickname of "Fighting Irish" in the 1910s to early 1920s. This name was dropped in 1921 favor of the current "Bulldogs" mascot. Although the school's official mascot is a bulldog, fans and media have long used "Zags" and “Gonzos” as alternate nicknames.

{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4dMiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5eUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3010%2C7190656 |work=Spokesman-Review |title=Surprising Zags upset experts |date=January 20, 1952 |page=1, sports}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Iq8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oecDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6930,3869776 |work=Spokesman-Review|last=May|first=Danny|title=Zags beat Bobcats; Frank breaks mark|date=February 12, 1960|page=14}}

Gonzaga was a member of the Northwest Conference from 1924–1925.{{cite news |date=December 10, 1923 |title=Gonzaga Enters Conference — Joins Northwest Collegiate Body |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/spokane-chronicle-gonzaga-joins-conferen/161117629/ |work=Spokane Chronicle |quote=Gonzaga university was admitted to the Northwest Intercollegiate conference this morning at the annual meeting of the organization held in Portland.}}{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=December 13, 1925 |number=213 |page=C1 |title=Withdrawal of Large Universities Is End of Old Northwest Conference |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review-1925-end-of-northwe/161117784/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |place=Seattle |publication-place=Spokane |quote=Gonzaga Left as Free Lance — Six Small Colleges Form Another Conference, Retaining Old Name and Rules — Officials of all colleges concerned emphasized the fact that the move was entirely harmonious and for mutual advantage.}} The were an NAIA school from 1947 to 1958,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7dlYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-_YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4298%2C5499225 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Zags eye play-off; lose to Portland five |date=February 25, 1958 |page=19}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BwJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2862%2C337140 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Bulldogs end season; fail in tourney try |date=March 3, 1958 |page=15}} when they moved to the NCAA as an independent. They were a charter member of the Big Sky Conference in 1963, the only one of the six without a football program.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-7VWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5074,2549869 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Jack Friel named Big Sky executive|date=June 8, 1963|page=8}} GU moved over to the West Coast Athletic Conference in the summer of 1979,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EwNMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FvkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5763%2C1099329 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Gonzaga to change league |date=October 5, 1978 |page=33}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XUpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Cu4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4637%2C2477060 |work=Spokesman-Review |last=Brown |first=Butch |title=It's official: Zags go WCAC |date=October 6, 1978 |page=29}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UM1eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rjIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5645%2C1979457 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho)|agency=Associated Press |title=Zags leave Big Sky; accepted into WCAC |date=October 6, 1978 |page=5B}} and the Big Sky added Nevada,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YAtWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2615,8230863|newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon)|agency=Associated Press|title=Nevada-Reno added to Big Sky|date=May 26, 1979|page=5B}} now in the Mountain West Conference. The WCAC was shortened to today's WCC in 1989.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pGoeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZMgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3753%2C2345830 |newspaper=Times Daily |location=(Florence, Alabama) |agency=Associated Press |title=Transactions: College |date=July 14, 1989|page=2B}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CFlYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8vkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4542%2C1735408|newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |title=WCAC shortens its name to West Coast Conference |date=July 14, 1989|page=B5}}[http://wccsports.cstv.com/school-bio/west-school-bio.html West Coast Conference Official Athletics Site – On Campus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309130233/http://wccsports.cstv.com/school-bio/west-school-bio.html |date=March 9, 2009}}. Wccsports.cstv.com (July 1, 2011).

On October 1, 2024, Gonzaga announced that they would be moving to the Pac-12 Conference for all sports in 2026.https://gozags.com/news/2024/10/1/gonzaga-athletics-gonzaga-accepts-invitation-to-join-pac-12-conference.aspx

{{Main|Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball}}

{{Main|Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball}}

Men's basketball has been the most successful sport for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga home games have been played at the McCarthey Athletic Center since 2004. The Bulldogs opened the arena with a 100-game win streak, the longest at the time in the NCAA, eventually snapped in February 2007 by the Santa Clara Broncos.

The Bulldogs have established a reputation as a consistently strong team in men's college basketball, having played in 25 consecutive NCAA tournaments and ascending to the #1 ranking in both major polls during the 2012–13 season. They are generally reckoned as one of the closest things to a major basketball power in a mid-major conference.{{bywho|date=August 2023}}

Notable alumni of Gonzaga basketball players include Hall of Famer John Stockton, Domantas Sabonis, Rui Hachimura, Kelly Olynyk, Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf, Brandon Clarke, Zach Collins, Dan Dickau, Austin Daye, Robert Sacre, Richie Frahm, J. P. Batista, Jeremy Pargo, Blake Stepp, Paul Rogers, Corey Kispert, and Jalen Suggs.

{{Main|Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball}}

{{main|Gonzaga Bulldogs football}}

Gonzaga last fielded a varsity football team {{Years or months ago|1941}} in 1941.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BeJXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S_UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7338%2C4814026|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|title=Kennedy scores on Gonzaga as Cougars romp through to lopsided victory|date=November 24, 1941|page=12}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/discontinued/g/gonzaga/index.php|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|title=Gonzaga Bulldogs|access-date=February 26, 2012|archive-date=October 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013111716/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/discontinued/g/gonzaga/index.php|url-status=dead}} From 1892 to 1941 (excluding having no teams from 1894 to 1895 & 1900 to 1906), Gonzaga went 129–99–20.

Source:{{cite web |url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/discontinued/g/gonzaga/coaching_records.php |publisher=College Football Data Warehouse |title=Gonzaga: coaching records |access-date=January 26, 2015 |archive-date=February 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207005144/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/discontinued/g/gonzaga/coaching_records.php |url-status=dead }}

The university had a strong boxing program and shared the national title with Idaho in 1950 with a team composed of Carl Maxey, Eli Thomas, and Jim Reilly.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OMwqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hdAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2017%2C1644255 |newspaper=Moscow-Pullman Daily News |title=The bond was boxing |agency=Associated Press |date=March 16, 1999 |page=1B}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8015|title = Maxey, Carl (1924-1997)}} Both Maxey and Thomas were undefeated over the course of the season, and Thomas would go on to win the individual championship after another undefeated season the following year. All three were inducted into Gonzaga's Athletic Hall of Fame, with Maxey and Thomas being inducted in 1988 and Reilly in 1989. Gonzaga dropped the sport in 1952,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GfNXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aPYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5324%2C6026769 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Gonzaga drops mitt sport; may resume in the future |date=August 20, 1952 |page=17 }} followed by Idaho in 1954, and the NCAA in 1960.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J-YnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EPIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4763%2C4175545 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Crowning the kings of swing |last=Kershner |first=Jim |date=March 15, 1999 |page=A1}} Football star Tony Canadeo boxed during his senior year in 1941 at {{convert|175|lb|abbr=on}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E9dXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TPUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4020%2C957574|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Canadeo makes ring debut soon; to captain Bulldogs |date=February 5, 1941 |page=15 }} and was named team captain.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G9dXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TPUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6313%2C3129861 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Canadeo shows boxing promise |date=February 14, 1941 |page=12 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=--JXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VfUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3330%2C1204362 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Gonzaga opens boxing season December 12 |date=December 5, 1941 |page=11 }}

{{reflist}}

{{commons cat}}

• {{Official website}}

{{Gonzaga University}}

{{Navboxes

|titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Gonzaga Bulldogs|color=white}}

|list =

{{West Coast Conference navbox}}

{{Pac-12 Conference navbox}}

{{Mountain Pacific Sports Federation navbox}}

{{Washington Sports}}

{{Division1washingtoncolleges}}

}}