Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I get information about playing a varsity sport at John Carroll?
1. Submit the Prospective Student-Athlete Interest Form for your particular sport(s). It is important to fill out the entire form. Please note that this form is NOT considered an application for admission to the university nor does it qualify you as an official athletic recruit.
2. The student-athlete should e-mail the coach AND any assistant coaches listed expressing interest in the program and letting the coaches know you have submitted the Prospective Student-Athlete Interest Form. If possible, send some information that may give the coach an idea as to your level of play (links to video clips, times, etc.).
3. It is highly recommended that your current high school or club coach contact our coach to provide a recommendation/reference.
Q: My son/daughter has suffered some injuries in the past. What information do you have regarding the training facilities?
A: A member of the staff will be present at all games, and during practice, coaches will have the ability to contact the training room at any time (for emergency purposes). The training room both in the DeCarlo Varsity Center and the Don Shula Stadium will be open during the school year - check for posted hours - and is available only for those competing in varsity sports. The training staff also has a commitment from the Cleveland Clinic, one of the nation's most highly regarded medical institutions, in which doctors specializing in sports medicine make weekly visits. For further information, please feel free to contact head trainer Don McPhillips at dmcphillips@jcu.edu or by phone at 216.397.4503
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Q: I would like to get involved in a booster club. Does John Carroll have one in existence?
A: The Blue/Gold Club is John Carroll's official booster club. To join, it is easy as heading to JCUSports.com/joinbgc. There are many different donor levels, as well as benefits.
Q: I am not from the area, and I doubt that John Carroll will get much media coverage back home. What could I do to ensure that I get scores or information regarding my son/daughter and their team?
A: Sports Information Director Joe Ginley would be the best person to contact. A form can be made available by request that you could fill out and return to make sure your local media is included on the weekly mailing list for the sports information department. To keep up on scores, simply check the John Carroll and Ohio Athletic Conference (www.oac.org) web pages, which are updated constantly.
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Q: I would like to travel to see games away from John Carroll. How would I get information on dates, times, and directions?
A: Our website will often list directions to the host schools, but you could also contact athletic department administrative assistant Candace Pluhar at 216.397.4661 for more information. Coaches will often leave information with Candace that includes the travel plans of our sports programs, including hotel contacts and times of competition. If you feel any schedule has not been updated on the web page, contact the sports information office or the head coach of that particular sport.
Q: I noticed that the sport my son/daughter played in high school is not listed anywhere among the varsity sports. What direction should he/she go to play that sport?
A: There are many options. First of all, check and see if that sport is organized as a club at John Carroll. Those already in existence are sailing, men's volleyball, skiing, crew, lacrosse, ice hockey and rugby, just to name a few. These clubs have organizational meetings at the beginning of the year in most cases. If the sport in question is not already a club, there is the option of forming one. Contact Matt Clark at 216 397-3092 or cclark@jcu.edu for more information. There is also the option of playing intramurals, should that sport exist.
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Q: On our tour, we noticed many of the workout rooms. Are these facilities open to all students throughout the year?
A: Unless otherwise posted, all of our facilities (the cardiovascular room, Corbo weight room, racquetball courts, swimming pool, tennis courts and intramural gymnasium) are open to all students during the hours posted. Occasionally, some facilities, such as the pool and tennis courts, as well as the stadium weight room, will close for varsity events or practices. Most of the time, however, they are operational for the hours posted at the main recreation center desk. All a student will need to use the facility is a valid identification card. This must be presented upon entering the facility, or access will be denied.
Q: I understand that John Carroll University is a non-scholarship athletic program, yet my son/daughter is attending John Carroll on a scholarship. What is the policy regarding scholarships?
A: As a Division III school under the guidance of the NCAA, John Carroll University cannot award scholarships based on athletic ability or for the purpose of athletics. However, as a Division III school, athlete can compete and receive scholarships so long as those scholarships were based on the same criteria as all students. This policy applies to any financial aid a student may receive while attending John Carroll.
Athletics Overview
History
John Carroll University was founded as an all-male collegiate institution on Cleveland's west side in 1886, and it was not until after World War I that an intercollegiate athletics program was implemented.
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The first varsity contest of any kind in school history took place on January 20, 1920, when the St. Ignatius College Saints (as the school was known back then) defeated the Forest City Knights of Columbus, 29-17, in a game of men's basketball. The Saints would go on to win games over Kent Normal, Hiram, Niagara and Ashland in that inaugural season, setting the stage for things to come.
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Football was added in the fall of 1920, and by 1923, the St. Ignatius College name had given way to John Carroll University. The nickname "Blue Streaks" would soon be added to the lexicon in the mid 1920's, purportedly by a graduate who wished to his team play one more time before passing on.
Over the next 40 years, both the university and its intercollegiate athletic program experienced many changes. In 1935, the school relocated to its current home in University Heights and its enrollment nearly doubled. As the number of potential student-athletes increased, so did the list of varsity sports offered by the school: Hockey, boxing, golf, track/cross country and tennis were part of this expansion during this era. By 1960, however, hockey and boxing were no longer part of the picture
Wrestling and soccer started up as varsity sports in 1964, but the most dramatic permutation in John Carroll athletics history coincided with the first-time admission of female students in 1969. This circumstance brought about the advent of women's basketball, volleyball and tennis in the early 1970's. Swimming & diving (1970), baseball (1973), softball (1984), women's track & field/cross country (1985), women's soccer (1989), women's golf (1999), men's lacrosse (2014) and women's lacrosse (2015) have pushed the number of sports sponsored at John Carroll to its current total of 23.
As a small liberal arts university, the path that John Carroll chose to follow in collegiate athletics was established at a pivotal time in its history. Over its first 35 years, John Carroll had competed in football and basketball against the likes of Syracuse, Bowling Green, Xavier and Toledo, just to name a few. Eventually, John Carroll chose not to pursue the road toward what is now known as "major college athletics" and instead became a charter member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference in 1956. The intent was that athletics would not be an end in itself, rather as a part of the overall educational process.
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Throughout the years, John Carroll has maintained a healthy balance between academics and athletics. Just as famous names such as Don Shula and London Fletcher have brought John Carroll notoriety on the field of play, many former Blue Streaks have gone onto greatness in their chosen professional fields. For example, respected Ashland County prosecutor Ramona Francesconi Rogers (basketball and volleyball, class of 1979) and senior vice president of Tropicana products Dennis Hareza (wrestling, class of 1981) are both members of the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame.
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The JCU Athletic program has produced one team national champion (1975 wrestling) and over 20 individual national champions. Just as importantly, over 30 student-athletes have earned Academic All-American honors.
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John Carroll, which has competed on a Division III level as a member of the NCAA since 1974, officially became a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference on a full-time basis in 1989.
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Mission
The John Carroll University Athletic Department adheres to the institution's mission statement which declares "John Carroll University is a Catholic and Jesuit university dedicated to developing women and men with the knowledge and character to lead and to serve.
As a university, John Carroll is committed to the transmission and extension of the treasury of human knowledge with the autonomy and freedom appropriate to a university. As a Catholic university, it is further committed to seek and synthesize all knowledge, including the wisdom of Christian revelation. In the search for this integration of knowledge, the university community is enriched by scholarship representing the pluralistic society in which we live. All can participate freely in the intellectual, moral, and spiritual dialog necessary to the search. Within this dialog, in which theological and philosophical questions play a crucial role, students have the opportunity to develop, synthesize, and live a value system based on respect for and critical evaluation of fact; on intellectual, moral, and spiritual principles which enable them to cope with new problems; and on the sensitivity and judgment that prepare them to engage in responsible social action.
In a Jesuit university, the presence of Jesuits and others who are inspired by the vision of Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus in 1540, is of paramount importance. This vision, which reflects the value system of the Gospels, is expressed in the Spiritual Exercises, the source of Jesuit life and activity. To education the Jesuit spirit brings a rationality appropriately balanced by human affection, an esteem for the individual as a unique person, training in discerning choice, openness to change, and a quest for God's greater glory in the use of this world's goods. Commitment to the values which inspired the Exercises promotes justice by affirming the equal dignity of all persons and seeks balance between reliance on divine assistance and natural capacities. The effort to combine faith and culture takes on different forms at different times in Jesuit colleges and universities. Innovation, experiment, and training for social leadership are essential to the Jesuit tradition.
John Carroll University welcomes students and faculty from different religious backgrounds and value systems, in the belief that the educational environment which the university provides is one which these students and faculty may find congenial, rewarding, and enriched by their presence. Within this environment there is concern for the human and spiritual developmental needs of the students, and a deep respect for the freedom and dignity of the human person. A faculty not only professionally qualified, but also student-oriented, considers excellence in interpersonal relationships as well as academic achievement among its primary goals.
The university places primary emphasis on instructional excellence. It recognizes the importance of research in teaching as well as in the development of the teacher. In keeping with its mission, the university especially encourages research that assists the various disciplines in offering solutions to the problems of faith in the modern world, social inequities, and human needs.
The commitment to excellence at John Carroll University does not imply limiting admissions to the extremely talented student only. Admission is open to all students who desire and have the potential to profit from an education suited to the student's needs as a person and talents as a member of society.
The educational experience at John Carroll University provides opportunities for students to develop as total human persons. They should be well grounded in the liberalizing, humanizing arts and sciences; proficient in the skills that lead to clear, persuasive expression; trained in the intellectual discipline necessary to pursue a subject in depth; aware of the interrelationship of all knowledge and the need for integration and synthesis; able to make a commitment to a tested scale of values and to demonstrate the self discipline necessary to live by those values; alert to learning as a life long process; open to change as they mature; respectful of their own culture and that of others; aware of the interdependence of all humanity; and sensitive to the need for social justice in response to current social pressures and problems.
The John Carroll University Athletic Department adheres to this mission, and offers a variety of opportunities toward this pursuit both on a varsity (intercollegiate) and recreational (intramural) level. The information contained in this booklet focuses on intercollegiate athletics.
Affiliations and Organizations
John Carroll is a member institution of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and is classified as a Division III school.Simply put, this designates John Carroll as an institution that does not offer financial aid or scholarships based on athletic merit.An athlete at John Carroll may receive financial aid or scholarships, but it is given on the same basis as other students.
In 1989, John Carroll University became a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference.The OAC, the third oldest conference in college athletics, is predated only by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1888) and the Big Ten (1895).The Conference is older than even the NCAA itself, and has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict.The OAC celebrated its Centennial during the 2002-2003 school year.
Through the years a total of 30 colleges and universities at one time or another have been members of the OAC, including current Division I-A institutions Ohio State, Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami of Ohio, Ohio University and Kent State.Currently the conference consists of ten schools, all of which compete under the Division III banner.The present OAC membership includes Baldwin-Wallace College, Capital University, Heidelberg College, John Carroll University, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Muskingum College, Ohio Northern University, Otterbein College and Wilmington College.
Achievements
Since joining the Ohio Athletic Conference, John Carroll has maintained a high level of success both on the conference and national scene. Teams at John Carroll have captured over 90 league titles, and have placed among the top ten Division III schools in the nation on a number of different occasions. Individually, John Carroll can boast of over 800 first team All-OAC selection and OAC champions, over 100 Division III All-Americans, and can even claim 10+ national champions and three national Players of the Year.
All the while maintaining a high level of success on the field of play, the varsity programs at John Carroll have excelled in the classroom as well.Several programs have been recognized for their team academic achievements, as have the over 40 individuals who have been named Academic All-Americans either by their respective sport or by national organizations such as ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA.
Programs
John Carroll offers 24 varsity sports covering three seasons during the school year. In the fall, sports offered include football, volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's cross country and women's cross country. In the winter, sports offered include wrestling, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming & diving, men's indoor track & field and women's indoor track & field.In the spring, John Carroll offers baseball, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's outdoor track & field, women's outdoor track & field, men's golf, women's golf, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse.
Squad sizes at John Carroll range anywhere from 10-12 for the golf and tennis teams to 160-180 for the football team. Most preseason camps are by invitation only, but coaches can be contacted for tryout availability. Of the 24Â sports, football, men's soccer and baseball have fielded junior varsity squads, and sports such as cross country, swimming & diving, wrestling and track & field have many all-inclusive meets throughout their respective seasons.
The varsity athletic programs at John Carroll also have had opportunities to travel to such locales as Ireland, Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Switzerland, San Diego, Florida (including Panama City, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale), Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and Bermuda.In recent years, Blue Streak squads have competed at venues such as Rocket Morgage FieldHouse, The Wolstein Center and Progressive Field in Cleveland, the ATP Tennis Center in Cincinnati and the Olympic Baseball Stadium in Spain.
Staff and Facilities
The athletic department itself is comprised of over 20 full-time staff members and over 25 part-time staff members, as well as several graduate assistants and volunteer coaches.
In addition to the varsity programs, John Carroll offers intramural sports for the campus community.
Athletic facilities include 5,418-seat Don Shula Stadium at Wasmer Field, home of the JCU football, soccer and track & field teams; Schweickert Field, home to the JCU baseball team; Bracken Outdoor Athletic Complex, home to the Blue Streak softball team; the Short Family Tennis Center;Â the William H. Johnson Natatorium, home of the Blue Streak swimming and diving squads; and the 1,300 seat Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center, home to the JCU basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams.
The DeCarlo Center also houses the Ralph Vince Fitness Complex. Opened in 1991, the complex features state of the art exercise and cardiovascular equipment.
