Our Legacy of Athletics

Our Legacy of ATHLETICSATHLETICS

Character. Scholarship. Competition. Christ. These consistent threads have been interwoven throughout the tapestry of Beacon/Crusader athletics history for the better part of 60 years.

Britnee Joaquin '19 By Nick Askew

Our Legacy of

Born out of a desire to expand beyond the local “church league,” the Crusaders started their first year of intercollegiate men’s basketball in 1959. Led by local pastor Wayne Osborne, who served as the first head coach, NCC established a reputation built on a foundation much larger than just what took place on the hardwood floor. Osborne once said, “In our athletic program…we feel that the development of sportsmanship, self-control and certain other disciplines are necessary to build strong Christian character. In addition to building Christian character, a high quality of scholarship is maintained by the participants.”

An early value statement found in the 1965 yearbook said, “The importance and value of intercollegiate competition is found not in the win-loss record compiled, but in the growth in Christian character, sportsmanship, academic excellence and athletic ability.”

Those same principles that guided the team in those early years, and each class since, continue to guide the athletic department at NCU. Today, the “TriAthlete Model” includes equal emphasis on academics, competition and character development, while maintaining a Christcentered focus.

Academics

Considered the father of NCU athletics, Dr. William Richardson brought an academic focus to the sports program from the start. A New Testament and church history professor, Richardson served as the Faculty Athletic Representative as he helped to launch both the Crusader men’s basketball team as well as the Willamette Christian College Conference.

The attention to molding well-rounded student-athletes continued throughout the decades with many standout performers outside of the court. One fine example is the Kendall E. Burke Award, which is given on the basis of high scholastic standing, inspiration to students and faculty, high ideals of Christian character and contribution of talents to the University and voted on by the student body. This award has gone to student-athletes eight times, including notable names such as Robert Hutchins '65, Frank Morse '66, Keith Potter '84 and Britni (Steiling) D'Eliso '11.

The President’s Scholastic Award, given to the student with the highest cumulative GPA among the graduating class each year, went to men’s basketball player Dax Bryant '99 in 1999. In a dramatic upswing, three of the last four winners have been student-athletes; Michelle (Fletcher) Tyler '17, Rosa (Schmidt) Wright '18, and Britnee Joaquin '19.

Today, NCU is at the forefront of academic excellence in the Cascade Conference and the NAIA. With average Grade Point Averages routinely sitting above 3.25, the Beacons are the only school in the CCC to win the President’s Cup for Academic Excellence in each of the past four years. Additionally, since 2010, eight NCU athletes have been named CCC Scholar-Athletes of the Year, far exceeding the totals of any other school. Athletics

The Crusaders and Beacons have had a rich history of success on the field of play, dating all the way back to the men’s basketball team’s first winning season in 1961. Men’s basketball set the early standard, winning numerous Willamette Christian College Conference and West Region Championships. That success bled into an unrivaled decade in the 1980’s, as the team won six National Bible College Athletic Association (NBCAA) National Championships including five straight from 1983-1987. After joining the National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA), which later became the USCAA, the Beacons went on to win two more national championships along with seven other top-four finishes.

The USCAA was also the home to the Crusader softball team which took national runner-up honors in 2002. The Beacon volleyball teams of the late 70’s also had their share of success, winning Pacific Northwest Christian Conference championships in 1976 and 1978.

In 2007, NCC took a huge step forward as they joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and their more than 275 schools. The early years were lean, but it did not take long for the Beacons to make their mark, winning their first Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship in women’s cross country in 2013. Just two years later, the women’s cross country team took home the NAIA National Championship.

The men’s basketball team returned

to prominence under the leadership of Luke Jackson, winning a pair of CCC Championships and advancing to three NAIA national tournaments in a four-year span.

In 2018, Bailey Dell '18 brought home NCU’s first individual NAIA National Championship in the Javelin and the following year she was joined by 3000m Steeplechase champion Anika Rasubala '20.

Christ and Character

Long before the Beacons joined the NAIA and began applying the Champions of Character program and its five core values (respect, integrity, responsibly, servant leadership and sportsmanship), student-athletes were living out God’s call in their lives through service.

“Christian” is much more than a middle name at NCU and Crusader/Beacon athletic teams have always had a passion for following Christ’s example in their lives. As the 60’s turned into the 70’s and 80’s the teams continued to lead by example under the tutelage of head coaches Dwayne Cox '64 and Dave Lipp '71 and Jim Womack '63 (who later became President of NCC).

The 1980’s saw a boom in outreach projects under Lipp and women’s volleyball coach Jeanette (Scofield) McHarness '75, including visits to juvenile detention centers, hospitals and area schools for youth rallies. Today, a larger population of over 200 student-athletes serves the community in many ways each year including partnerships with Food for Lane County, Special Olympics and Hosea Youth Services.

Throughout history, a number of Crusaders went on to spend their careers in ministry, in churches, hospitals, prisons and on the mission field: Darrel Crouter ’63, Gary Ivey ’66, John Richardson ’73, Hall-of-Fame recipients Don Hodney ’78 and Greg Ishmael ’78, John Tastad ’84, Wayne Rowe ’90 and Traci Sims ’92 are just a few among many long-time pastors. Chairman of the NCU Board of Trustees Clare Buhler ’80 has been the lead pastor at Harrisburg Christian Church for over 20 years, while his son Gabe Buhler ’07 serves as the church’s youth pastor. Even more recently, young Beacon alumni Aaron Dilla ’11, Britni (Steiling) D’Eliso ’11 and Myranda Johnson ’19 are all serving in Eugene area churches.

Notable NCU athletes have also established themselves as leaders on the national athletic stage. Mike Petersen ’83 has experienced great success as a college and professional basketball coach and is currently Assistant Coach for the Women’s NBA team, The Atlanta Dream. Mickey Loomis (’73-’78) provides leadership to the NFL in his role as the executive vice president and General Manager of the New Orlean’s Saints. Additionally, Mickey serves as head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team.

Over the past ten years, five athletes have earned the Cascade Collegiate Conference Champion of Character Award and three were also finalists for the NAIA Dr. Leroy Walker Champion of Character award.