Important Moments in 100 Years of Saint Michael's College Varsity Athletics


The early days of Saint Michael's hockey, 1920's.
 

  1. 1907:  Julian Miller ’11 breaks the color barrier at Saint Michael's 40 years before Jackie Robinson appears in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform.  Miller stars at halfback on the very first varsity football
    team in the college’s history, and plays from 1907-1910.

  2. 1914-1915:  The men’s basketball team captures the State Championship, the first title in any
    Saint Michael's sport.

  3. 1924:  Jeanmarie Hall is completed and opened for use.  Among the other extremely valuable
    features, the building holds the college’s first true gymnasium, providing much-needed varsity and
    recreational sports space.

  4. 1929-1930: The Saint Michael’s men’s basketball team wins another State Championship.

  5. 1945:  Saint Michael’s defeats mighty Providence College in basketball in a double overtime thriller, 64-61, at Boston Garden.  It is referred to as the sports event that put the college on the map to folks from outside the state of Vermont.

  6. November 22, 1947: George "Doc" Jacobs announced the result of a student contest that selected “Purple Knights” as the College’s new official nickname and mascot.  Previously, the teams were referred to by the media of the day as “The Hilltoppers” or Michaelmen/Mikemen.

  7. 1951: The football team goes a perfect 6-0-0 in winning the State Championship and New England College Division Championship.

  8. September 1, 1951: Saint Michael’s officially becomes a member of the National Collegiate Athletic
    Association (NCAA).

  9. January 30, 1954 – President Rev. Francis Moriarty SSE announces that varsity football was being eliminated at the College. The news makes headlines across the country, and the sport has never been brought back to the varsity slate at Saint Michael’s.

  10. 1958:  The "Iron Knights" men's basketball team reaches the finals of the NCAA College Division Championship, finishing in second place. 

Memorable Moments  -  Interviews  -  A Look at the Beginning  -  Record Holders  -  Images