Melvin Bland was the first CSU student athlete to gain
NAIAAll-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Tyrone Everhart also was a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American wrestler the same year. Fred Evans as a sophomore became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975.[5] The Chicago State University Ice Hockey Team produced 2 NCAA Division 2 All-Americans in the 1975–76 season. George Hansen and
Bob Janecyk were selected in 1975–76 to the NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team. Janecyk was selected two more times designated as an NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team
goaltender for CSU in 1976–77 and 1977–78. He went on to play for the
Chicago Blackhawks of the
National Hockey League.[6] The first NAIA District #20 Championship Team in any sport was the 1975 wrestling team, which captured the NAIA District #20 Championship coached by Dr. James G. Pappas. The Cougar Wrestling Team also won District #20 titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980.
In 2020, the CSU Baseball Team captured a school record of 69 wins in shortened season.
In 1984, the CSU Men's Basketball Team captured third place at the NAIA National Championships.[7] The team's performance throughout the tournament was as follows:
Chicago State joined the
Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013 as part of a six-university expansion.[3] Along with the
University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC), it was to have anchored the circuit's Midwest division. UMKC left the conference in 2020 and Chicago State announced on January 14, 2021 that it would do likewise on June 30, 2022.[4]
Chicago State will be integrated into
Northeast Conference (NEC) athletic schedules beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Cougars will gain immediate eligibility to participate in all NEC championships and earn the conference's automatic qualifier to NCAA Championships. [8] This comes after the
MEAC presidents voted against adding Chicago State to the conference. [9]
† = Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.
With the school's current financial situation and the needs of the athletic program, in April 2016, the University Budget Committee recommended that the Athletic Department "... study the benefits of being Division 1 or another division."[10] Chicago State University currently sponsors teams in seven men's and nine women's teams in
NCAA sanctioned sports.[11]
All-Americans
1974 – Vince Williams – All-American – 6th 220yd Dash Outdoor Track & Field
1974 – Sudie Davis, Vince Williams, Willie Patton, Clifford Fletcher, Wallace Hunter All-Americans NCAA Track and Field
1974 – Melvin Bland – All-American – Third Team Wrestling
Willye White, first American track and field athlete to take part in five Olympics, competing on the
1956,
1960,
1964,
1968, and
1972 teams respectively. She graduated from CSU in 1976 with a degree in public health administration.[23]