Monday, April 25, 2022

Has, Had, Never - NCAA Division I Wrestling

 While this is going to be very long, it's going to be simple and to the point. There are XXX sports programs in NCAA Division I today. Counted in this list will be teams that are currently transitioning into NCAA Division I as well as teams that are pending transition. 

It's very simple 


Abilene Christian (Texas) = NEVER 
Akron (Ohio) = HAD 
Alabama = HAD 
Alabama A&M = NEVER
Alabama Birmingham = NEVER 
Alabama State = NEVER 
Albany State = HAD 
Alcorn State = NEVER
American (Washington D.C.) = HAS 
Appalachian State (North Carolina) = HAS
Arizona = HAD
Arizona State = HAS 
Arkansas = NEVER 
Little Rock (Arkansas) = HAS
Arkansas Pine Bluff = NEVER
Arkansas State = HAD
Auburn (Alabama) = HAD
Austin Peay State (Tennessee) = NEVER 
Ball State (Indiana) = HAD 
Baylor (Texas) = NEVER 
Belmont (Tennessee) = NEVER
Bethune Cookman (Florida) = NEVER
Binghamton (New York) = HAS
Boise State (Idaho) = HAD
Boston College = HAD
Boston U = HAD
Bowling Green (Ohio) = HAD
Bradley (Illinois) = HAD
Brigham Young (Utah) = HAD
Brown (Rhode Island) = HAS
Bryant (Connecticut) = NEVER 
Bucknell (Pennsylvania) = HAS
Buffalo (New York) = HAS
Butler (Indiana) = NEVER
California = HAD
UC Davis = HAD
UC Irvine = HAD
UCLA = HAD
Cal Poly = HAS
Cal Poly Pomona = HAD
UC Riverside = HAD
UC Santa Barbara = HAD
CSU-Bakersfield = HAS
Fresno State = HAD 
CSU-Fullerton = HAD
Long Beach State = HAD
CSU-Northridge = HAD
CSU- Sacramento = HAD 
Campbell (North Carolina) = HAS
Canisius (New York) = HAD 
Central Arkansas = NEVER 
Central Connecticut State = HAD
Central Florida = HAD 
Central Michigan = HAS
Charleston (South Carolina) = NEVER 
Charleston Southern (South Carolina) = NEVER 
Chicago State = HAD 
Cincinnati = HAD 
The Citadel (South Carolina) = HAS
Clemson (South Carolina)  = HAD
Cleveland State = HAS
Costal Carolina = HAD 
Colgate = HAD
Colorado = HAD
Colorado State = HAD
Columbia (New York) = HAS
Connecticut = HAD
Coppin State (Maryland) = HAD
Cornell (New York) = HAS
Creighton (Nebraska) = NEVER
Dartmouth (New Hampshire) = HAD
Davidson (North Carolina) = HAS
Dayton (Ohio) = HAD
Delaware = HAD
Delaware State = HAD
Denver = HAD
DePaul (Chicago) = HAD
Detroit Mercy = NEVER
Drake (Iowa) = HAD
Drexel (Pennsylvania) = HAS
Duke (North Carolina) = HAS
Duquesne (Pennsylvania) = HAD
East Carolina = HAD
East Tennessee State =HAD
Eastern Illinois = HAD
Eastern Kentucky = HAD
Eastern Michigan = HAD
Eastern Washington = HAD
Elon (North Carolina) = HAD
Evansville (Indiana) = HAD
Fairfield (Connecticut) = NEVER
Farleigh Dickinson (New Jersey) = HAD
Florida = HAD
Florida A&M = HAD
Florida Atlantic = HAD
Florida Gulf Coast = HAD
Florida International = HAD
Florida State = NOT SURE  (Long story to this one) 
Fordham (New York) = HAD
Furman (South Carolina) = HAD
Gardner Webb (North Carolina) = HAS
George Mason (Virginia) = HAS
George Washington (Washington D.C.) = HAD
Georgetown (Washington D.C.)  = HAD
Georgia = HAD
Georgia Tech = HAD
Georgia Southern = HAD
Georgia State = HAD
Gonzaga (Washington) = HAD
Grambling State (Louisiana) = NEVER
Grand Canyon State (Arizona) = HAD
Hampton (Virginia) = HAD
Hartford (Connecticut) = HAD
Harvard (Massachusetts) = HAS
Hawaii = HAD
High Point (North Carolina) = NEVER
Hofstra (New York) = HAS
Holy Cross (Massachusetts) = HAD
Houston (Texas) = NEVER
Houston Baptist (Texas) = NEVER
Howard (Washington D.C.) = HAD
Idaho = HAD
Idaho State = HAD
Illinois-Chicago = HAD
Illinois State = HAD
Illinois = HAS
Incarnate Word (Texas) = NEVER
Indiana = HAS
Indiana State = HAD
Indiana Purdue = NEVER
Iona (New York) = NEVER
Iowa = HAS
Iowa State = HAS
Jackson State (Mississippi) = NEVER
Jacksonville (Florida) = NEVER
Jacksonville State (Alabama) = HAD
James Madison (Virginia) = HAD
Kansas = HAD
Kansas State = HAD 
Kennesaw State = HAD
Kent State = HAS
Kentucky = HAD
La Salle (Pennsylvania) = NEVER
Lafayette (Pennsylvania) = HAS
Lamar (Texas) = NEVER 
Lehigh (Pennsylvania) = HAS
Liberty (Virginia) = HAD
Lipscomb (Tennessee) = NEVER
Long Island (New York) = HAS
Longwood (Virginia) = HAD
Louisiana = HAD
Louisiana Monroe = HAD
Louisiana State = HAD
Louisiana Tech = NEVER
Louisville (Kentucky) = NEVER
Loyola Chicago = NEVER
Loyola Maryland = HAD
Loyola Marymount (California) = NEVER 
Maine = HAD
Manhattan (New York) = NEVER
Marist (New York) = HAD
Marquette (Wisconsin) = HAD
Marshall (West Virginia) = HAD
Maryland Baltimore County = HAD
Maryland = HAS
Maryland Eastern Shore = HAD
Massachusetts = HAD
Massachusetts Lowell = HAD
McNeese State (Louisiana) = NEVER
Memphis (Tennessee) = HAD
Mercer = HAD
Miami (Florida) = HAD
Miami (Ohio) = HAD
Michigan = HAS
Michigan State = HAS
Middle Tennessee State = HAD
Minnesota = HAS
Mississippi = NEVER
Mississippi State = NEVER
Mississippi Valley State = NEVER
Missouri = HAS
Missouri Kansas City = NEVER
Missouri State = HAD
Monmouth (New Jersey) = HAD
Montana = HAD
Montana State = HAD
Morehead State (Kentucky) = HAD
Morgan State (Maryland) = HAS
Mount St Mary's (Maryland) = NEVER
Murray State (Kentucky) = NEVER
Nebraska = HAS
Nebraska-Omaha = HAD
UNLV = HAD
Nevada-Reno = HAD
New Hampshire = HAD
New Jersey Tech = HAD
New Mexico = HAD
New Mexico State = HAD
New Orleans (Louisiana) = NEVER
Niagara (New York) = NEVER
Nicholls State (Louisiana) = NEVER 
Norfolk State (Virginia) = HAD
North Carolina A&T = HAD
North Carolina Ashville = NEVER
North Carolina Central = HAD
North Carolina = HAS
North Carolina Charlotte = HAD
North Carolina Greensboro = HAD
North Carolina State = HAS
North Carolina Wilmington = HAD
North Dakota = HAD
North Dakota State = HAS
North Florida = HAD
North Texas = NEVER
Northeastern (Massachusetts) = NEVER
Northern Arizona = HAD
Northern Colorado = HAS
Northern Illinois = HAS
Northern Iowa = HAS
Northern Kentucky = HAD
Northwestern (Illinois) = HAS
Northwestern State (Louisiana) = HAD
Notre Dame (Indiana) = HAD
Oakland (Michigan) = HAD
Ohio = HAS
Ohio State = HAS
Oklahoma = HAS
Oklahoma State = HAS
Old Dominion = HAD
Oral Roberts = NEVER
Oregon = HAD
Oregon State = HAS
U of Pacific (California) = HAD
Pennsylvania = HAS
Penn State = HAS
Pepperdine (California) = NEVER 
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) = HAS
Portland (Oregon) = NEVER
Portland State (Oregon) = HAD
Prairie View A&M (Texas) = NEVER
Presbyterian (South Carolina) = HAS
Princeton (New Jersey) = HAS
Providence (Rhode Island) = NEVER
Purdue (Indiana) = HAS
Purdue Fort Wayne (Indiana) = NEVER
Quinnipiac (Connecticut) = NEVER 
Radford (Virginia) = NEVER 
Rhode Island U = HAD
Rice (Texas) = NEVER
Richmond (Virginia) = HAD
Rider (New Jersey) = HAS
Robert Morris (Pennsylvania) = NEVER
Rutgers (New Jersey) = HAS
Sacred Heart (Connecticut) = HAS
Saint Bonaventure (New York) = NEVER
St Francis (New York) = NEVER
St Francis (Pennsylvania) = HAD
St John's (New York) = NEVER
St Joseph's (Pennsylvania) = NEVER
Saint Louis (Missouri) = HAD
St Mary's (California) = HAD
Saint Peter's (New Jersey) = NEVER
Sam Houston (Texas) = NEVER
Samford (Texas) = NEVER
San Diego (California) = NEVER
San Diego State (California) = HAD
San Francisco (California) = NEVER
San Jose State (California) = HAD
Santa Clara (California) = HAD
Seattle (Washington) = NEVER
Seton Hall (New Jersey) = HAD
Siena (New York) = NEVER
South Alabama = NEVER
South Carolina = NEVER
South Carolina State = HAD
South Carolina Upstate = NEVER
South Dakota = HAD
South Dakota State = HAS
South Florida = HAD
Southeast Missouri State = HAD
Southeastern Louisiana State = NEVER
Southern (Louisiana) = NEVER
USC = HAD
SIU-Carbondale = HAD
SIU-Edwardsville = HAS
SMU (Texas) = NEVER 
Southern Mississippi = NEVER
Southern Utah = HAD
Stanford = HAS
Stephen F. Austin = NEVER
Stetson (Florida) = HAD
Stony Brook (New York) = HAD
Syracuse (New York) = HAD
Temple (Pennsylvania) = HAD
Tennessee = HAD
Chattanooga = HAS
Tennessee Martin = HAD
Tennessee State = HAD
Tennessee Tech = HAD
Texas A&M = HAD
Texas A&M Corpus Christi = NEVER
Texas Arlington = NEVER
TCU (Texas) = Not Sure (Long Story) 
UTEP (Texas) = HAD
Texas = HAD
Texas Rio Grande Valley = NEVER
Texas San Antonio = NEVER
Texas Southern = NEVER
Texas State = NEVER 
Texas Tech = NEVER
Toledo (Ohio) = HAD
Towson (Maryland) = HAD
Troy (Alabama) = HAD
Tulane (Louisiana) = HAD
Tulsa (Oklahoma) = NEVER
Air Force (Colorado) = HAS
Army (New York) = HAS
Navy (Maryland) = HAS
Utah = HAD
Utah State = HAD
Utah Valley = HAS
Valparaiso (Indiana) = HAD
Vanderbilt (Tennessee) = HAD
Vermont = HAD
Villanova (Pennsylvania) = HAD
Virginia = HAS
Virginia Commonwealth = HAD
VMI (Virginia) = HAS
Virginia Tech = HAS
Wagner (New York) = HAD
Wake Forest (North Carolina) = HAD
Washington = HAD
Washington State = HAD
Weber State (Utah) = HAD
West Virginia = HAS
Western Carolina = HAD
Western Illinois = HAD
Western Kentucky = NEVER
Western Michigan = HAD
Wichita State (Kansas) = HAD
William & Mary = HAD
Winthrop (South Carolina) = HAD
Wisconsin Green Bay = NEVER
Wisconsin = HAS
Wisconsin Milwaukee = HAD
Wofford (South Carolina) = NEVER
Wright State (Ohio) = HAD
Wyoming = HAS
Xavier (Ohio) = HAD
Yale (Connecticut) = HAD
Youngstown State (Ohio) = HAD
California Baptist = HAS
North Alabama = NEVER
Merrimack (Massachusetts) = NEVER 
Bellarmine (Kentucky) = HAS
UC-San Diego (California) = NEVER
Dixie State (Utah) = HAD
Tarleton State (Texas) = NEVER
St Thomas (Minnesota) = HAD
Lindenwood (Missouri) = HAS
Southern Indiana = NEVER
Stonehill (Massachusetts) = NEVER
Texas A&M Commerce = NEVER



So the two unsures....

Florida State had something in the mid 1960's. To this day I've heard a lot of rumor and speculation but I've never had anything officially verified or nullified. All I know is that from 1962-1963 through 1965-1966, you can find wrestlers representing Florida State at various tournaments throughout the southeastern United States. Yet, I've never ran across any duals for them, nor have I ever seen them listed in any official qualifying tournaments for the NCAA's. It may have been a varsity program, but I am thinking it was a club or maybe a team that was looking at transitioning into a varsity position. 

Sorta the same story with Texas Christian. In the 70's you can find dual results Vs Texas Christian & you can occasionally find them scattered throughout tournaments in the south. However, like Florida State, you won't find them listed participating in any qualifiers for the NCAA tournament. From what I understand there was a time from the late 60's into the 70's when there was a strong movement to get wrestling into universities/colleges in Texas. UTEP bit & had a team for a few years as SMU had intramural wrestling with a commitment to start if other programs would. I think TCU was in a similar position. 

So we have the 2 unsure, then we have...

75 (80) NCAA Division I programs (This includes some in transition & in pending transition) 

193 NCAA Division I Programs That At One Time Had Wrestling But Don't Today

98 NCAA Division I Programs That Never Had Varsity Wrestling in Athletics History 

****NOTE**** - Now I have to put this to avoid confusion and misconstruction. Understand that in the 190 programs that at one time had wrestling, not all of them were NCAA Division I at the time they had wrestling. Some were DII. Some were DIII. Some were NAIA. Some were ever NJCAA.  

Also keep in mind that not all of the Division I programs around today were always DI either. Some of them have (or are currently) transitioning from a lower division.  

So no, there was never a time when NCAA Division I wrestling had 265 teams all operating at the same time. It's simply that if no team had ever discontinued, then we would be at 265 teams today.  From my studies, a little less than 160 DI programs is the most we've ever had all operating at the same time. 

***Second NOTE*** 

There are Non-DI schools with DI wrestling. Makes it nice and confusing, and difficult to track. I meant to add these teams in, but I didn't.  

Here they are....

Lock Haven
Clarion
Edinboro
Franklin & Marshall
Bloomsburg 


So the # for DI teams is actually 80....but these four programs are not considered to be DI athletics, even though they have DI wrestling. 




 

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