Ball State University's athletic teams are called the Cardinals. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Mid-American Conference and located in Muncie, Indiana. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot and the history of the first Cardinal team dates back to 1926.
The Ball State University Pride of Mid-America Marching Band performs at all home football games, many home basketball games, and various other athletic and spirit events across campus.
The Ball State Cardinals football team competes in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mid-American Conference. The current head coach is Stan Parrish.[1] The Cardinals play at Scheumann Stadium. On October 5, 2008, Ball State was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in team history. Ball State completed their 2008 regular season games with a record of 12-1 and a conference record of 8-1. They won the MAC West Division Championship before falling to Buffalo in the MAC Championship at Ford Field in Detroit. They lost to Tulsa University in the GMAC Bowl on January 6, 2009 by a score of 45-13.
The Cardinals finished the regular season 7-5, reaching their first bowl game since 1996. The team has tallied victories against Eastern Michigan, Navy, Buffalo, Western Michigan, Western Kentucky and Toledo, while being defeated by Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Central Michigan, Illinois and Indiana. The offense is led by sophomore quarterback Nate Davis (57.6% comp., 1928 yds., 18 TD, 3 INT), junior tight end Darius Hill (35 rec., 517 rec. yds., 6 TD), junior wide receiver Dante Love (44 rec., 643 rec. yds., 7 TD), and freshman running back Frank Edmonds (347 rushing yds., 5 TD).
The most impressive win of the season came at home against Buffalo, where the Cards, anchored by three Nate Davis passing TDs and two Frank Edmonds rushing TDs, won 49-14. The worst defeat of the season, in what was being billed by many as a showcase for who would represent the Western Division in the MAC Championship game, was at the hands of the Central Michigan Chippewas, who routed the Cardinals 58-38. The Chippewas passing/running sensation, sophomore QB Dan LeFevour put in his finest aerial performance of the season to date, completing 30 of 38 passes (5 TD/1 INT) while also adding 146 yards rushing yards on 16 carries (1 TD).
All-Time Win-Loss Record as of 2008
Conference Championships
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference
Heartland Collegiate Conference
Mid-American Conference
Bowl games
The Cardinals have gone to five Division I bowl games. They have an 0-5 record in these games being outscored by a total score of 184-97.
Current NFL Players
Retired NFL Players
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
The Ball State Cardinals' women's basketball team won their first MAC tournament in 2009 and subsequently went to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. In the first round, they beat the Tennessee Lady Volunteers 71-55 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 12th-seeded Ball State's win over 5th-seeded Tennessee was the Lady Volunteers' first first round loss in the 28-year history of the women's NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals earned a lot of attention for their historic first round win and briefly became the Cinderella, feel-good story of the NCAA Tournament before losing to the Iowa State Cyclones 57-71 in the second round.
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External links
Coordinates: 40°11′58″N 85°24′45″W / 40.19944°N 85.4125°W / 40.19944; -85.4125
