From the beginning — a baseball game in 1891 vs. a team from the nearby Mormon settlement of Stringtown — and through more than 125 years of competitions, Arizona State University’s sporting teams have been a part of the fabric of the state, and also the nation. Today, Sun Devil Athletics boasts a robust roster of 26 NCAA varsity sports and more than 600 student-athletes.
The greats — from across the country and around the world — have come to ASU to compete for and represent the Sun Devils. From Floyd Bannister to Dustin Pedroia in baseball; Curley Culp to Art and Benny Malone in football; and Lafayette “Fat” Lever to Byron Scott in basketball, Sun Devil student-athletes have garnered headlines. Women’s sports have produced their fair share of accolades: softballers Erica Beach and Marilyn Rau, golfers Heather Farr and Grace Park, and track and fielders Gea Johnson and Linda Tolbert are among the countless letterwinners who have brought glory to Sun Devil Athletics. Others who stand out as exceptional representatives of the university are pictured below.
A three-time All-American, Danielle Ammaccapane won the 1985 NCAA women’s golf title and was named Golf Magazine’s College Player of the Year and Golf Digest’s Female Amateur of the Year before distinguishing herself on the LPGA Tour. She was inducted into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
A four-time All-American, Melissa Belote won four national championships while swimming for the Sun Devils. She claimed three Olympic golds in 1972 and was presented the Broderick Award as the outstanding collegiate swimmer in 1977. She was inducted into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
“Jumping Joe” Caldwell’s early-1960s All-American play at ASU included a starring role on four straight NCAA tournament teams. A member of the gold medal-winning 1964 Olympic team, Caldwell later enjoyed a storied ABA and NBA career. His Sun Devils jersey number was retired in 2010.
All-American softball pitcher Dallas Escobedo’s career at ASU earned her selection as the No. 1 National Pro Fastpitch draft pick in 2014; a 115-26 record; three Women’s College World Series tournaments, including the 2011 title; four All-Pac-12 and two All-American honors; and a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships.
The “straw that stirs the drink,” Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was recruited to play football for head coach Frank Kush, but earned All-America first team honors playing baseball for manager Bobby Winkles. He was a charter inductee into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
Despite being born with only one leg, Anthony Robles finished his three-year wrestling career at ASU as a three-time Pac-12 champion, three-time All-American and the 2011 national champion. He is the author of “Unstoppable: How I became a champion” and a sought-after motivational speaker.
Twin sisters Kay and Claire Schmoyer were dominant women’s tennis Sun Devils who combined for a 148-2 singles record in three seasons at ASU, and both were members of the 1974 National Collegiate Championship team. Together, they won the Intermountain Conference doubles title in 1974 and 1975.
A member of the Sun Devils’ 1997 Rose Bowl team, Pat Tillman starred on the field and in the classroom at ASU. A College Football Hall of Famer and Academic All-American, he played four seasons with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals before enlisting in the U.S. Army following the attacks of 9/11. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004.
Danny White — whose father, Byron “Whizzer” White, was ASU’s first All-American football player — came to the university to play baseball, but emerged as a College Football Hall of Famer, three-time Fiesta Bowl-winning quarterback and All-Pro choice with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Forty-five times Sun Devil coaches have earned national Coach of the Year honors. Count 86 who have earned conference Coach of Year recognition. Those on the sideline, in the dugout and with the competitors include Frank Kush, Jim Brock and Bobby Winkles, Ned Wulk, Charli Turner Thorne, Mark Bradshaw, Randy Lein and Steve Loy, Linda Vollstedt and Bobby Douglas.
Mark Bradshaw is a nine-time Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year — an all-time conference record. Twice the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year, he has coached 32 All-Americans, four NCAA champions, nine Pac-12 Divers of the Year and six Pac-12 Newcomers of the Year.
Jim Brock coached Sun Devil baseball for 23 years, leading his teams to 13 College World Series appearances and two national titles. A member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame and a four-time National Coach of the Year, Brock won an astounding 1,099 games.
Bobby Douglas built ASU wrestling into a perennial powerhouse: eight Pac-12 titles and the 1988 NCAA championship. A nine-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, he is in two national wrestling halls of fame and is a two-time Olympic competitor, two-time Olympic coach.
Frank Kush is the winningest football coach (176) in ASU history. His teams had 19 winning seasons during his 22 years at the helm, including two undefeated seasons. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the field at Sun Devil Stadium is named in his honor.
Randy Lein guided the ASU men’s golf teams to eight Pac-12 titles, and he was conference coach of the year seven times, including in 1996 when the Sun Devils won the NCAA title. He is a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame.
Charli Turner Thorne is the winningest women’s basketball coach in ASU history and No. 2 all-time in the Pac-12. Her teams have won two Pac-12 titles, and she has been conference coach of the year twice. In 20 seasons, her ASU teams have been to 12 NCAA tournaments.
In 21 seasons as ASU’s women’s golf coach, Linda Vollstedt guided her teams to nine Pac-12 titles and six NCAA championships. She won an astounding 22 coach/teacher-of-the-year awards and earned National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame induction in 1994.
ASU’s first varsity baseball coach, Bobby Winkles led the Sun Devils to their first three College World Series titles and first five conference championships. A five-time national coach of the year, he is a member of two national collegiate baseball halls of fame.
Ned Wulk is the winningest coach (406) in ASU men’s basketball history. He led the Sun Devils to 17 winning seasons in 25 years at the helm, including eight conference titles and 10 NCAA tourney appearances. The court at Wells Fargo Arena is named in his honor.
Sun Devil student-athletes have distinguished themselves away from the playing field — they have thrived while succeeding in the classroom and in professional careers. It isn’t surprising — some 120 Sun Devil student-athletes have earned Academic All-American honors since 1963, including four honored as Academic All-American of the Year.
Sun Devil Athletics is committed to helping its student-athletes build upon the characteristics necessary to be successful in their time as a Sun Devil, both while on campus and in their personal and professional lives.
The Office of Student-Athlete Development provides services, resources and guidance to foster academic success, development of life skills, graduation and transition to a “Championship Life” after intercollegiate athletics.
Nearly 60 Sun Devil student-athletes are students in Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, one of the preeminent honors colleges in the nation, enjoying the Research I and Pac-12 environment of the university.
Included in the unique living-learning community will be the addition of an expanded, state-of-the-art training facility. This new and vibrant district, emerging along the southern shore of Tempe Town Lake, is an undertaking that combines bold ideas, impactful human connections and community good while celebrating Sun Devil Athletics and our student-athletes. Some of the more recognizable Sun Devil facilities are pictured below.
ASU and the City of Phoenix have announced plans to bring ASU golf — men’s and women’s — to Papago Golf Course, with features including a main clubhouse and practice facility designed in part by former Sun Devil golf star Phil Mickelson.
Upgraded in 2013 and 2014, the 1,500-seat Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium at ASU is recognized as one of the premier softball facilities in the Pac-12 and also touted as one of the best playing surfaces in the nation.
Oceanside Ice Arena has been the home of the ASU hockey program since 1985 and has seen the Sun Devils transition from club level to full NCAA Division I status. The ice surface is between Olympic and NHL size.
This flexible-design complex will encourage different and evolving training methods, promote learning and productivity, and offer a high-quality indoor environment with technology that drives athletic advancement.
Since 2014 the home of Sun Devil baseball, this historic ballpark is situated within the picturesque Papago Mountains and honors the program’s storied traditions in a variety of fan-focused ways, inside and outside.
Considered one of the country’s finest outdoor swimming and diving facilities, the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center consists of an Olympic-size competition pool, diving well, warm-up pool, three-platform diving tower and four springboards.
The home of Sun Devil football since 1958, the storied stadium is undergoing a $300 million reinvention and reimagination that will include the construction of an integrated, 84,500-square-foot student athletic facility and the ability to host events and more 365 days a year.
This 10,197-seat multi-use arena hosts men’s and women’s basketball, as well as volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling. It features a multimillion-dollar, center-court-hung video scoreboard offering the best in modern technology.
The Whiteman Tennis Center is home to men’s and women’s Sun Devil tennis and features eight fully lighted asphalt-based courts, men’s and women’s locker rooms, team areas, coaches’ offices and a state-of-the-art 6,400-square-foot Robson Players Facility.
Dive deeper into Sun Devil Athletics: its sports, student-athletes, coaches and history of success; event seating, ticket and schedule information; Sparky’s Stadium Shop merchandise, prices and promotional offers.
