The Lakers are back!

The athletic program was brought back in response to requests from students who listed athletics as one of their top priorities for the University. In a University-wide survey, students said a sports program would "foster team spirit and pride in attending Roosevelt" and "give students more activities to not only attend but participate in as well."

vintage Lakers tennis

The Lakers are back! (continued)

Roosevelt is reinstating an athletic program that has been dormant for the last 20 years. Intercollegiate competition in various sports date back to 1949 at Roosevelt, but by the 1988-89 academic year only three program's were competing.

vintage Lakers

The Lakers are back! (continued)

Roosevelt, which will renew its old nickname of Lakers, plans to introduce a minimum of 12 varsity teams over the next five years with the first squads competing as early as the fall of 2010. While we look forward to cheering on our new Lakers athletes, we hope you enjoy this look back at some vintage Lakers moments.

vintage Lakers

Roosevelt Athletics Accepted Into NAIA Membership

Lakers set to begin intercollegiate competition in 2010-11

Roosevelt University gained national affiliation for its intercollegiate athletics department on Sunday, April 11, with the announcement that the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Council of Presidents had approved the Lakers' membership application at their annual national convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"This is a great day for Roosevelt University and the future of Lakers Athletics, " said Athletic Director Mike Cassidy. "The NAIA is an association with not only a great membership, but an association with a value system, exemplified through its Champions of Character program, that fits right in line with our mission at Roosevelt. Being members of the NAIA is going to provide a wealth of opportunities for our future student-athletes both on and off the playing field. This is a huge step in the revival of intercollegiate athletics at Roosevelt."

Roosevelt becomes the 296th member of the NAIA and joins an association rooted in the development of student athletes and known as a pioneer in implementing high standards in academics, diversity and character. The NAIA, which was founded in 1937 and has its headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., was the first national athletic organization to allow postseason championship opportunities for black student-athletes, the first to welcome historically black institutions into its membership and later became the first to sponsor athletic championships for women.

Today, the NAIA sponsors 23 championships in 21 sports annually, with those events taking place at venues across the country. The NAIA's Champions of Character is its innovative program aimed at instilling character values in student-athletes, coaches, administrators and the surrounding communities its institutions serve.

Roosevelt was one of six institutions to be welcomed into the NAIA for the upcoming academic term, joining AIB College of Business (Iowa), La Sierra University (Calif.), Lourdes College (Ohio), Marymount College (Calif.), Southwestern Christian University (Okla.).

"On behalf of the NAIA and our member institutions I welcome these six institutions and look forward to a long partnership to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "The NAIA boasts a proud reputation for the role it places on intercollegiate athletics. It is a model recognized as an arena that promotes competitive athletics, academic excellence, and character values simultaneously."

Roosevelt's membership will go into effect on July 1, 2010. The Lakers will begin competition this fall in seven sports, including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's basketball and baseball. Roosevelt will add five more sports over the course of the following two seasons, bringing their eventual sport sponsorship to 12 teams.