The nickname for the Louisiana–Monroe sports teams are the Warhawks.[2]
Nickname controversy
On January 30, 2006, university president James Cofer announced officially that ULM would be retiring the 75-year-old "Indians" mascot in light of new NCAA restrictions against Indigenous-themed mascots, which the NCAA considers "hostile and abusive" to Native Americans, despite issuing an appeal to the NCAA to keep the name after the NCAA's ruling allowing Florida State to keep their Seminoles nickname.[3][4] This came a few days after a mascot committee voted unanimously in favor of the change. The university accepted suggestions for the new mascot through February 28, 2006. The mascot committee then selected 12 semifinalists.[5]
An online poll, available to students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the public, yielded three semifinalists: "Warhawks," "Bayou Gators" and "Bayou Hawks."[6] The school's mascot committee passed a single recommendation to the university president, who made the final decision. Warhawks was announced as ULM's new mascot on April 5, 2006 and implemented on June 26, 2006.[2] The new nickname honors Maj. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault, an LSU alumnus, and his Air Force unit from World War II, which utilized the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in battle, although the logos primarily use bird imagery.
The baseball team is coached by Mike Federico, and won the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Championship. The team's home field is Warhawk Field. In 2012, the Warhawks won the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament and earned the conference's automatic bid to play in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The ULM Warhawks have won 14 baseball regular season or tournament conference championships.[7]
Women's beach volleyball
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks women's beach volleyball team competes in NCAA Division I beach volleyball in the Sun Belt Conference since 2023.[8] The Warhawks previously were affiliate members of Conference USA (C-USA) from 2021–2022.[9] The program, founded in 2013,[9] competed as an independent until joining the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association for the 2020 season (2019–20 school year).[10]
Men's and women's basketball teams play home games at Fant-Ewing Coliseum, a 7,000-seat on-campus arena that opened in 1971. The largest crowd to watch a men's basketball game at Fant-Ewing Coliseum was 8,044, who watched the Northeast Louisiana Indians play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on January 25, 1979.[15]
The ULM Warhawks have won 19 men's basketball regular season, tournament or divisional conference championships.[7]
The largest crowd to watch a women's basketball game at Fant-Ewing Coliseum was 8,155, who watched the Northeast Louisiana Lady Indians play the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters on February 11, 1985.[15] The ULM Warhawks have won five women's basketball regular season or tournament conference championships.[7]
Men's cross country
The ULM Warhawks have won five men's cross country conference championships.[7]
Women's cross country
The ULM Warhawks have won two women's cross country conference championships.[7]
Men's golf
The ULM Warhawks have won two men's golf conference championships.[7]
Women's golf
Women's soccer
Softball
The ULM Warhawks have won two softball regular season or tournament conference championships.[7]
Women's tennis
The ULM Warhawks have won nine women's tennis regular season or tournament conference championships.[7]
Men's track and field
The ULM Warhawks have won nine men's outdoor track & field conference championships.[7]
Women's track and field
The ULM Warhawks have won four women's outdoor track & field conference championships.[7]
Women's volleyball
Non-varsity sports
Water skiing
The University of Louisiana at Monroe Water Ski Team has been the dominant ski team since the inception of collegiate water ski competition in 1979, capturing 29 National Championship titles over the past 38 years.
Championships
NCAA team championships
As of April 4, 2016, Louisiana Monroe has 1 NCAA team national championship.[16]
The Warhawks have Sun Belt rivalries with every West Division school (Little Rock, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UT Arlington, and Texas State). Their fiercest Sun Belt rivals are Arkansas State Red Wolves and Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.
Football
Football rivalries involving Warhawk sports teams include:
ULM launched the Warhawk Sports Radio Network in 2007. The Network is a series of radio stations that provide access to sporting events throughout Northeast Louisiana. Three Monroe radio stations, KLIP, KMLB and KRJO, provide play by play radio commentary. The full list of participating stations are:
KLIP 105.3 FM in Monroe (Football, Men's basketball)
KMLB 105.7 FM / 540 AM in Monroe (Women's basketball, Baseball)
