Melvin Bland was the first CSU student athlete to gainNAIAAll-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Tyrone Everhart also was a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American wrestler the same year. Fred Evans as a sophomore became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975.[5] The Chicago State University Ice Hockey Team produced 2 NCAA Division 2 All-Americans in the 1975–76 season. George Hansen andBob Janecyk were selected in 1975–76 to the NCAA (College Division) West All-American Team. Janecyk was selected two more times designated as an NCAA (College Division) West All-American Teamgoaltender for CSU in 1976–77 and 1977–78. He went on to play for theChicago Blackhawks of theNational Hockey League.[6] The first NAIA District #20 Championship Team in any sport was the 1975 wrestling team, which captured the NAIA District #20 Championship coached by Dr. James G. Pappas. The Cougar Wrestling Team also won District #20 titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980.
In 1984, the CSU Men's Basketball Team captured third place at the NAIA National Championships.[7] The team's performance throughout the tournament was as follows:
In 2024, the Women's Tennis Team earned a share of the Horizon League regular season championship and won the conference tournament. The team's performance throughout the tournament was as follows:
This was the first time in school history that any Chicago State team won the conference championship and qualified for a first round NCAA appearance, losing toMichigan in said round.[8]
Chicago State joined theWestern Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013 as part of a six-university expansion.[3] Along with theUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC), it was to have anchored the circuit's Midwest division. UMKC left the conference in 2020 and Chicago State announced on January 14, 2021 that it would do likewise on June 30, 2022.[4]
Chicago State is being integrated intoNortheast Conference (NEC) athletic schedules beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Cougars will gain immediate eligibility to participate in all NEC championships and earn the conference's automatic qualifier to NCAA Championships.[9] This comes after theMEAC presidents voted against adding Chicago State to the conference.[10]
† = Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.
With the school's current financial situation and the needs of the athletic program, in April 2016, the University Budget Committee recommended that the Athletic Department "... study the benefits of being Division 1 or another division."[11] Chicago State University currently sponsors teams in seven men's and nine women's teams inNCAA sanctioned sports.[12]
In 2023, CSU began a fundraising campaign to expand its sports offerings, including the potential addition ofDivision I FCS football. The first sport added as a result of this campaign was women's triathlon, part of theNCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, in 2024–25.[13] On February 11, 2025, CSU announced it had begun a search for its first head football coach,[14] ultimately hiringBobby Rome II that April.[15] The first season is expected to be in 2026.[16]
Willye White, first American track and field athlete to take part in five Olympics, competing on the1956,1960,1964,1968, and1972 teams respectively. She graduated from CSU in 1976 with a degree in public health administration.[28]
