| LIU Sharks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Long Island University |
| Conference | Northeast Conference (primary) Other conferences: |
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletic director | Elliott Charles |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York Brookville, New York |
| Varsity teams | 39 |
| Football stadium | Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Steinberg Wellness Center andBarclays Center |
| Baseball stadium | LIU Baseball Stadium |
| Softball stadium | LIU Softball Complex |
| Soccer stadium | LIU Soccer Park |
| Nickname | Sharks |
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
| Website | www |
 | |
TheLIU Sharks are theathletics teams representingLong Island University's (LIU) campuses inBrooklyn andBrookville, New York.[2] The Sharks compete inNCAA Division I athletics and are members of theNortheast Conference. The LIU Sharks are the result of the July 1, 2019 unification of the athletic departments which had previously represented two separate campuses of LIU, the NCAA Division ILIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and theNCAA Division IILIU Post Pioneers.[3][4]
Following Long Island University's founding in 1926, its sports teams wore blue uniforms and became known as the Blue Devils. After the school's uniforms were changed to black in 1935, aBrooklyn Eagle reporter from the Midwest saw the new look as the basketball team dribbled up and down the court and stated that the team looked like the blackbirds from back home; the comment struck home, and a new nickname was born. During the 1930s and '40s, the basketball team was often called the "Beemen," while they were coached by the legendaryNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach,Clair Bee.[5] LIU Post opened in 1954 as C.W. Post College and began athletic competition in 1956–57.
The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and LIU Post Pioneers combined for 23 national championships (7 team, 16 individual), 215 conference titles, and 362 All-Americans.[6]
On October 3, 2018, Long Island University announced that it was unifying the athletic programs of its two campuses into one Division I program, effective with the 2019–20 academic year. The unified LIU program continues to sponsor all varsity sports that either campus sponsored before the merger.[7] The new program's nickname of Sharks was announced on May 15, 2019.[8]
The LIU Sharks inherited the athletic legacy of the Brooklyn campus, including its membership in theNortheast Conference.[9][10] The Division II LIU Post teams for sports that had not been sponsored by LIU Brooklyn immediately moved to Division I without the usual transition period for an institution moving to a different division. Teams for sports sponsored by both campuses were merged. LIU added two completely new women's sports effective in 2019–20. Shortly before the athletic merger was announced, LIU Brooklyn announced that it would add women's ice hockey and shortly after the merger announcement, LIU announced it would add women's water polo, placing that sport in theMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference.[11][12]
The university incorporated athletic facilities on both theBrooklyn andBrookville campuses with basketball, bowling, fencing, ice hockey, swimming, track and field (indoor & outdoor), volleyball, and water polo based out of the Brooklyn campus while baseball, cross country, esports, equestrian, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, tennis, and wrestling operating from the Brookville campus.[13]
In 2025, the LIU spirit squads won their third consecutive national title at theUCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships. Their win came in theOpen Spirit Program Game Day category.[14][15]
Long Island University fields 35 teams that compete in 14 men's and 20 women's sports and 1 co-ed e-sports team.[2] Most teams compete in theNortheast Conference (NEC). Affiliations outside the Northeast Conference are as follows:
|
| 
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
* Both competing as LIU Post Pioneers.
The LIU Spirit Program earned its third consecutive National Title after winning the Open Spirit Program Game Day Championship in Orlando, Fla.
Open Spirit Program Game Day (Cheer and Dance): Long Island University
| Academics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities | |||||||
| Athletics |
| ||||||
| Media | |||||||
| Related | |||||||
.jpg)
