Washburn University Athletics: A Legacy of Excellence
Introduction
Washburn University, located in Topeka, Kansas, boasts a rich and storied athletic history. Competing as the Ichabods in the NCAA Division II, primarily within the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 1989-90 academic year, Washburn fields 17 sports for men and women. These include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball. This article delves into the history, achievements, and the unique identity that defines Washburn University Athletics.
The Origin of the Ichabod Mascot
Washburn University and its Ichabods are named for Ichabod Washburn, an early benefactor of the school. The real Ichabod Washburn worked his way from indentured apprentice to captain of industry. He was born in Kingston, Mass. on Aug. 11, 1798 to a sea captain and homemaker whose ancestors were passengers on the Mayflower. Because his father died when he was an infant and his mother couldn’t provide for him, young Washburn was sent to be an apprentice before the age of 9. He first learned to make leather horse harnesses in Duxbury, Mass. Later he apprenticed with blacksmiths in Leicester and Auburn, Mass. His final apprenticeship concluded on his 20th birthday. Washburn then set out on his own making ploughs and then moving to Worcester to work alongside a machine-making blacksmith. There he made lead pipe and later woolen machines. He bought out his partner in that venture, William H. Howard, and went to work for himself for the second time.
By 1831, Washburn had developed a machine and technique that improved the quality of wire and increased the efficiency of its production. Ultimately, the innovation would lead to his fortune, and some called him a father of the industry. His company, Washburn and Moen Wire Works, included his twin brother Charles and then his son-in-law Philip Moen and nephew Charles Francis as partners. For a time, it was the largest wire producer in the world. In 1847 Washburn developed a process to make stronger piano wire and crinoline wire more quickly and was the only domestic producer of piano wire. Crinoline wire quickly became an affordable alternative to whale bone in hoop skirts, which peaked in popularity during the 1850s and ’60s. Washburn and Moen later secured a patent for and mass produced barbed wire that fenced the homesteads of the American West. In 1899, the company Washburn founded was acquired by American Steel and Wire Co., which ultimately became a division of US Steel in 1901.
Washburn wasn’t just a business man. He was a deacon in the Congregationalist Church, an abolitionist and a philanthropist. And he was a family man. Washburn married Ann Brown Washburn, who was the daughter of the woman he rented a room from. They had one son who lived only a few days and two daughters, Eliza Ann (who was married to Philip Moen and had a daughter named Annie), and Lucy Pamelia. Washburn outlived them all and later married Elizabeth Bancroft Cheever Washburn. He was against alcohol and is said to be the only homeowner in Worcester, Mass. in the 1820s who opted to pay higher wages for the construction of his home rather than supplementing the wage with whiskey, as was the custom. He served one year in the Massachusetts General Court (what is now the State Legislature) and was treasurer of the Church Anti-Slavery Society, raising the funds to produce a pamphlet that explained the teachings of the Bible against slavery. He was also very involved in the Freedman’s Aid Society and wrote to Congress pushing for Emancipation. He gave money to several causes, chief among them education, churches and health care.
Washburn’s personal experience led him, with two other men, to establish a technical school in Worcester known today as Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He believed all people deserved the right to formal education, rather than indentured apprenticeship, and that the right to education extended to women and people of color. Washburn donated what would have been the inheritance of his two daughters to establish Memorial Hospital in Worcester. Both girls died while in their 20s. In October 1868, Horatio Q. Butterfield, a professor and fundraiser for Lincoln College, made a trip to New England to try to save the financially struggling institution. The school was founded by the Congregational Church in 1865 and admitted women and African Americans from its inception. Washburn pledged $25,000 to the cause. One month later, Butterfield recommended that the single-building institution be renamed Washburn College in recognition of the pledge. Washburn died Dec. 30, 1868 after complications from a stroke. He never traveled to Kansas to see the school.
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That year The Kaw ran a contest seeking designs to represent the Ichabods. While some pressed for an animal rather than a human figure, the decision was made to represent all facets of the University with a single image. Thompson, modeled his Ichabod after the real Ichabod Washburn and said he intended him to represent several key characteristics: courage, courtesy, kindness and studiousness. Thompson wrote in the Kaw at the time: “He has courage and enthusiasm, as shown by his brisk walk. He is democratic and courteous, for he tips his hat as he passes. Sincere in his search for truth and knowledge, he studiously carries a book under his arm. His friendly smile makes you like him.
Over the years, the Ichabod has adapted well. The 1939 Kaw, for example, showed him at the beach, playing the flute, swinging golf clubs and surrounded by dreamy-eyed women. In 1943, also in The Kaw, he dons an army soldier’s uniform. 1958, Ichabod was pictured in The Kaw sitting on top of the world holding a scrolled paper with the other hand on his chin to represent seniors and holding a hooked cane in one hand and a brief case in the other to represent the Law School. He’s been pictured in a striped suit, with is coat tails down, rather than trailing behind his quick walk, and even more cartoon-like with a bigger nose and thicker glasses. He’s been dressed as Santa Claus, a skier, even in lederhosen to represent the University’s German Club.
In 1990, to celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary, Bradbury Thompson updated his original Ichabod slightly. With the hand that had tipped his hat, that Ichabod held a Washburn 125 flag with a forward-looking bird perched atop of the pole. The bird, Thompson wrote, was meant to represent the University’s coat of arms, which was that of Ichabod Washburn’s ancestors in England. The largest departure from the traditional Ichabod image came in the late 1970s and ’80s when the athletic department aimed to toughen him up. A 1976 Football program, for example, features Ichabod wearing boxing gloves along with his coat and hat. A few years later, Beverly Torbert, executive director of graphic arts for the university, designed “Fighting Ichabod,” which was used until the late 1980s. The muscle-man wears a hat, tie and glasses but he’s lost the coat and is rolling up his sleeves. He was also featured in a top hat, bow tie and football uniform.
The Ichabod’s likeness has been sold to students, staff and alumni to benefit the University as well. In 1948, metal “Mr. Ichabod” emblems that could be attached to a bicycle or automobile were sold by the Independent Women’s Alumni group for $1.10 each to raise money for the Memorial Union. The building opened in 1951. In 1995, nine-inch bronze castings of the statue now on campus were sold for $1,230.31 - with $700 going directly to the Washburn Foundation. Ichabod bobble head dolls have been produced and today, a stuffed Ichabod is available at the Bookstore in the Memorial Union. Washburn’s unique mascot has been recognized as among the “weirdest” in America. Just as it was in 1938, The Ichabod is a symbol intended to represent courage, character, kindness and scholarship. The mission of the Ichabod Mascot Program is to support Washburn University initiatives and to uphold the university’s mission statement and goals. We do this by promoting Washburn University spirit, encouraging student involvement on campus, and engaging in the community.
A Commitment to Academic Excellence
Even more impressive than wins in a game or match is the academic success of Washburn’s more than 500 student-athletes. Their combined GPA tops 3.39, with nearly 75% of all athletes earning a spot on the academic honor roll. The athletic department's cumulative GPA was 3.39 for the academic year, matching the previous year's average. A total of 296 student athletes made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll (3.0 or better GPA) and 24 received the MIAA Academic Excellence Award for having a 4.0 GPA.
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"Our student-athletes excel on the field or court as well as in the classroom,” said Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek, president, Washburn University. “Excelling in academics while competing at a high level in athletics is truly exceptional.
Amid all the success on the fields and courts, Loren Ferré remains ever mindful that Washburn is an academic institution, and for that reason, he values accomplishments in the classroom more than anything. “The MIAA Cup and Learfield Cup put a quantifiable number on the kind of winning culture we've created on the courts and fields," Ferré said, “but that GPA number is what it's all about and why our student-athletes are at a higher learning institution like Washburn in the first place. So grades that are on the rise will always be the greatest indicator of success in my eyes."
Recent Athletic Achievements
Washburn Athletics is coming off its most successful year in university history. Additional departmental achievements include several conference championships and program firsts. Women’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Tennis and Men’s Basketball all won MIAA titles, while several other programs reached new milestones. Men’s and Women’s Track and Field notched their highest ever finish at the conference championships, placing 2nd. The women's tennis team won the MIAA regular season championship last year and finished 17th in the NCAA tournament.
The argument could have been made that the season was the best in Washburn athletic department history. In 2024-25, there was no debate. The Ichabods had their highest ranking ever in the Learfield Directors' Cup, finishing 15th, 10 spots higher than a year ago. Washburn also finished second in the final MIAA Commissioner's Cup standings, also the highest in school history.
In the Learfield Directors' Cup, points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA postseason championships. Leading the way for Washburn was men's tennis, which finished as national runner-up for 90 points, and men's basketball, which made the national semifinals for 83 points.
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“Sending two teams that far shows how high the ceiling is for Washburn athletics," said Loren Ferré, director of athletics. “In Topeka, we've seen many of our teams put the pieces in place for that type of success over the years. But then, when both men's basketball and men's tennis advance deep into the NCAA tournament in the same year, that attracts national attention, and in turn, helps attract future recruits that help make that success sustainable."
Those two teams may have been the headliners, but the athletic department's depth also helped set it apart. Soccer and women's tennis joined men's basketball and men's tennis as MIAA conference champions. Men's and women's track and field established themselves as contenders. Even the department's newest program, women's golf, was able to score points in the Directors' Cup standings in its first year of existence.
“I'm glad to have an athletic program that's growing in terms of adding new teams and opportunities for more student-athletes," Ferré said, “but also growing from a success perspective, in the wins column and in postseason runs."
Washburn trailed only Pittsburg State in the MIAA Commissioner's Cup standings. The Ichabod athletic program has improved each of the past four years, finishing sixth in the MIAA in 2021-22, then moving up to fifth, fourth and second last season.
In the Directors' Cup, Washburn finished 21st in 2021, which was a school-best at the time, then 25th in 2024 before this year's record-breaking showing.
“We're building something special here and seeing the rewards of that work in real time," Ferré said. “The commitment to athletics at this university, be it through facility improvements or major contributions from donors, shows Washburn is a place where student-athletes will be supported and given the resources they need to succeed."
Men's Basketball: A Detailed Look
The Washburn Ichabods men's basketball team represents Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, in the NCAA Division II men's basketball competition. The team is currently coached by Brett Ballard, who is in his eighth year at the helm. Ballard replaced Bob Chipman, who retired after the 2016-17 season. The Ichabods currently compete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Washburn annually plays a thirty-game conference schedule that is preceded by an out-of-conference schedule that includes three exhibition games.
Beginning with the 1905-06 season, the program's first, Harry C. Byrd was chosen to lead the program. In his first four seasons as head coach, Byrd led the Ichabods to winning records and a total of 31-20. In 1909-10 season, Byrd led the Ichabods their first conference championship.
In 1921, Dwight Ream took over the program for one season. After Ream left with an 8-9 record, Mike Vosburg took over for the 1922-23 season. Vosburg left with a 7-11 record. After two years with two different coaches, McPherson College coach, Dutch Lonborg, became head coach. From 1923 to 1927, Lonborg led the Ichabods to a 61-14-1 record, producing the second, and last, of the team's two ties as well as winning two conference regular season championships.
When Lonborg left after the 1926-27 season, Washburn entered a new era: Roy Wynne was named head coach, and the school joined the newly created Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. During Wynne's three seasons as head coach, he produced a 29-22 record. Following Wynne's departure, McPherson's football coach, George Gardner, took over. Coaching for three seasons and a total record of 19-28, Gardner was fired and was replaced by Elmer Holm. Holm's first season was a losing season and the last year in the CIAC. In 1934, Washburn moved joined the Missouri Valley Conference. Holm led the team for two more seasons, ending with a record of 21-36.
For the next thirty years after World War II, the Washburn saw five coaches come and go, with the addition of an interim for three games. In 1946, Washburn rejoined the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after competing in the Missouri Valley for nine seasons and no conference for three during the war. After the war, Washburn hired Topeka High School basketball coach Adrian Miller, for would coach for five seasons. Before Miller took the helm of the team, Washburn went nearly 20 years without a winning season and although Miller went 8-11 overall in his first season, Miller quickly turned the team around in 1947-48 going 15-9. For the next three seasons, Miller led the Ichabods to 10 wins or more.
In 1960, Norm Short took over for the Ichabods for the next six seasons, leading the team to a 46-74 record, with only one winning season. In 1979, Washburn assistant head coach Bob Chipman took over the program. During his first five years as head coach, Chipman led the Ichabods to a 105-46 overall record, winning three MIAA tournament championships from 1982 through 1984.
The Early Days of Washburn University
Washburn was founded as Lincoln College, a private Congregational school, on February 6, 1865. Since few young people had a high school education at that time, the founders decided to offer a three year high school curriculum in addition to the college curriculum. Classes began January 3, 1866 with 38 high school students enrolled, including one African-American student. The stage was set and the first two college students enrolled in Lincoln College in the fall of 1866. The economy immediately following the Civil War made it difficult to raise money, so the fledgling college struggled to keep its doors open. The Board appointed Rev. Horatio Q.
Washburn College operated for years before formal athletic teams were formed in the late 1800s.
Washburn's National Championship
Washburn claims one national championship. Washburn won five straight games to claim the 1925 AAU National Championship, becoming the fourth school to claim an AAU title (joining Utah (1916), N.Y.U. (1920), and Butler (1924). They defeated St. Phillips Athletic Club, 34-11, in the final.
Football Through the Years
Washburn began playing Football in 1891 with a record of 1 win and 4 losses. In 1907, under Garfield Weede the team completed a perfect season of 8 wins and 0 losses to be declared champions of the Kansas Conference, forerunner to the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Former coaches at Washburn include John H. Lee Wykoff - St.
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