Evansville, Indiana is the home to two minor league professional sports teams and one amateur sports team. The city is also the home to two NCAA collegiate teams, and nine high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Evansville is also the host to the annual Hoosier Nationals and Demolition City Roller Derby.
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville Otters | Frontier League | Baseball | Bosse Field | 1995 | 2 league titles • 5 division titles | |
| Evansville Thunderbolts | SPHL | Ice hockey | Ford Center | 2016 | None | |
| Midwest Hooligans | UPSL | Soccer | Double Cola Soccer Complex | 2021 | None |
See main article: Evansville Otters. The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville. The team is part of the west division of the Frontier League. The Otters have won two league titles (2006, 2016) and five division titles (1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006) since their inception in 1995. The team plays at Bosse Field, which has been used for professional baseball since it opened in 1915 and is the third oldest ballpark used for professional baseball on a regular basis in America. The Otters were previously known as the Lancaster Scouts (1993–1994).
See main article: Evansville Thunderbolts. The Evansville Thunderbolts are a professional ice hockey team based in Evansville. The team is part of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Thunderbolts' home arena is the Ford Center where they play all 28 of their home games. The Thunderbolts replaced the ECHL's Evansville IceMen after the IceMen's owner, Ron Geary, and the city of Evansville failed to come to an agreement for a new lease at the Ford Center during the 2015–16 season.[1]
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition City Roller Derby | WFTDA | Roller derby | Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum | 2007 | None | |
| Evansville Legends FC | OVPL | Soccer | Old National Bank Field | 2021 | OVPL title (2021) |
Demolition City Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Evansville, Indiana and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. They compete at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum.
The Dynamite Dolls are the A-team for the Demolition City Roller Derby.
The Destruction Dames are the B-team for the Demolition City Roller Derby.
The Evansville Legends FC are an amateur soccer team that was formed in 2021 by Marquette soccer alumnus Steve McCullough. The Legends compete in the River Conference of the Ohio Valley Premier League and play home games at Old National Bank Field at Goebel Sports Complex.
Evansville has two universities that are members of the NCAA: the University of Evansville (Purple Aces) and University of Southern Indiana (Screaming Eagles). These schools have a combined 9 team national championships.
| School | Team | Established | Division | Conference | National Titles | Championship Sport/Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Evansville | Evansville Purple Aces | 1854 | Div I | MVC | 5 | Men's Basketball: (5) 1959,* 1960,* 1964,* 1965,* and 1971* | |
| University of Southern Indiana | Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles | 1965 | Div I | OVC | 4 | Men's Basketball: (1) 1995* Baseball: (2) 2010,* 2014* Softball: (1) 2018* |
The University of Evansville (UE) is a member of NCAA Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference. UE has 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports, eight for women and six for men.
The University of Evansville athletics department was built upon a foundation of success in men's basketball, including NCAA College Division (now Division II) national championships in 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1971. The team was led by legendary coach Arad McCutchan from 1946 to 1977 who led the Purple Aces to a 515–313 record. In 1977 UE began playing in NCAA Division I athletics.
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) Athletic Department, currently in NCAA Division I as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. USI sponsors 15 varsity intercollegiate sports. USI was a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference of the NCAA Division II from 1970 to 2022, switching to the Division I Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.
Since 1990, all 15 Screaming Eagles teams have participated in their respective national tournaments and/or were ranked at the national level. USI has claimed four national championships (men's basketball, 1995; baseball, 2010 and 2014; softball, 2018), finished three times as the national finalist (men's basketball, 1994 and 2004; women's basketball, 1997), and earned one third-place finish (men's cross country, 1982).
Evansville has had a long history with professional sports teams. Past professional organizations have included the NFL, Triple-A minor league baseball, arena football, minor league ice hockey, and professional basketball. Past Evansville major league, minor league, and semi-professional teams have won a combined 17 championships.
| Team | Sport | League | Played | Venue | Class | Affiliation | Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | Baseball | Northwestern League | 1884 | Louisiana Street Park | None | None | None | |
| Evansville Hoosiers | Baseball | CIL | 1889 | Louisiana Street Park | None | None | None | |
| Evansville | Baseball | Two-I League | 1892 | Louisiana Street Park | None | None | None | |
| Evansville Blackbirds | Baseball | Southern League | 1895 | Louisiana Street Park | None | None | None | |
| Evansville River Rats | Baseball | Three-I LeagueCentral League | 1901-1910 | Louisiana Street Park | B | None | Central League title (1908) | |
| Evansville Strikers | Baseball | Central League | 1911 | Louisiana Street Park | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Yankees | Baseball | KITTY League | 1912 | Louisiana Street Park | D | None | None | |
| Evansville River Rats | Baseball | Central League | 1914–1915 | Bosse Field | B | None | Central League title (1915) | |
| Evansville Evas | Baseball | Central League | 1916–1917 | Bosse Field | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Black Sox | Baseball | Three-I League | 1919 | Bosse Field | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Evas | Baseball | Three-I League | 1920–1923 | Bosse Field | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Little Evas | Baseball | Three-I League | 1924 | Bosse Field | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Pocketeers | Baseball | Three-I League | 1925 | Bosse Field | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Hubs | Baseball | Three-I League | 1926–1931 | Bosse Field | B | None | None | |
| Evansville Bees | Baseball | Three-I League | 1938–1942 | Bosse Field | B | Boston Bees (1938–1940)Boston Braves (1940–1942) | None | |
| Evansville Braves | Baseball | Three-I League | 1946–1957 | Bosse Field | B | Boston BravesMilwaukee Braves | Three-I League title (1946, 1948, 1956, 1957) | |
| Baseball | Southern League | 1966–1968 | Bosse Field | AA | Chicago White Sox | None | ||
| Evansville Triplets | Baseball | AA | 1970–1984 | Bosse Field | AAA | Minnesota Twins (1970)Milwaukee Brewers (1971-1973)Detroit Tigers (1974–84) | AA title (1972, 1975, 1979) | |
| Evansville Outlaws | Baseball | NSPBA | 1990–2007 | Various | Semi-pro | N/A | US Baseball Congress Semi-Pro World Series Champions (1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007) |
| Team | Sport | League | Played | Venue | Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville Crimson Giants | Football | NFL | 1921–1922 | Bosse Field | None | |
| Evansville Vipers | Football | OVFL (2000–2006)MCFL (2006–2007) | 2000–2007 | Old National Bank Field | None | |
| Evansville BlueCats | Indoor football | NIFL (2003–2005)UIF (2005–2007) | 2003–2007 | Roberts Municipal Stadium | None | |
| Evansville Express | Football | NWFA | 2004– 2005 | Old National Bank Field | None | |
| Tri-State Titans | Football | MOFL | 2008–2009 | Old National Bank Field | None | |
| Ohio River Bearcats | Football | GMFL | 2008–2010 | Reitz Bowl | GMFL title (2008) | |
| Evansville Enforcers | Football | GMFL | 2011-2016 | Various | None |
| Team | Sport | League | Played | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville Agogans | Basketball | NPBL | 1950–1951 | Central Arena | |
| Evansville Thunder | Basketball | CAB | 1984–1986 | Roberts Municipal Stadium |
From 1957 to 1975, Evansville hosted the final phase of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament, the Elite Eight, at Roberts Municipal Stadium, and then again in 2002. The city is also slated to host the event at the Ford Center in 2014. From 1999 to 2007, Roberts Stadium hosted the Great Lakes Valley Conference basketball tournaments, and in 2013 and 2014 the same event was held at the Ford Center. Since 2018, Ford Center has hosted the Ohio Valley Conference men's and women's tournaments.
A number of Division I NCAA events have been hosted by the city as well. In 1983, Roberts Stadium hosted the first round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, and in 1980 and 1983 it hosted the Midwestern City Conference (now Horizon League) men's basketball conference tournament.
See main article: Thunder on the Ohio. From 1938 to 1940 and 1979 to 2009, Evansville hosted Thunder on the Ohio, a hydroplane boat race in the H1 Unlimited season. The race was held on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. The winner of Thunder on the Ohio received the Four Freedoms Trophy, which was named after the nearby Four Freedoms Monument which rests along the Ohio River. The race had frequently been broadcast on ESPN and the SPEED television network.
Thunder on the Ohio had been an Unlimited hydroplane mainstay for 30 consecutive years. "Ideal Evansville" replaced Owensboro, Kentucky, on the unlimited calendar in 1979. Evansville was the world headquarters of Atlas Van Lines, Inc., which sponsored Bill Muncey's race team. Muncey played a major role in Evansville being awarded its first sanction.
Prior to Thunder on the Ohio, the 725 Cubic Inch Class boats, the forerunners of the modern unlimiteds, raced at Evansville from 1938 through 1940. Dave Villwock had won more Evansville races than anyone else, including seven with Miss Budweiser.
Hydroplane racing returned to Evansville in 2017, with the introduction of the Evansville Hydrofest, an American Power Boat Association event.[2]
See main article: Refrigerator Bowl. From 1948 to 1956, Evanville hosted the annual college football Refrigerator Bowl. Currently, Evansville is the only city in Indiana to have hosted a college football bowl game.
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 4, 1948 | Evansville College | 13 | 7 | [3] [4] | ||
| December 3, 1949 | Evansville College | 22 | 7 | [5] [6] | ||
| December 2, 1950 | Abilene Christian College | 14 | 7 | [7] | ||
| December 2, 1951 | Arkansas State College | 46 | Camp Breckinridge | 12 | [8] | |
| December 7, 1952 | Western Kentucky State College | 34 | Arkansas State College | 19 | [9] [10] | |
| December 6, 1953 | Sam Houston State Teachers College | 14 | 12 | [11] | ||
| December 5, 1954 | University of Delaware | 19 | 7 | [12] [13] | ||
| December 4, 1955 | Jacksonville State Teachers College | 12 | 10 | [14] | ||
| December 1, 1956 | Sam Houston State Teachers College | 27 | 13 | [15] | ||
Evansville has a proud high school sport heritage, including 88 team championships. Evansville has nine active city high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The 88 team titles won by Evansville city high schools includes 26 soccer titles, 17 football titles, 13 wrestling titles, 9 basketball titles, 6 tennis titles, 9 golf titles, 5 baseball titles, 2 softball titles, and 1 bowling title. Defunct IHSAA high schools from Evansville that are no longer active include Evansville Rex Mundi and Evansville Lincoln.
| School | Established | Conference | State Team Titles | Championship Sport/Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville Bosse | 1924 | SIAC | 3 | Boys Basketball: (3) 1943–44, 1944–45, 1961–62 |
| Evansville Central | 1854 | SIAC | 0 | |
| Evansville Day School | 1946 | IHSAA-independent | 0 | |
| Evansville Harrison | 1962 | SIAC | 2 | Girls Golf: (1) 1988–89 Boys Golf: (1) 2011–12 |
| Evansville Mater Dei | 1949 | SIAC | 23 | Baseball: (1) 1998–99 Softball: (1) 2015–16 Boys Basketball: (1) 2003–04 Girls Basketball: (2) 2011–12, 2012–13 Football:(2) 2000–01, 2022–23 Wrestling: (13) 1985–86, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2020–21 Girls Soccer: (3) 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 |
| Evansville Memorial | 1922 | SIAC | 38 | Baseball: (3) 1977–79, 1988–89, 1992–93 Football: (4) 1937–38*, 1958–59*, 2017–18, 2019–20 Boys Soccer: (16) 1979–80*, 1980–81*, 1981–82*, 1983–84*, 1984–85*, 1986–87*, 1988–89*, 1989–90*, 1990–91*, 1992–93*, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21 Girls Soccer: (7) 1988–89*, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23 Softball: (1) 2001–02 Girls Tennis: (6) 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2011–12 Girls Basketball: (1) 2010–11 |
| Evansville North | 1956 | SIAC | 9 | Baseball: (1) 1961–62* Boys Basketball: (1) 1966–67 Boys Golf: (1) 1999-00 Girls Golf: (6) 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 |
| Evansville Reitz | 1918 | SIAC | 13 | Girls Basketball: (1) 1980–81 Football: (11) 1933–34*, 1940–41*, 1948–49*, 1953–54*, 1956–57*, 1957–58*, 1960–61*, 1961–62*, 1971–72*, 2007–08, 2009–10 Bowling: (1) 2011-12+ |
| Evansville Signature | 2002 | IHSAA-independent | 0 | None |
+ = indicates sanctioned by the Indiana High School Bowling Association