Trinity Tigers

Infobox college athletics
name = Trinity Tigers

university = Trinity University (Texas)|Trinity University
conference = SCAC | division = Division III
director = Bob King
city = San Antonio
state = Texas
stateabb = TX
teams = 18
stadium = E.M. Stevens Football Stadium
baseballfield = E.M. Stevens Baseball Field
arena = William H. Bell Athletic Center
mascot = LeeRoy
nickname = Tigers
color1 = Maroon
color2 = White
fightsong = N/A
hex1 = 800000
hex2 = FFFFFF
pageurl = http://www.trinity.edu/departments/athletics/index.htm
pagename = trinity.edu/departments/athletics

The Trinity Tigers is the nickname for the sports teams of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.cite news | url=http://www.trinity.edu/departments/athletics/index.htm | title=Athletics | work=Trinity.edu | publisher=Trinity University | accessdate=2007-10-30] The school mascot is LeeRoy, a Bengal Tiger. In the 1950's, LeeRoy was an actual tiger who was brought to sporting events, [cite news | url=http://trinity.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p3005coll2&CISOPTR=126&CISOBOX=1&REC=12 | title=Lee Roy the Tiger | work=Trinity Digital Collection | publisher=Trinity University | accessdate=2007-10-30] but today LeeRoy is portrayed by a student wearing a tiger suit.

Trinity has historically had a strong tennis program, with both the men's and women's programs winning national championships in 2000. The men's program also won the national championship in 2003. [cite news | url=http://www.scac-online.org/tennis_mens2003/03mtennis_alltourney.pdf | title=TRINITY WINS 10TH CONSECUTIVE TEAM TITLE; DOMINATES ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS | format=PDF | date=May 22003|accessdate=2007-10-30] In recent years, Trinity has reached the national Division III playoffs in several sports, including football, women's basketball (2003 national champions), volleyball, women's cross country, men's and women's track and field and men's and women's soccer (men's team won the national title in 2003 and placed second in 2007). In the past, Trinity was a Division I tennis power, under tennis coach Clarency Mabry, winning the men's NCAA championship in 1972, as well as being runners up in 1970, 1971, 1977 and 1979. The women's team captured the first USLTA women's collegiate championship in 1968 and won several more titles. In the early 1960s the program was home to arguably some of the best tennis players in the world, and bypassed the NCAA tournament to enter Wimbledon. In 1963, Chuck McKinley of Trinity won the Wimbledon men's single title. He was also the runner up in 1961. Other than McKinley, famous tennis players to attend Trinity included Butch Newman, Bob McKinley, Frank Froehling, Dick Stockton, Bill Scanlon and Gretchen Magers.

The Trinity sports program is celebrated for having won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference "Bell Trophy," awarded to the school in the conference that has the best overall sports record for the year, eleven out of the last thirteen years.

Club sports include men's and women's Lacrosse, Water Polo, and Trap and Skeet.

In the 2007 Trinity vs. Millsaps football game on October 27 2007, trailing by two points with two seconds left, the Tigers called a play for a short pass across the middle. The receiver pitched the ball backward, followed by a sequence of additional backward passes, also known as laterals, as players were in danger of being tackled. The "Mississippi Miracle" ultimately included 15 backward passes as it covered 60 yards for a touchdown giving Trinity the win. [cite news| url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA102707.EN.FBCtrinity.millsaps.1b21f550e.html | title=Football: Trinity wins on miracle play | author=Briggs, Jerry | publisher=San Antonio Express News | date=October 27 2007 | accessdate=2007-10-28] [cite news | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3083220&categoryId=2564308 | title=Video of the play | work=ESPN.com | publisher=The Disney Company | accessdate=2007-10-30] [cite news | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/10/28/trinity.lateralapalooza.ap/index.html | title=Lateralapalooza | work=SI.com | publisher=Time Warner|accessdate=2007-10-30] [cite news | url=http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/SPORTS030105/710280359/1085/SPORTS | title=Wild finish - think Cal-Stanford, '82 - beats Majors | author=Christensen, Mike | work=ClarionLedger.com | publisher=Gannett Company | date=October 282007 | accessdate=2007-10-30] [cite news | url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/localcolleges/stories/MYSA102707.EN.FBCtrinity.millsaps.1b21f550e.html | title=Football: Trinity wins on miracle play | author=Briggs, Jerry | work=MySanAntonio.com | publisher=San Antonio Express News] The unlikely play was named the top sports moment of the year by Time Magazine [http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686305_1690598,00.html] as well as the "Game Changing Performance of the Year" by Pontiac [http://www.trinity.edu/departments/athletics/Football/Pontiac_GCPOY.htm] [https://r.espn.go.com/espn/contests/07GameChangingPerformance/index?cmp=ncaavanurl] .

References

External links

* [http://www.trinity.edu Trinity University Website]
* [http://www.trinity.edu/departments/athletics/index.htm Trinity University athletics]
* [http://trinity.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p3005coll2&CISOPTR=126&CISOBOX=1&REC=12 | Lee Roy the Tiger, 1953 photo]