The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The Ateneo collegiate men's varsity basketball team was not always called the Blue Eagles. It got the name Blue Eagles when Ateneo adopted the Eagle as its mascot in 1938. Prior to that, from 1914 it was known under different names.
Ateneo has fifteen collegiate men's varsity teams that participate in fifteen sporting events of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, its mother league.
Team identity Team monikers When Ateneo started to participate in intercollegiate sports in 1914, its varsity basketball teams were simply referred to by the school community as the Ateneo Seniors and Ateneo Juniors. They were later dubbed the Blue and Whites by the sports press in the early 1920s when Ateneo joined sports leagues. When Ateneo adopted the Eagle as its mascot in 1938, the college team was given a new name: Blue Eagles. The Ateneo Blue Eagles are sometimes called the Hail Mary Quintet by the sports press. This moniker was given to the Blue Eagles in 1926 when sports press noticed that the team would pray the Hail Mary (as the school’s patroness is the Immaculate Conception) during game time-outs and would win by the skin of their teeth.
Ateneo is one of the four UAAP member schools that participate in all of the fifteen sporting events of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. Until 2020, The Guidon, the school's official student publication, gave specific names to differentiate the various varsity teams. However, beginning with UAAP Season 84 in May 2022, Ateneo de Manila University officially decided to unify student athletes and varsity teams under the "Blue Eagles" moniker moving forward, regardless of sport, gender, or age group.
Former sport–specific monikers SportMenWomenBasketball Blue Eagles Lady Eagles Football Blue Booters Lady BootersVolleyball Blue Spikers Lady EaglesBeach Volleyball Blue Beach Spikers Lady Beach Spikers Baseball Blue Batters Softball Lady Batters Badminton Blue Shuttlers Lady Shuttlers Tennis Blue Netters Lady Netters Table Tennis Blue Paddlers Lady Paddlers Track & Field Blue Tracksters Lady Tracksters Swimming Blue Tankers Lady Tankers Fencing Blue Fencers Lady Fencers Judo Blue Judokas Lady Judokas Taekwondo Blue Jins Lady Jins Chess Blue Woodpushers Lady Woodpushers
Mascot and colors Ateneo has long been involved in intercollegiate sports dating back to 1914. It was a pioneer in Philippine collegiate sports. Ateneo was the first Philippine school to adopt a mascot, and was also the first school to field an organized cheering squad with cheerleaders which was later followed by another first when it introduced a Pep Band to augment the cheerleaders during games.Roman A. Cruz, Jr. "The Ateneo Story." Aegis. 1959
The choice of an eagle as school mascot holds iconic significance. Conferred with the title "the King", the Blue Eagle is a reference to the "high-flying" Ateneo varsity teams which would "swoop down on the foe and sweep up the fields away" as a dominating force in the field of sports. Furthermore, there is some mythological significance to the eagle as a symbol of power.
The school used to have live eagles as pets in the former Padre Faura campus and later on at the Grade School campus in Loyola Heights. A live Philippine eagle would lead the men's varsity basketball team at the start of a game in the NCAA as the team enters the basketball court for their warm-up with the school Band playing the fight song, "Blue Eagle – The King". This tradition that began in the 1960s was replaced in the late 1980s due to wildlife concerns. One of the donors of the eagles was Mayor Dick Gordon straight from his private estate in Olongapo, of which the stuffed eagle has since been displayed at the school Biology laboratory. A mascot was made in its stead. Blue and White, being the colors of the school's patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary, were chosen as the school's colors.
Thus, blue and white are the colors of the uniforms of the varsity teams. Most of the school songs, yells and cheers have the words blue and white.
Athletic associations Collegiate leagues The Ateneo de Manila University is a member of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the premiere sports league in the country. It fields teams in all fifteen sporting events of the league. Ateneo was a founding member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which was established in 1924. It left the NCAA in 1978 due to the league-wide violence prevalent at the time, and then joined the UAAP in the same year.
Other tournaments Aside from the UAAP, the Ateneo Blue Eagles also participate during the UAAP preseason in other sports leagues/tournaments such as the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, V-League, Shakey's Super League, and Ang Liga.
Team sports Basketball
Volleyball The Ateneo Volleyball Program enjoyed a modest success in the NCAA, having won a total of nine championships during a ten-year period from 1967 to 1976. The men's team had two titles and one from the women's, while the juniors team had won six titles. Ateneo dominated NCAA volleyball in the mid-1970s. In the UAAP, Ateneo has won five championships so far since transferring from the NCAA in 1978. These titles were won by the Lady Eagle Spikers in Season 76 (2013–14), Season 77 (2014–15) and Season 81 (2018–19) and by the Blue Eagle Spikers in Season 77 (2014–15), Season 78 (2015–16) and Season 79 (2016–17), finally ending a title drought of more than 30 years in UAAP volleyball.
Championships Men'sReferenceNCAA (2) Season 51 (1975–76) Season 52 (1976–77)UAAP (3) Season 77 (2014–15) Season 78 (2015–16) Season 79 (2016–17) Women's NCAA (1) Season 52 (1976–77) UAAP (3) Season 76 (2013–14) Season 77 (2014–15) Season 81 (2018–19)
Double Championships Men's / Women's Reference NCAA Season (1) Season 52 (1976–77) UAAP Season (1) Season 77 (2014–15)
UAAP Finals Appearances Finals Appearances Men's (5) Season 76 (2013–14) Season 77 (2014–15) Season 78 (2015–16) Season 79 (2016–17) Season 80 (2017–18) Season 74 (2011–12) Season 75 (2012–13) Season 76 (2013–14) Season 77 (2014–15) Season 78 (2015–16) Season 79 (2016–17) Season 81 (2018–19)
The Ateneo Blue Eagles Men's Volleyball Team
The Ateneo Blue Eagles Women's Volleyball Team
Football The Ateneo varsity football teams have won a total 19 championships, 9 in the NCAA and 10 in the UAAP. In the NCAA, the seniors have won 6 titles. The men's team were the first to win a football championship in the NCAA when they won the title on the maiden season of the NCAA in 1924. They also won their first back-to-back (1953 and 1954) championship in the NCAA. In the UAAP, the seniors (men) have won 8 titles. The men's team were three-peat champions after winning in Seasons 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06, a record that still holds today. Football was introduced in the UAAP Juniors Division as a demonstration sport in season 70 (2007–08) and declared a regular sport in season 72 (2009–10). Dov Cariño went on to represent the Philippines national football team in the 2024 ASEAN Championship where he make his debut on 18 December 2024 against Vietnam becoming the first person to played for the national team while still in the team.
Football Championships
Men's NCAA Season (6) 1924–25 1941–42 1951–52 1953–54 1954–55 1967–68
Men's UAAP Season (8) 1995–96 1998–99 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2012–13 2016–17 2018–19
Women's UAAP Season
Notable football players Men's Division Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan Luis "Moro" Lorenzo Edgardo "Ed" Ocampo Jarvey Gayoso Dov Cariño Women's Division Camille Rodriguez Joyce Semacio
Baseball Baseball Championships Men's NCAA Season (2) 1927–28 1965–66 UAAP Season (4) 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2016–17
Notable baseball players Men's Division Ambrosio "Paddy" Padilla Kirk Long Softball Ateneo fielded a women's team when the UAAP Softball Championship was revived in 1994.
UAAP Championships Record The following tables show the rankings history of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP since Season 50, while full statistics are available for Seasons 68 onwards.
Collegiate division Gold border denotes general championship season. Red border denotes host of the season. X – Cancelled * – Did Not Participate - – Not part of UAAP sports calendar Italics – Demonstration sport (no points toward general championship) 1987–1995 When Ateneo first joined the UAAP in 1978, only ten sports were included in the league calendar, including softball which was discontinued from 1985 to 1995. UAAP Season Collegiate Division Overall rank TotalPoints Rank M W M W M W M M M W M M M W - - 50 1st 2nd 5th 5th 51 1st 5th 4th 52 4th 4th 2nd 53 3rd 5th 5th 54 5th 5th 4th 55 5th 6th 6th 56 6th 8th 6th 6th 7th 57 6th 6th 5th 6th 6th
1995–2005 Combat sports including taekwondo, judo, and fencing were introduced throughout the mid-1990s along with the introduction of badminton, women's chess, women's tennis, women's football, and the reintroduction of softball. UAAP Season Collegiate Division Overall rank Total Points Rank M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W - - 58 7th 8th 5th – – 1st 6th 1st – – 59 5th 7th * 6th 6th 4th 8th – 4th – 7th 8th 1st 2nd T5 5th 6th 5th 2nd 2nd 6th 7th 2nd – 131 4th 60 6th 8th * – – 1st 6th 6th 2nd – 61 6th 7th 8th 8th 4th 4th 7th 7th 4th – 8th 8th 4th 3rd 5th 3rd 3rd 3rd 6th 1st 4th 7th 7th – 127 6th 62 3rd 8th 8th – 6th 2nd – 119 7th 63 3rd 8th 8th 1st – 6th 2nd 64 2nd 8th 6th 1st – 6th 3rd 75.5 6th 65 1st 8th 6th 5th 2nd 174 5th 66 2nd 8th 6th 1st 6th 1st 169 6th 67 2nd 2nd 8th 7th 1st 4th 1st 201 4th 2005–present The final UAAP sports were added throughout the new millennium including beach volleyball, poomsae, 3x3 basketball, and blitz chess.