The Western Carolina Catamounts are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Western Carolina University. The Catamounts compete in the NCAA Division I as members of the Southern Conference. Western Carolina fields 16 varsity sports teams.
Nickname The nickname Catamount derives from cats of the catamount variety, including the bobcat, that roams the southern Appalachian Mountains where the school is located. The nickname evolved from a contest that was held on campus in 1933. The school was called Western Carolina Teachers College at that time and its teams were known as "the Teachers". Everyone on campus was invited to participate, and the usual names were suggested: Bears, Indians, Panthers. However, the college wanted an unusual name; a name that few others had and that everyone would not copy. The contest came down to Mountain Boomers, a small ground squirrel that scampers about the woods and is extremely difficult to catch, and Catamounts. Catamounts was the favorite of head football coach C.C. Poindexter and was the nickname chosen. Poindexter wanted his players to be Catamounts with "fierce spirit, savage attacks, and lightning quick moves." Paws the Catamount is the official mascot of Western Carolina University. He appears at numerous events and functions across western North Carolina.
Western Carolina is the only football-playing school in the United States that uses the nickname Catamounts. The University of Vermont is the only other school with the moniker.
Sports sponsored A member of the Southern Conference, Western Carolina sponsors teams in 6 men's and 8 women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
Men's sports Women's sports Baseball Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Golf Football Soccer Golf Softball Track and field Tennis Track and field Volleyball
Baseball Head Coach: Alan Beck Stadium: Ronnie G. Childress Field at Hennon Stadium Southern Conference Championships: 23 (13 regular season; 10 tournament) NCAA Tournament Appearances: 12 (14–24 overall record) MLB Alumni: 10
The Catamounts baseball team has reached the NCAA tournament 12 times, including five straight years from 1985 to 1989, three straight years from 1992 to 1994, and four other times in 1997, 2003, 2007, and 2016. They have made it to the Regional Finals three times in 1992, 2003, and 2007.
Men's basketball
Head Coach: Tim Craft Arena: Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center Southern Conference Championships: 1 (1996) Southern Conference Division Titles: 3 (South, 1996; co-North, 2009 & 2011) NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1996) NBA Alumni: 5
The Catamounts men's basketball team reached the NCAA tournament in 1996, where they dropped their only game against No.1 seed Purdue, 73–71. Western Carolina nearly became the first No.16 seed to beat a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament, missing two shots in the final 11 seconds to tie the game.
Women's basketball
Head Coach: Kiley Hill Arena: Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center Southern Conference Championships: 2 (2005, 2009) NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (2005, 2009)
The Catamounts women's basketball team reached the NCAA tournament in 2005 and again in 2009 under the leadership of Kellie Harper, who went on to be the head coach for N.C. State and Tennessee. Western Carolina played West Chester in the first women's basketball national title game in 1969, dropping the game 65–39 to top seed and host West Chester.
Football
Head Coach: Kerwin Bell Stadium: Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium FCS Playoff Appearances: 1 (1983) Playoff Record: 3–1 National Championship Appearances: 1 (1983) NFL Alumni: 15
The Catamounts football team made it to the Division I-AA championship game in 1983, falling to No. 1 seed Southern Illinois. On their way to the championship, Western Carolina upset No. 2 seed Holy Cross and No. 3 seed Furman.
Southern Conference championships Baseball Regular Season: 13 (1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2013, 2014)
Tournament: 10 (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2003, 2016)
Men's basketball Division: 3 (South, 1996; co-North, 2009 & 2011)
Tournament: 1 (1996)
Women's basketball Tournament: 2 (2005, 2009)
Softball Regular Season: 1 (2006)
Volleyball Regular Season: 4 (1983, 1985, 1986, 1989)
Tournament: 3 (1983, 1985, 1986)
Women's soccer Regular Season: 2 (2001, 2023)
Tournament: 3 (2005, 2009, 2023)
Men's track and field Indoor 1999 2004 2006 2008 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Outdoor 1999 2006 2007 2009 2013 2016 2017 2018 2019
Women's track and field Indoor 1996 1997 1999 2000 2008 2010 2013 2014 2015
Outdoor 1997 1999 2000 2001 2008 2010 2013 2015 2016 2018
Facilities Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium: Whitmire Stadium is the 13,742-seat home of the football team. Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center: The Ramsey Center (often called "The RAC" or "The RACC") is home to the men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams. The building was named for Liston B. Ramsey, former speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and longtime representative of the 52nd House District that includes Haywood, Madison, Swain, Graham and Jackson counties. The Ramsey Center was completed in April 1986 and seats 7,826 for basketball and was built at a cost of $16.3 million. In addition to housing the athletic department's administrative offices, coaches’ offices, team locker rooms, and meeting facilities, it also contains an auxiliary gymnasium, handball and racquetball courts, a communications center, a firing range and weight rooms. Designed to accommodate cultural, entertainment, recreational, and athletic events, the Ramsey Center can seat up to 8,556 for major concerts. Ronnie G. Childress Field at Hennon Stadium: Hennon Stadium is the 1,500-seat home of the Western Carolina Catamounts baseball team. The baseball field's dimensions are 325 feet down each line, 375 feet to the right and left center power alleys and 390 feet to straight away center field. The "Purple Monster" in left field is 100 feet long and is divided into two 50-foot levels. The first and tallest level is 20 feet high and the second level is 14 feet tall. A new clubhouse on the first-base side and stadium seating design are planned for the upcoming seasons.2008 Western Carolina Catamounts Baseball Media Guide pp. 61 Catamount Athletic Complex: The Catamount Athletic Complex is a 1,000-seat sports complex for the track and field, soccer, and tennis programs. Catamount Softball Complex: The Catamount Softball Complex is the 250-seat home of the softball team.
Hall of Fame The university established an athletic hall of fame in 1990. The hall of fame honors those athletes, coaches, and people whose outstanding contributions have enriched the athletic programs of Western Carolina University.
Football Western Carolina football was born in 1931, thanks to C.C. Poindexter. Often referred to as the "Father of Western Carolina Athletics" because of his efforts in organizing what was then Western Carolina Teachers College's first athletic program in the early 1930s. He was the first to be hired by the college to work exclusively in athletics and became the first head football coach.
He accepted the dual roles of Athletic Director and football coach in 1931. Then, later he also assumed duties as the first head coach in basketball and baseball. His leadership and vision resulted in the construction of the first college football field on the Western Carolina campus. With the help of assistant coaches, he coached three separate scholarship teams. As athletic director, he developed the college's first schedule of strictly college competition.
Postseason appearances 1949 In 1949, Coach Tom Young completed a four-year, post-World War II building program with an 8–2 regular season and the school's first North State Conference championship and first postseason appearance. The team was rewarded by a bid to play in the Smoky Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Virginia, where the Cats lost to West Liberty State. Art Byrd, a 165-pound guard, was named to the Associated Press Little All-America Team, Western's first All-America selection.
1974 The 1974 Catamounts, playing in a sparkling new stadium, lost their season and stadium opener to visiting Murray State and struggled the next two weeks before establishing themselves as one of the nation's top NCAA Division II teams. The Catamounts won nine in a row—including victories over top 10 teams Indiana State and Western Kentucky—and won a bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs where they lost to No. 1 ranked Louisiana Tech, 10–7. The 1974 Cats finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press College Division poll.
1983 The 1983 Catamounts got off to a slow start by losing its first two games to Clemson and Wake Forest. After these two setbacks, the Catamounts would go through the next 12 Saturdays unbeaten en route to the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game. Despite the strong comeback in regular season play that produced an 8–2–1 regular season record and a No. 9 national ranking, Coach Waters’ Cats barely made it into the I-AA Championship game needing come-from-behind wins the next three weeks. The Cats' wins over Colgate (24–23), Holy Cross (28–21) and Furman (14–7) carried the team to the National Championship Game. The playoff win over Furman was particularly pleasing as the teams had tied, 17–17, in the regular season, which allowed the Paladins to win the Southern Conference Football Title that year (Furman had played and won one more league game due to a scheduling quirk). Over 5,000 WCU fans traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, for the rematch which was aired by CBS-TV. The winning streak ended with a loss to Southern Illinois in the National Championship Game in Charleston, South Carolina. Seven members of the ‘83 squad went on to play in the NFL and the team set an NCAA record for the most games played (15) in a season.
Battle for the Old Mountain Jug Western played Appalachian State annually in the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug The first game between Western and Appalachian was held in 1932, but the "Old Mountain Jug" was introduced in 1976. The rivalry ceased after the 2014 meeting due to Appalachian State moving to NCAA FBS. The rivalry between the two mountain schools was a natural, Appalachian and Western were the only public colleges in the western half of North Carolina for decades. Both schools made similar steps to their present status as comprehensive regional universities and both basically recruited athletes from the same high schools in the early years. Their graduates were, for the most part, school teachers – and alumni of both schools often found themselves working together, which helped foster the rivalry.
In 1974, while Western was seeking membership to the Southern Conference, an incident happened that heated up the rivalry. Prior to the WCU-ASU game that year, ASU's athletic director informed Western's President that if Jerry Gaines, Western's all-star wide receiver/kick returner – and arguably the school's best athlete ever – were allowed to play in the WCU-ASU football game in Boone, ASU would withdraw their support of Western's membership for the Southern Conference (ASU was Western's sponsor). Their rationale was that Gaines was playing the 1974 season as a fifth-year [medical red-shirt] and red-shirting was not permitted in the Southern Conference at that time. Gaines had been injured in the first half of the second game of the 1971 season against Appalachian State. Catamount fans believed Appalachian State's motive was based upon Gaines' performance in the previous two meetings in the series, both won handily by the Catamounts.
Gaines did not play in 1974, but his replacement, true-freshman Wayne Tolleson, caught the winning touchdown pass in a 21–17 Catamount victory.
Baseball