Emory University

Emory University is a private university in Atlanta, Georgia. Emory is considered one of the most prestigious large private universities.

Sports, clubs and traditions

Emory's sports teams are called the Eagles. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the University Athletic Association. Not surprisingly, the eagle mascot of the university is named "Swoop." The current Emory eagle logo, in use since the 1980s, is undergoing a redesign, to be replaced by 1 June 2005.

Related Topics:
Eagle - NCAA - University Athletic Association - 1980s - 1 June - 2005

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Emory has a curious history of resisting intercollegiate athletic competition. To this day, the school fields no football team, prompting T-shirts that humorously claim that the Emory football team is "still undefeated," having never competed against opponents. Instead, in 1897 Emory became a pioneer with intramural sports. Emory's "athletics for all" program soon rose to national prominence in the 1920s, prompting many other institutions to emulate it. The Emory gymnasium from 1945 was simply a converted World War II airplane hangar, with some renovations and modifications. But in 1983 it was replaced by the new George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC for short), built into the side of a hill opposite the old 1949 Alumni Memorial Building. The WoodPEC houses state-of-the-art fitness equipment, racquetball and tennis courts, an outdoor track and field, and a swimming pool, home to the perennial UAA champion Emory men's (every year since 1999) and women's (every year but two since 1991) swimming teams, which are also consistently ranked in the top ten in NCAA Division III competition. By 1985 the Alumni Memorial Building itself had been extended and remodeled into the R. Howard Dobbs University Center. Outside of athletics, Emory encourages other strong areas of extracurricular activities, including its academic team, choral singing, nationally ranked chess team, journalism, music performance, and debate.

Related Topics:
Football - 1897 - 1920s - Gymnasium - 1945 - World War II - Airplane - Hangar - 1983 - 1949 - Racquetball - Tennis - Track - Swimming - UAA - 1999 - 1991 - 1985 - Academic team - Journalism - Music - Debate

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Traditions at Emory include Dooley, the "Spirit of Emory" and the unofficial mascot of the university. Dooley is a skeleton and is usually dressed in black. He originated as a specimen skeleton in a biology lab in 1899. The name "Dooley" was given in 1909. He adopts the first name of the University's current president. He typically walks very slowly with an exaggerated limp, which, legend has it, he got playing handball with Robert Woodruff's daughter.

Related Topics:
Skeleton - 1899 - 1909

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