Athletics has been an integral part of the life of the Brandeis University community since the department was founded in 1951. The roster of coaches who have been part of the Judges' family reads like a Who's Who of Boston luminaries, from Bud Collins and the men's tennis team in the late 1950s and early 1960s to K.C. Jones leading the men's basketball squad in the 1960s to the more recent tenure of Chris Ford. Over the years, Brandeis has won NCAA team championships in men's soccer and men's cross country and 24 individual titles, with numerous more NCAA appearances and All-Americans in their ranks.  Brandeis competes in the University Athletic Association (UAA), a unique Division III affiliation. The Judges' conference opponents include the University of Rochester, New York University, Emory University (Atlanta), Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh), Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland), the University of Chicago and Washington University (St. Louis), giving Brandeis athletes a chance to see some of the most exciting cities in the country on a regular basis. In addition to including some of the most prestigious academic institutions in Division III, the UAA also includes some of the most successful athletic programs in the nation, giving Brandeis athletes a chance to prove themselves against the best Division III has to offer. The centerpiece of Brandeis athletics is the Joseph P. and Clara Ford Athletic and Recreation Complex, one of the largest and best-equipped, multipurpose, indoor athletic facilities in the Northeast. It includes the Gosman Center, which houses a 70,000-square-foot field house, a 200-meter, six-lane indoor track, three indoor tennis courts, nine squash courts (two international), a state-of-the art fencing room, fitness rooms with free weights, nautilus equipment, life cycles, and stair machines, dance and aerobics rooms. The Shapiro Gymnasium includes practice, training and workout facilities, while the six-lane Linsey Swimming pool includes one- and three-meter diving boards. Brandeis has 10 men's varsity teams, 10 women's varsity teams, and one coed varsity team, from basketball to fencing and sailing, as well as more than 18 club sports, from Bicycling, Crew to Martial Arts. |
