ASU is a member of the Pac-10 athletic conference.
Athletes, students, and alumni of ASU are known as "Sun Devils," a nickname adopted in 1946; earlier nicknames were the Normals or the Owls and, later, the Bulldogs. The Sun Devil mascot, Sparky, was
designed by Disney illustrator Bert Anthony. ASU's chief rival is the
University of Arizona, who are known as the
"Wildcats."ASU's main outdoor sports venue is named Sun Devil Stadium.
Notable athletic alumni include baseball players Barry Bonds, Paul Lo Duca, Fernando
ViƱa and Reggie Jackson, football players Jake Plummer, Todd Heap, Danny White, Terrell Suggs, Darren Woodson, and Pat Tillman, basketball player Byron Scott, golfer Phil Mickelson, and announcer Al Michaels.The university has won national championships in men's archery 15 times, women's archery 21 times, mixed archery 20 times,
men's badminton 13 times, women's badminton 17 times, mixed badminton 10 times, baseball 5 times, women's tennis 3 times, men's
gymnastics once, men's track and field once, wrestling once, men's golf twice, women's golf 13 times, women's softball twice, and
women's swimming and diving 7 times for a total of 129 national championships. Additionally, the men's basketball team has
attended the NCAA tournament 12 times and the football team won the Rose Bowl in 1986 as well as the
Fiesta Bowl in 1982, 1975, 1973, 1972, and
1971.
Football
The Sun Devils played in the Border Conference between 1931 and 1961, before joining the Western
Athletic Conference the following year. Led by legendary head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils posted a remarkable 62-9 record between 1970 and 1975, culminating in a 17-14 upset of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1975 Fiesta
Bowl.In 1978, both ASU and the University of Arizona joined
the Pacific Ten Conference, and in that year ASU celebrated with an emotional 20-7 victory over number-one-ranked University of Southern California. The
Sun Devils then began a slow decline, interrupted only briefly by victories in the 1983
Fiesta Bowl and 1987 Rose Bowl. After a 1987 Freedom Bowl victory over Air Force, the Sun Devils went a combined 43-44-1 between 1988 and 1995.In 1996, the Sun Devils went a surprising 11-1, highlighted by a 19-0 shutout of the number-one-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in Tempe. ASU quarterback
Jake Plummer led the Sun Devils, helping Arizona State into the Rose Bowl
against the Ohio State Buckeyes. In a game with National Championship
potential, the Sun Devils held a slim 17-14 lead with just under 1:47 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Sun Devils fell to
Ohio State 20-17 in one of the most exciting Rose Bowl
games ever.Between 1997 and 2000, the Sun Devils underachieved greatly, leading to the dismissal of popular head football coach Bruce Snyder. The hiring of head coach Dirk Koetter from Boise State University gave the Sun Devils a charismatic leader
with a penchant for molding strong quarterbacks.Arizona State began the Dirk Koetter era with a thud, falling to 4-7 in 2001. However, ASU improved to 8-6 in 2002,
highlighted by the play of defensive end Terrell Suggs and wide receiver Shaun McDonald. Quarterback Andrew Walter emerged to pass for a staggering 3,877 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Sun Devils eventually
lost a nailbiter to Kansas State University in the
2003 Holiday Bowl.In 2004, the Sun Devils surprised nearly everyone, jumping out to a 5-0 record (including an impressive 44-7 victory over Iowa
in Tempe). Andrew Walter led the
suddenly resurgent Sun Devils, passing for 1,249 yards and 15 TDs through five games. This set up an attractive matchup between
ASU and Southern California in
Los Angeles on October 16, 2004, which they lost. After a dramatic come from
behind victory over Stanford University and a win over Washington State in a game in which ASU retired Pat Tillman's number, they
ended up losing to rival University of Arizona. ASU won the Vitalis Sun Bowl over
Purdue, 27-23, on New Year's Eve.Key to the Sun Devils' remarkable turnaround was a speedy defensive unit led by tackles Jimmy Verdon and Kyle Caldwell. The Sun Devils also
improved dramatically in turnover margin and penalties. For the first time in several years, fans in Tempe and across Arizona
flocked to see the team play at Sun Devil Stadium.