Mission Statement
"Seattle Pacific University athletics provides an arena wherein student-athletes are guided toward excellence in physical performance and leadership through the integration of Christian principles and values while participating in intercollegiate sport at the highest possible level. In so doing, Falcons Athletics, by its nature, builds a sense of community and fosters pride in the University and creates a window through which the world may witness."

May 15, 2007 -- A Very Good Year: Seattle Pacific Repeats As GNAC All-Sports Champ

SPU President Eaton officially took receipt of the GNAC all-sport and all-academic trophies Tuesday night. He's pictured on right, receiving trophy from Dr. William Woodward, NCAA faculty athletic representative. SPU Takes Possession of GNAC Academic, Sports Trophies Seattle Pacific swept the top two awards in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference during the 2005-06 season -- the Academic All-Sports title and the All-Sports Team Championship. To write the final chapter on these accomplishments, trophies were presented to SPU President Dr. Philip W. Eaton Tuesday night, September 26. In winning the overall academic award, SPU also won the men's title for the fifth year in a row and took the women's title for the first time. Seattle Pacific, which won a conference-record six team titles during the last academic year, claimed its first GNAC All-Sports Team Championship. The Full Story

The pursuit of excellence is particularly evident in Seattle Pacific University intercollegiate athletics, where a dedicated coaching staff guides the development of young athletes in 14 varsity sports at the NCAA Division II level. SPU Athletics is regarded throughout the region and nation as a first-class program and regularly ranks among the top of the Directors’ Cup standings.

Last year was yet another banner year for SPU, which finished 14th in the Directors’ Cup and won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Sports Championship. Six varsity teams finished amongst the top 20 in the nation in 2005-06, and seven claimed conference championships. Individually, the Falcons produced 54 all-conference and 73 academic all- conference selections, plus 12 All-Americans and four Academic All-America recipients. Two individuals were winners of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.

Since varsity athletics began in 1944, the Falcons’ accomplishments have been extremely impressive, with eight national championships for its teams, and more than 40 individual crowns. The men’s soccer team is among the most successful in Division II history, with five NCAA titles and 29 playoff appearances. Women’s gymnastics has won three championships and finished among the top four nationally 22 times. Cross country and track & field have accounted for 31 collegiate champions and numerous top-ten team finishes. Men’s basketball has won seven conference championships since 1991 and made the NCAA Sweet 16 six times while women’s basketball has made 11 NCAA playoff appearances in the last 12 years. Volleyball made its third national tournament appearance in 2005, women’s soccer was the NCAA runner-up in just its fifth season.

Student-athletes at SPU have also proven to be standouts in the classroom. In the past 25 years, 21 have received prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and eight have been state NCAA Woman of the Year since 1993.

The modern era of athletics began in the 1950s when then-athletic director Ken Foreman built Royal Brougham Pavilion, and the Falcons became affiliated with the NAIA. The school aligned itself with the NCAA in 1962. Women’s athletics were introduced first with the internationally-renowned Falcon Track Club in 1960 and with the advent of varsity sports in 1975. Seven programs—men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track & field, men’s and women's soccer and women’s volleyball—compete in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Seattle Pacific’s athletic mascot originated as the winner in a 1934 on-campus contest to choose a school emblem and nickname for its teams, which had not yet attained varsity status. Several names were proposed for a vote by the student body, with the Falcons suggested because of the raptor’s aggressive nature and deadly hunting instincts.