| Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets | |
|---|---|
| University | Xavier University of Louisiana |
| Conference | Red River Athletic Conference |
| NAIA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Nathan Cochran |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Basketball arena | Convocation Center |
| Baseball stadium | Wesley Barrow Stadium |
| Softball stadium | Wesley Barrow Stadium |
| Other venues | City Park Cross Country Course Tad Gormley Stadium XULA Tennis Center |
| Nickname | Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets |
| Website | www |
The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets are the athletic teams that represent Xavier University of Louisiana, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) since the 2021–22 academic year.[1] The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets previously competed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) from 1981–82 to 2020–21.
Xavier (La.) competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, tennis and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive cheer. Former sports included football.
| Men's sports | Women's sports | Co-ed sports |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball | |
| Basketball | Cross country | |
| Cross country | Softball | |
| Tennis | Tennis | |
| Track and field | Track and field | |
| Volleyball |
Co-champions of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at the time basketball was discontinued in 1959, Xavier had consistently turned out strong teams since the sport was organized on the campus, and the local university, in the early 1930s, producing a number of players for top professional teams, such as Nat Clifton, better known as "Sweetwater" Clifton of the Harlem Globetrotters.[2] A dwindling enrollment during the mid and late 1950s, the high cost of operating an intercollegiate athletic program at a small school, and a number of overall university needs, including facilities, were factors that figured in discontinuing Xavier's athletic program eight years.[2] The Men's Basketball program returned to competitive play with the 1967-68 school year. As early as 1928, the team was referred to as the "Golden Rush" and/or "Gold Rush," and also referred to as the "Cagers."[3][4]
The Xavier baseball program was revived in 2019, with its first game in over 60 years played on February 23, 2021.[5] Major League Baseball assisted in the revival of the program, lending its Wesley Barrow Stadium as home field for the program.[6]
The Xavier softball program played its first game in February 2021.[8] Major League Baseball assisted in the revival of the program, lending its Wesley Barrow Stadium as home field for the program.[9]
Xavier University formerly sponsored a varsity football team starting in 1925,[10] and had been referred to as "The Golden Wave."[11] The team was coached by Alfred C. "Zack" Preistly, who was also served as the head coach for the Baseball squad.[12] In 1955, Xavier played the Keesler Air Force Base team in Louisiana's first integrated college football game.[13] The team's last season was 1959 and the program was disbanded in 1960 along with all sports at the university.[14][13] The team played at the XU Football Field located in Xavier Stadium.[14][15]
The Xavier University Academic Convocation Center opened in November 2012. The 97,000 square-foot multipurpose facility replaced The Barn (Xavier's 1,300-seat gymnasium which opened in 1937) and became the new home of XU men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball.[16] The 3,937-seat facility includes a hospitality suite, a student-athlete fitness center, a media/video room, a theatre-style meeting space, and a state-of-the-art athletic training facility. The arena contains state-of-the-art sound, lighting and high-definition Daktronics video boards for spectator comfort.[17] The Convocation Center also plays host to many classes, graduations, sporting and community events.
As part of the growth of the Xavier main campus as well as the athletics department, the Convocation Center Annex project was completed in 2012. The facility, located adjacent to the Convocation Center, is an academic building featuring several classrooms, reception and lecture spaces, meeting spaces, and administrative offices of the Athletics Department, Recreation Sports and Physical Education.
Xavier's cross country teams compete on the City Park Cross Country Course in City Park, a public facility. The mostly flat course is approximately three miles from the XU campus and is near the corner of Wisner Boulevard and Harrison Avenue. Xavier competed twice at City Park in 2014, including the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships. City Park covers 1,300 acres and was established in 1853. It is approximately 50 percent larger than Central Park in New York City. City Park holds the world's largest collection of mature live oak trees, some older than 600 years in age.
Xavier's track and field teams compete at Tad Gormley Stadium (located at City Park, 2.6 miles from XU's campus) and practices regularly at the City Park Practice Track adjacent to the stadium.[18] Tad Gormley Stadium offers great versatility for staging events in New Orleans - from outdoor athletic competitions to concerts and corporate special events. Gormley was the site of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, the 1993 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 1998 U.S. Track and Field Championships.
Gormley's address is 5400 Stadium Drive, New Orleans, LA 70124.
Stadium Features: • 26,500 permanent seats • 400-meter polyurethane track • Artificial turf playing field • Three locker rooms • Press box with seating for 110 • Press suite with seating for 40 • Electronic scoreboard and state-of-the-art sound system
Wesley Barrow Stadium is a 650-seat baseball and softball stadium located in the Pontchartrain Park section of New Orleans, Louisiana. Named in memory of Negro league baseball manager Wesley Barrow, a longtime prominent figure in the New Orleans baseball community,[19] the stadium includes a 200-square-foot climate-controlled press box, a public address system and LED scoreboard. The baseball field features professional-sized artificial turf with a clay pitcher's mound and two fenced bullpens.[20]
The XULA Tennis Center opened on October 26, 2012, as the home of XU men's and women's tennis.
Facility Facts:
The Barn was the former home arena for the men's and women's basketball teams and volleyball team located on the Xavier campus. It opened in 1937 and was demolished in 2013.[16]
Xavier Stadium is a former stadium that included the XU football field and also a track.[10][14] It was the former home of the Xavier football team and track and field team.[10] The stadium was located at the corner of Washington Street and Pine Street in New Orleans.[15]
On June 24, 2015, the university opened its Fitness Center. The $3.6 million facility is built between the Living Learning Center and St. Martin de Porres Hall, Xavier's two largest student residences on the site of the former B. Samuels building, which was bought and demolished. The first floor of the two-story facility offers an NCAA/NAIA regulation-sized basketball court, an office, a lounge area and an area with free weights and weight machines. The second floor consists of a three-lane walking/running track, a cardio room, spin studio and other multifunctional studios. Exercise machines will be available throughout the facility. The basketball court will be mostly used for intramural events such as basketball and volleyball, large exercise classes, fitness activities, yoga, dance and Zumba classes. The court can be divided with a retractable curtain to offer multiple activities simultaneously. This is the fourth XU athletics facility to open in three years.