Athletic History of WFU

Red Letter Dates in Wake Forest Athletic History

Wake Forest Sports Information Office, 2000

Oct. 18, 1888 - Wake Forest defeated North Carolina 6-4 in the first intercollegiate football game played in North Carolina. The game was played on the State Fair Grounds at Raleigh.

Jun, 1890 - The WF Trustees voted to abolish football.

1891 - The sport of football is briefly revived.

May 1891 - Wake Forest scores three runs in the eleventh inning to defeat North Carolina 10-7 in the first intercollegiate baseball game ever played in North Carolina. The game was played in Raleigh.

Oct. 18, 1895 - The WF faculty votes that football games would not be allowed on the grounds of Wake Forest. This action abolished football for over a decade.

Feb. 6, 1906 - Wake Forest and Guilford College participate in the first intercollegiate basketball game played in North Carolina. Wake loses19-26 at Guilford.

March 14, 1906 - Wake Forest defeats Trinity College (now Duke University) 24-10 in the second intercollegiate basketball game played in the state.

Spring 1907 - Wake Forest captured the singles and doubles championships in the Southern Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament held in Atlanta.

Spring 1909 - Wake Forest participated in first track meet.

May, 1908 - In response to the demand by the students, the WF trustees authorized the restoration of intercollegiate football at the college.

Spring, 1933 - Wake Forest begins intercollegiate golf competition.

Feb. 7, 1936 - Wake Forest becomes a member of the Southern Conference.

1937 - Wake Forest fields the only boxing team in the history of the school.

1939 - Wake Forest wins the Southern Conference before losing to Ohio State 64-52 in the first round of the NCAA Eastern Championship (basketball).

Oct. 26, 1946 - Under coach "Peahead" Walker, Wake Forest stuns the college football world with a 19-6 victory over fourth ranked Tennessee in Knoxville.

1945 - Wake Forest defeats South Carolina 26-14 in the first Gator Bowl football games a Jacksonville, Florida.

Jan. 1, 1949 - Wake Forest loses 20-7 to Baylor in the Dixie Bowl at Birmingham, Alabama.

1949 - The Wake Forest baseball team finishes as runnerup to Texas in the NCAA baseball tournament while the golf team places fifth in the NCAA Golf Championships.

1949 - Arnold Palmer becomes Wake Forest’s first individual national champion as he wins the NCAA title.

1950 - Palmer repeats as NCAA individual medalist.

1955 - Wake Forest captures its first NCAA title as the Deacons defeat Western Michigan to win the college baseball championship.

May 8, 1953 - Wake Forest becomes a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Deacon Athletic Director Jim Weaver is selected as the first Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

March, 1961 - Wake Forest wins its first Atlantic Coast Conference basket- ball championship and beats St. John’s and St. Bonaventure in the NCAA Tournament before losing to St. Joseph’s in the finals of the Eastern Regionals.

March, 1962 - Wake Forest repeats as Atlantic Coast Conference champion and beats Yale, St. Joseph’s and Villanova to claim the Eastern Regional championship. Ohio State defeats the Deacons in the NCAA semifinals, but WF beats UCLA in the consolation round to finish third in the NCAA Tournament.

Sept. 14, 1968 - Wake Forest dedicates Groves Stadium against N.C State. State won the game.

1970 - Wake Forest wins its first Atlantic Coast Conference football championship.

1969-1970 - Wake Forest places second in the NCAA Golf Tournament two consecutive years.

June, 1974 - Wake Forest wins it second NCAA championship as the Deacons win the NCAA Golf Tournament. The Deacons also capture individual honors for the third time in the tournament’s history as Curtis Strange becomes the youngest player to ever win the NCAA Individual title.

Jan. 3, 1975 - Wake Forest again sends shock waves around the country with a monumental upset. This time the Deacons end a 26-game winning streak by defending NCAA champion N.C. State. The loss also knocked the Wolfpack from the number one spot in the National ratings.

December, 1976 - Bill Armstrong becomes the first and only Wake Forest football player to earn consensus first team All-America honors.

June, 1979 - Gary Hallberg wins the fourth NCAA individual golf championship in school history.

Fall, 1979 - Wake Forest's football team defeated No. 12 Georgia on the road and No. 13 Auburn at home en route to earning a bid to the Tangerine Bowl, where it lost to LSU on Dec. 22.

March 23, 1984 - Wake Forest defeats DePaul, concluding the career of Hall of Fame coach Ray Meyer, 73-71 in overtime, in the NCAA Tournament. The win sent Wake to the regional finals, where it lost to Houston.

June, 1986 - Wake Forest, playing on its home course, Bermuda Run, rallied from 16 strokes down to win its third NCAA Golf Championship.

1988 - Wake Forest's women's basketball team earned its first and only NCAA Tournament bid and the Deacons were ranked as high as 16th nationally.

Nov. 11, 1989 - Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home of Wake Forest basketball, is officially dedicated with an 82-74 win over Statiba of the Soviet Union in an exhibition game.

Dec. 31, 1992 - The Deacons, under coach Bill Dooley, captured the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. By beating Oregon, 39-35, capping an 8-4 season.

March 10, 1996 - Randolph Childress' record-setting performance led Wake Forest to its second consecutive ACC Tournament championship with a 75-74 win over Georgia Tech at the Greensboro Coliseum.

March 21, 1996 - Wake Forest defeats Louisville, 60-59, advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Kentucky in the regional finals.

June, 1996 - Andy Bloom captures the NCAA championship in both the shot put and the discus.

March, 1997 - Tim Duncan is the consensus National Player of the Year for the second straight season.

June, 1997 - Duncan is the first overall selection in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
May 22, 1999 - Wake Forest knocks off Clemson to win its second straight ACC Tournament baseball championship.

Dec. 24, 1999 - Wake Forest defeats Arizona State in the Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl in Honolulu, 23-3.

September, 2000 - Darius Songaila helped the Lithuanian basketball team capture a bronze medal at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Former Deacon athletes Hunter Kemper (triathlon), Steve Brown (hurdles) and Andy Bloom (discus) also competed in the Olympic Games.