The Highlander Tradition

Combining Athletic Excellence, Christian Commitment, and Academic Achievement

 

Houghton College has deep and solid roots in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where our teams use their commitment to excellence, both on the field-of-play and in the classroom, as a platform for their strong and unique emphasis on Sports Ministry. Their goal is to make a difference for the Kingdom on campus, in Allegany County, in the Northeast and around the world. Houghton is one of only 13 institutions who have been hand-selected by the NAIA to serve as "Champions of Character" Program Centers, opening the door for Houghton to be a leader, both in the Northeast and nationally, in character education. Through hands-on, innovative community outreach initiatives, Houghton coaches and student-athletes are working together to change the culture of sport and to change our culture through sport.

 

On the field of play, Houghton has enjoyed a tradition of excellence since moving to intercollegiate competition in 1967. A member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the American Mideast Conference, Houghton regularly finishes in the top half of 350 NAIA schools in the prestigious NACDA Directors' Cup competition which ranks a school's overall athletics program against other schools in its affiliation. 

 

During that span, Houghton teams have captured 30 conference championships, 22 regional championships, made 33 NAIA National Tournament appearances, and won three NCCAA National Titles. Individual athletes have also stood out in competition and in the classroom, earning 30 NAIA All-America honors (including 18 first team honors), several conference and regional player of the year awards, numerous all-conference and all-region awards, and 107 NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.

 

In 2004-2005, student-athletes were represented in 31 different academic majors and eight of 10 varsity teams maintained an average GPA over 3.0, with one team above 3.4. Thirty-five of the 164 seniors graduating with honors in 2005 were athletes.