Northern Kentucky Sports Chronicle

  (This column was originally published on May 9, 2020) ------ T he nickname seemed perfect. Just like the squad that appeared destined for a historic finish to a mind-boggling season of absolute perfection.  The Supernaturals. That’s the nickname. It’s the only way to describe what was happening in 2005, when Northern Kentucky University’s softball team owned a 55-0 record. The Norse had shattered every collegiate softball record for winning streaks and unbeaten starts. They’d also captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference title and the regional championship. No team in collegiate softball history had ever finished unbeaten and national champions. NKU, though, was sprinting toward perfection and the NCAA title. “This was a special group of players — ones you are so fortunate to have had the privilege to coach,” recalled former NKU head coach Kathy Stewart. “They drove the bus, I just gave them the keys.” Now, after dispatching St. Mary’s (Texas) by a 3-0 score in the second ...

--- Note: This PDF document was originally published on May 22, 2009. --- The current NKU Athletics Web site launched in 1999 and has gone through considerable changes during the past 10 years. Another big change will occur this summer when NKU launches its new Web site, which will be run through Internet Consulting Services. To celebrate the 10th birthday of the NKU Athletics Web site, here are many of the players, coaches and memorable moments from the past 10 years. (click below for publication) https://online.fliphtml5.com/hfocp/xmyk/#p=1

Here is the 2010 publication detailing the first 39 years of the athletics department at Northern Kentucky University. The link for the PDF document is below. https://online.fliphtml5.com/hfocp/smjj/#p=1  

One of the most overlooked events in the history of Northern Kentucky University sports history occurred on Oct. 23, 1979. On that chilly Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, the NKU volleyball team knocked off a powerful Ohio State squad in five sets. The Norsewomen, coached by Jane Meier (née Scheper), pulled out a thriller on the road against the Buckeyes by scores of 15-8, 12-15, 15-4, 9-15, 15-12. This is an Ohio State squad that would finish 37-14 in 1979 and sixth nationally in the AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) Tournament. The Buckeyes of head coach Sue Collins also won state and regional championships that season en route to the national finals. At that time, women’s collegiate sports competed in the AIAW, while the NCAA only sponsored championships for men’s sports. Meier made her coaching debut for NKU on Sept. 16, 1978, and recorded wins against Morehead State, Miami (Ohio), Michigan State and Mount St. Joseph in Regents Hall all on the same day. It marked...

The NKU cross country team qualified for the 1979 NCAA Division II nationals. ------------------------------------------------------ Steve Kruse isn’t just a head coach at Northern Kentucky University. No, he’s more of a reluctant landmark on the Highland Heights campus, a statue of adaptive perseverance and impassioned longevity. A nearly six-decade association with the NKU cross country program — both as a runner and head coach — has made Kruse a modern connection to the infancy of the athletics program. It wouldn’t be accurate to say he’s a walking history book, simply because Kruse’s best known in the area of running. And, in 26 years as cross country head coach, he’s built a program that’s successful both academically and athletically. The affable Kruse is also inconspicuously linked to Hollywood giants Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman from an NKU perspective. Ever hear of the Academy Award-winning movie “Rain Man” and a place called St. Anne Convent? Steve Kruse Having been around N...

W hat do I remember about Dec. 8, 2011? I recall it was actually sunny outside. I remember seeing television trucks and other media vehicles pulling up in the circle outside The Bank of Kentucky Center. I’ll never forget the press conference and the announcement that NKU was making the jump to NCAA Division I and joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. And I’ll always remember the crowd that cheered the news later in the afternoon at the public announcement. Here’s a look at that day, with plenty of awesome photos taken by Jeff McCurry, when NKU moved its athletics program to NCAA Division I. The publication NKU produced that day is also linked below in a PDF document. --------------------