Fort Lewis College, located in Durango, Colorado among the San Juan Mountains, is a Division II institution that is affiliated with the NCAA. The Skyhawks are a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), which sponsors 14 institutions (10 in Colorado, two in Nebraska and two in New Mexico).

Skyhawk Mission Statement

The Fort Lewis College Department of Athletics provides tailored programs for student-athlete development. We attract and graduate high quality student-athletes by creating an atmosphere of high expectations and success that is a source of pride for Fort Lewis College and the community.

Skyhawk Goals and Objectives

1. Fort Lewis College student-athletes will be better-prepared for increased academic achievement and lifelong success.
   • Focus on reviewing and enhancing NCAA Division II, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), Fort Lewis College and sport program academic standards when it occurs.
2. Fort Lewis College student-athletes will be enriched by a collegiate athletics experience that features a safe and well-balanced environment, equitable treatment and a commitment to sportsmanship.
   • Encourage student-athlete involvement in governance and means to ensure enhanced sportsmanship and equitable treatment of student-athlete, regardless of gender and race.
3. Fort Lewis College student-athletes will have access to a quality, positive and rewarding athletic experience.
   • Supply our sport programs and student-athletes with an adequate level of funding.

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Fort Lewis Athletics Background and History

Intercollegiate athletics at Fort Lewis started in 1929 when coach Charles McLain formed the school's first junior college basketball team. In the next few years, McLain — the father of intercollegiate athletics at Fort Lewis — would start football, baseball, tumbling and track & field programs.

Fort Lewis A&M Junior College became a state and regional powerhouse in football, basketball and tennis, earning trips to the Texas Junior Rose Bowl football game in 1949 and the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball tournament in 1954.

Fort Lewis became a senior college in 1962 and began competing against other four-year schools in 1963. Skier Mike Elliott, a three-time Olympian, became the first FLC student-athlete to win a national championship, winning the 1965 and 1966 NCAA cross-country skiing titles. The 1969 golfers became the school's first team to win a four-year conference championship.

Women's intercollegiate athletics were added in 1969, under the direction of coach Carol "Peppy" Seale. Basketball, skiing and volleyball were the first three sports offered to FLC women, and Fort Lewis quickly emerged as a regional power in the AIAW, which oversaw all women's intercollegiate athletics until 1981. Early Raider volleyball and basketball teams were among the finest in the intermountain region, earning numerous trips to regional championships and a handful of national playoff berths.

Today, FLC fields 10 varsity teams. Men compete in basketball, cross-country, football, golf and soccer; women compete in basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball and volleyball.

Fort Lewis College has been a member of the RMAC since the 1968-69 season. During 1991-93, the men's and women's soccer programs joined the Colorado Athletic Conference for a brief stint, while football and men's and women's basketball remained a part of the RMAC. Fort Lewis returned to full membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on July 1, 1994, after a three-year membership in the Colorado Athletic Conference. Five former CAC schools joined the RMAC in 1996 to bring the total number of members to 14.

The Skyhawk football team competes on Ray Dennison Memorial Field which seats 4,000 spectators. The men's and women's soccer teams compete on the recenlty built (2004) Dirks Field which holds 1,750 fans. Fort Lewis basketball and volleyball teams compete in the newly renovated (2003) Whalen Gymnasium which seats 2,750 people. Aspen Field at the Fort Lewis Community Softball Complex is home to the softball team, while the golf team practices and competes at nearby Hillcrest Golf Course.

The school recently adopted its fourth athletic nickname, the Skyhawks. Early Fort Lewis A&M Junior College teams were known as the Beavers. The school's teams became the Aggies in the early 1930's, a nickname that lasted throughout the remainder of the junior college era. When Fort Lewis began competing against four-year colleges in 1963, its nickname changed to the Raiders and school colors changed a few years later from green and gold to navy blue and gold. The nickname changed again in 1994 to the Skyhawks.