Saint Peter's Peacocks

The Saint Peter's Peacocks are the sixteen intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Saint Peter's University, located in Jersey City, New Jersey. The Peacocks compete in the NCAA Division I and are founding members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).^[4] They previously competed in the Metropolitan Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1965 to 1969.

Saint Peter's Peacocks
University	Saint Peter's University
Conference	MAAC
NCAA	Division I
Athletic director	Katie Arcuri
Location	Jersey City, New Jersey
Varsity teams	16
Basketball arena	Run Baby Run Arena
Baseball stadium	Joseph J. Jaroschak Field
Soccer stadium	Joseph J. Jaroschak Field
Mascot	Peter the Peacock
Nickname	Peacocks
Fight song	"Io Pavo"[1][2]
Colors	Blue and white[3]
Website	saintpeterspeacocks.com

Nickname and mascot history

From 1918 to 1930, the then College, closed due to the impact of World War I and because Jesuit superiors wanted to concentrate their manpower in other colleges on the East Coast. As noted in the college yearbook, “The classrooms went empty. The faculty closed their markbooks, and left for the battlefields.”

In 1930, with Rev. Robert I. Gannon, S.J., as Dean, Saint Peter's re-opened on the fourth floor of the Chamber of Commerce Building in Downtown Jersey City, and women were admitted to the Evening Session for the first time.

With the rebirth of Saint Peter's in 1930, Rev. Gannon named the Peacock the official mascot of the college, reflecting the spirit of “resurrection and eternal life.” The peacock also ties Saint Peter's to the settling of Jersey City, originally called “Pavonia,” or “Land of the Peacock”.^[5]

The Saint Peter's University mascot is Peter the Peacock. The updated mascot was introduced on April 20, 2016, on the first annual Peacock Pride Day to celebrate the legacy and birthday of the late Dean, Rev. Gannon, S.J. and “Founding Father” of the peacock being chosen as a symbol of Saint Peter's.^[6]

Teams

A member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Saint Peter's sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports:^[7]

Men's sports	Women's sports
Baseball	Basketball
Basketball	Cross country
Cross country	Soccer
Golf	Softball
Soccer	Swimming & diving
Swimming & diving	Track & field1
Track & field1	Volleyball
1 – includes both indoor and outdoor

Discontinued teams

Football

Main article: Saint Peter's Peacocks football

The Peacocks football program ran from 1971 to 2006.

Tennis

The Peacocks men's and women's tennis team were discontinued in 2018.

Women's bowling

The Peacocks women's bowling team was discontinued following the 2017–18 season.

Facilities

The Peacocks play at two main athletic facilities. Joseph J. Jaroschak Field in nearby Lincoln Park, is home to the baseball, softball, and men's and women's soccer teams. The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center is located on campus and is home to the swimming and diving teams with the volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams playing their home games in Run Baby Run Arena. The Yanitelli Center is also home to a number of club and intramural teams.

Prior to the opening of the Yanitelli Center on campus in 1975, Saint Peter's used the nearby Jersey City Armory as the home arena for its men's and women's basketball teams and still occasionally use the venue for high-profile games.^[8]