EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Twenty-five years ago this weekend Azusa Pacific won its first-ever NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship, ushering in one of the greatest dynasties in association history.

The Cougars won 11 of the next 13 national championships, including an unprecedented 7 straight. Yet, it’s been 6 years since they have won an outdoor title, and though their NAIA supremacy has continued with 5 indoor track titles since 2002, none of the current Cougars have ever worn an outdoor crown.

“Yeah those indoor championships are great,” said senior hurdler Matt Sparks, “but everyone knows that track is about outdoors, and we’ve lost the outdoor championship every year I’ve been here. Something had to change.”

So Sparks broke out the old uniforms with the old school colors. Last month he stumbled upon a storage box full of the former black and orange uniforms that the Cougars wore while winning NAIA titles in the 1980s. (Azusa Pacific changed its school colors to brick and black in 1998). He gave one to each team member, and today, championship Saturday, the Cougars went retro – looking the like the Cougars of yesteryear and competing like them as well.