Mastodons

General Team Information:

Founded: 1973

Conference: Horizon League

Past Conferences: Summit League, Independent 

Arena: Hilliard Gates Sports Center, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

City: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Championships and Titles:

2 Conference Regular Season Championships

Team History

The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons only recently joined NCAA Division I. But the program’s history goes back to its founding in 1973 as a Division III independent. It joined Division II in 1981 where it played until 2001 when it joined D-I. Among Purdue Fort Wayne’s great players include Sean Gibson. 

The forward-center led the Mastodons’ team stats, especially in rebounding where is the all-time leader. He went on to become a two-time All-American and conference player of the year in 1993. The Mastodons qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament where it finished in fourth place. 

In 2001-02, the program debuted in Division I as an independent. It was a harsh transition to D-I as Mastodons won just 25 percent of their games. But things started to improve with new coach Dan Fife in 2005. Purdue Fort Wayne joined the Summit League in 2007 and it posted its first winning season in 2009-10. 

When Tony Jasick took over in 2011, the program began to make breakthroughs. In 2014, the team finished with its 20+-win season. It qualified for the College Invitational Tournament (CIT) and made the second round. Jon Coffman replaced Jasick and the Mastons remained a top team in the Summit League. It played in several more postseason tournaments though none in the actual NCAA Tournament. 

John Konchar and Jarred Godfrey would grow into star players for the team. The former still leads many of the Fort Wayne Mastodons’ team stats as of the 2022-23 season. In 2020, the Mastodons transferred to the Horizon League and won its second regular season title in 2022. 

Since joining the Horizon League, Purdue Fort Wayne has been a solid team to bet on the NCAAB odds. It’s won nearly 60 percent of its games as of the 2022-23 season. And hopefully, soon, this program can finally participate in March Madness.

All-Time Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Records

Points Scored

• Jarred Godfrey: 2,068
• John Konchar: 2,065
• Frank Gaines: 1,841

Rebounds

• John Konchar: 1,149
• Jarred Godfrey: 625
• David Simon: 623

Assists

• John Konchar: 553
• Mo Evans: 466
• Jarred Godfrey: 463

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