History of Gonzaga University in Timeline

Gonzaga University (GU) is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo. Named after Aloysius Gonzaga, the campus comprises 105 buildings on 152 acres along the Spokane River, near downtown Spokane. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

1926: Ray Flaherty as Head Coach

In 1926, Ray Flaherty began his career as head coach for the Washington Redskins.

1928: Death of Joseph Cataldo

In 1928, Joseph Cataldo, the Italian-American Jesuit missionary who founded Gonzaga University, passed away. Cataldo had come to the Pacific Northwest in 1865 and played a key role in establishing the university in 1887.

1941: Tony Canadeo Joins the Green Bay Packers

In 1941, Tony Canadeo of Gonzaga joined the Green Bay Packers.

April 1942: Gonzaga Suspends Football Program

In April 1942, Gonzaga announced that it would put its football program on hiatus due to World War II.

1966: Founding of Gonzaga Law Review

In 1966, Gonzaga Law Review, the law school's flagship legal publication, was founded.

1992: Opening of Foley Center Library

In 1992, Foley Center Library, Gonzaga's main graduate and undergraduate library, opened on campus.

1994: Completion of Rosauer School of Education building

In 1994, the Rosauer School of Education building was completed at Gonzaga University.

1995: Establishment of Jundt Art Center and Museum

In 1995, the Jundt Art Center and Museum was established at Gonzaga University, housing a variety of artwork from different periods.

1995: Men's Basketball Team First NCAA Tournament Appearance

In 1995, the university's men's basketball team made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

1997: Founding of Gonzaga Journal of International Law

In 1997, Gonzaga Journal of International Law, the School of Law's second legal journal, was founded.

1999: Men's Basketball Team reaches Elite Eight

In 1999, the men's basketball team made the regional finals of the NCAA tournament (the "Elite Eight") and have re-appeared in the tournament every year since (as of 2023).

1999: Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Participation

Since 1999, Gonzaga's men's basketball program has participated in every March Madness tournament.

2000: Erection of Chastek Law Library

In 2000, Chastek Law Library was erected to primarily serve the Gonzaga University School of Law.

2004: Bulldogs Ranked No. 2

In 2004, Gonzaga's men's basketball team was ranked No. 2, its highest ranking before 2012.

2010: Women's Basketball Team Reaches Sweet Sixteen

In 2010, the women's basketball team made it to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA tournament.

2012: Gonzaga Ranked No. 1 by the AP

In the 2012–13 season, Gonzaga was ranked No. 1 by the AP for the first time in school history.

2013: Kelly Olynyk Named All American

In 2013, Canadian center Kelly Olynyk, a national Player of the Year finalist, was selected as a first team All American.

2014: Plans made to build Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center

In 2014, plans were made at Gonzaga University to construct a performing arts center named after benefactor Myrtle Woldson, featuring a 750-seat theater.

2015: Average Class Size and Faculty Statistics

As of 2015, the average class size at Gonzaga was 23 students, and there were 427 employed faculty, resulting in a student-to-faculty ratio of 11.5:1.

2015: Gonzaga Advances to Elite Eight

In 2015, Gonzaga advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, losing to Duke.

2015: Completion of the John J. Hemmingson Center

In 2015, Gonzaga completed construction of the John J. Hemmingson Center. This three-story building serves as the new "center of campus" and earned a Gold LEED certification.

2016: Last abusive priest moves out of Cardinal Bea House

In 2016, the last abusive priest moved out of the Cardinal Bea House. The house, owned by the Jesuit order near Gonzaga's campus, was used from the 1970s through 2016 as a retirement home for priests with histories of sexual abuse, shielding them from liability.

2017: Men's Basketball National Runners Up

In 2017, the Zags were national runners up in the NCAA Tournament.

2017: Class of 2021 Enrolling

In the fall of 2017, Gonzaga enrolled the freshman class of 2021. The enrollees had an average GPA of 3.76, an average ACT of 27, and average SAT scores of 597 (Critical Reading) and 607 (Math).

2018: Report on Cardinal Bea House

In 2018, the Center for Investigative Reporting released information that the Cardinal Bea House, owned by the Jesuit order near Gonzaga's campus, was used from the 1970s through 2016 as a retirement home for priests with histories of sexual abuse, shielding them from liability.

2019: Opening of Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center

In 2019, the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, featuring a theater and recital hall, opened to the public at Gonzaga University.

2021: Men's basketball team achievements

As of 2021, Gonzaga's men's basketball team has accumulated 22 WCC tournament championships, 16 WCC regular season championships, and produced 10 NBA first round picks. The team also had 9 straight "Sweet 16's".

2021: Class of 2021

For the undergraduate Class of 2021, Gonzaga received 7,162 applications, accepted 4,835 (67.5%), and enrolled 1,048 students.

2021: Men's Basketball National Runners Up

In 2021, the Zags were national runners up in the NCAA Tournament.

2022: U.S. News ranks Gonzaga's MBA in American Indian Entrepreneurship

In 2022, U.S. News ranked Gonzaga's MBA in American Indian Entrepreneurship 14th in Entrepreneurship.

2023: Men's Basketball Team NCAA Tournament Appearance

As of 2023, the men's basketball team has made the regional finals of the NCAA tournament (the "Elite Eight") every year since 1999.

2025: Rankings of Gonzaga University

In 2025, Gonzaga University was ranked tied for 98th in the U.S. News & World Report's rankings of national universities and the School of Engineering and Applied Science is ranked tied for 23rd best undergraduate engineering program nationwide at schools where doctorates are not offered. Forbes ranked Gonzaga the 153rd best school in the country.