History of Saint Mary's College of California in Timeline
Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic institution located in Moraga, California, and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. Founded in 1863, the college provides both undergraduate and graduate programs. As of 2018, the student population was less than 4,000.
1911: Death of William Keith
William Keith, the renowned California landscape artist whose work is exhibited at the William Keith Gallery, passed away in 1911.
1926: Gaels Nickname Adopted
In 1926, the Saint Mary's sports teams were nicknamed the Gaels by Pat Frayne, a writer for the San Francisco Call-Bulletin.
1928: Move to Moraga
In 1928, Saint Mary's College moved from Oakland to Moraga, California, after a fire damaged its Oakland location known as "The Brickpile".
1934: William Keith Gallery Founded
In 1934, the William Keith Gallery was founded by professor Brother Fidelis Cornelius Braeg to exhibit paintings by California landscape artist William Keith.
1959: First Elite Eight Appearance
The 2011 Men's Soccer team was the second team in school history, with the first being the 1959 men's basketball team, to make it to the Elite Eight.
1970: Became Coeducational
In 1970, Saint Mary's College became coeducational, opening its doors to women after being a male-only institution.
1977: Hearst Art Gallery Expansion
In 1977, the William Keith Gallery was expanded with a grant from the Hearst Art Foundation and reopened as the Hearst Art Gallery.
1978: Math Contest Discontinued
In 1978, the Saint Mary's Math Contest, popular among San Francisco Bay Area secondary schools, was discontinued.
2000: Brousseau Hall Built
In 2000, Brousseau Hall, a science building, was constructed at Saint Mary's College.
2001: Women's Teams in NCAA Tournaments
In 2001, the Saint Mary's women's basketball and soccer teams both competed in their NCAA tournaments and advanced to the second round.
2003: Bylaws Changed
In 2003, Saint Mary's College's bylaws were changed to allow a non-Christian Brother to be elected as president if no qualified Brother was available.
2004: Football Program Dropped
In 2004, Saint Mary's College dropped its American football program.
2004: Volleyball Sweet Sixteen
In 2004, Saint Mary's women's volleyball team advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA tournament.
2008: Rugby Final Four
In 2008, Saint Mary's men's rugby team reached the Final Four of the USA Rugby Division One National Championship tournament.
2010: Women's Tennis WCC Championship
In 2010, Saint Mary's women's tennis team won the WCC championship.
2010: Men's Basketball Sweet Sixteen
In 2010, the Saint Mary's men's basketball team reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
2011: Female Student Majority
By 2011, women constituted 62% of the student body at Saint Mary's College.
2011: National 7s
In 2011, Saint Mary's men's rugby team competed in the National 7s.
2011: Renamed Saint Maryʼs College Museum of Art
In 2011, the Hearst Art Gallery completed an extensive renovation and expansion project, and was renamed Saint Maryʼs College Museum of Art (SMCMoA).
2011: Men's Soccer WCC Title and NCAA Tournament Run
In 2011, the Saint Mary's men's soccer team won the West Coast Conference title, earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the "Elite Eight".
2012: Dellavedova Named WCC Player of the Year
In 2012, Matthew Dellavedova was named WCC Player of the Year and became the first male athlete at Saint Mary's to earn first-team Capital One Academic All-America honors.
2012: Undefeated Season
In 2012, Saint Mary's men's rugby team finished the regular season undefeated in the Pacific Coast Conference.
2012: Golf Team WCC Title
In 2012, the Saint Mary's Gaels' golf team won the program's first-ever WCC title.
July 1, 2013: First Non-Brother President
On July 1, 2013, James A. Donahue became the first non-Christian Brother to serve as president of Saint Mary's College in its 150-year history.
2013: Dellavedova Sets Records
In 2013, Matthew Dellavedova broke school records to become the all-time leader in scoring, assists, and three-pointers at Saint Mary's College.
2013: Women's Tennis WCC Championship
In 2013, Saint Mary's women's tennis team won the WCC championship.
2013: Back-to-Back Golf Championship
In 2013, Scott Hardy led the Saint Mary's golf team to its first back-to-back championship title, leading him to earn his seventh WCC Coach of the Year honor.
May 10, 2014: Rugby National Championship
On May 10, 2014, Saint Mary's men's rugby team won its first national championship, beating Life University 21–6 to win the USA Rugby D1A title.
March 2015: Alioto Recreation Center Opened
In March 2015, Saint Mary's College opened the new 50,000-square-foot Joseph L. Alioto Recreation Center.
2015: Second National D1-A Title
In 2015, Saint Mary's Men's Rugby team clinched the national D1-A title for the second year in a row.
2015: Hardy Earns Eighth WCC Coach of the Year Honor
In 2015, Scott Hardy earned his eighth WCC Coach of the Year honors for Saint Mary's College.
2018: Student Enrollment
In 2018, Saint Mary's College of California had a total student count of under 4,000.
2021: Museum Accreditation
In 2021, Saint Mary's College Museum of Art was awarded accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
