O'Malley Cup Gallery

The Chase for the O'Malley Cup, in its current format, was created through a collective effort between the MSA classes of 2006 and 2007. However, the O'Malley Cup's roots in fact delve further back into our program's history, beginning in 2002, with the inception of the first dual-degree MBA and MSA class. The 2002-2003 academic year marked the first time that two Sport Administration classes were on campus together. One would be completing their Master of Sports Administration Degree, while the other would be entering their first year in the dual-degree program working toward their Masters of Business Administration Degree. It was at this time that camaraderie between the classes developed, and a competition between the two classes was seemingly inevitable.

It was not until the Class of 2004 began to discuss ways in which to foster goodwill and encourage friendly competition between the MBA ("rookies" or "first years") and MSA ("veterans" or "second years") classes that the O'Malley Cup began to take shape. The result was the inaugural Chase for the O'Malley Cup which would be awarded annually to the class that finishes the academic year with the most combined points from specified categories within the Cup System.

Although the point system initially included an academic category (quarterly MBA GPA comparisons), "Road Trips" category (the class having attended more athletic events in the fall quarter), and spirit categories (points awarded for students attending and providing fan support at the intramural games of the opposite class), the competition now accounts for the intense curriculum of both the MBA and MSA portion of the program, and has evolved to a more direct head-to-head format to intensify the aspect of friendly competition and rivalry between the classes.

The 2007-2008 O'Malley Cup was one of the closest competitions since the Cup's competitive inception. The first years started the year off with a hard-fought victory during the Cornhole Tournament, that went into overtime. The fall soccer match was postponed into the second half due to an injury on the side of the second years and weather. That event was followed by the annual Thanksgiving Skit which was, once again, taken by the second years. During the latter part of the year the competitions included heavy competition with Basketball, Football, Alma-Mater Championships, and Putt-Putt Golf going to the second years, while the first years won the Trivia Night, Bowling, and Softball events. The Cup was clinched by the second years with a victory in the finale of the Soccer Match.

The 2008-2009 Chase for the O'Malley Cup will include a Cornhole Tournament, Soccer, Bowling, Basketball, Flag Football, Softball, Trivia Night, and other events to be selected by the O'Malley Chair. In case of a tie, the tie-breaker for the Chase for the O'Malley Cup is the annual Thanksgiving Dinner skit. This year's O'Malley Cup will also have a greater focus on camaraderie, as the "family" aspect of the program has been lost at times during past events.

Thanks in part to the help of 2006 Class President Mike McAllister, a list of previous winners, dating back to the Cup's inception in the 2003-04 year was compiled.

Although the Chase for the O'Malley Cup is only entering its fourth year, we hope that with its current working plan, and a "veteran"-nominated Commissioner position, the O'Malley Cup competition will be a long-standing tradition in the SAFM Program for years to come. As the year progresses and the Cup begins we will update the standings in the competition between the MSA Class of 2009 and the MSA Class of 2010!