From 1918 to 1930, the then College, closed due to the impact of World War I and because Jesuit superiors wanted to concentrate their manpower in other colleges on the East Coast. As noted in the college yearbook, “The classrooms went empty. The faculty closed their markbooks, and left for the battlefields.”
In 1930, with Rev. Robert I. Gannon, S.J., as Dean, Saint Peter's re-opened on the fourth floor of the Chamber of Commerce Building in Downtown Jersey City, and women were admitted to the Evening Session for the first time.
With the rebirth of Saint Peter's in 1930, Rev. Gannon named the Peacock the official mascot of the college, reflecting the spirit of “resurrection and eternal life.” The peacock also ties Saint Peter's to the settling of Jersey City, originally called “Pavonia,” or “Land of the Peacock”.[5]
The Saint Peter's University mascot is Peter the Peacock. The updated mascot was introduced on April 20, 2016, on the first annual Peacock Pride Day to celebrate the legacy and birthday of the late Dean, Rev. Gannon, S.J. and “Founding Father” of the peacock being chosen as a symbol of Saint Peter's.[6]
The Peacocks football program ran from 1971 to 2006.
Tennis
The Peacocks men's and women's tennis team were discontinued in 2018.
Women's bowling
The Peacocks women's bowling team was discontinued following the 2017–18 season.
Facilities
The Peacocks play at two main athletic facilities. Joseph J. Jaroschak Field in nearby Lincoln Park, is home to the baseball, softball, and men's and women's soccer teams. The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center is located on campus and is home to the swimming and diving teams with the volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams playing their home games in Run Baby Run Arena. The Yanitelli Center is also home to a number of club and intramural teams.
Prior to the opening of the Yanitelli Center on campus in 1975, Saint Peter's used the nearby Jersey City Armory as the home arena for its men's and women's basketball teams and still occasionally use the venue for high-profile games.[8]
