Visiting teams and coaches often praise Willamette’s athletic facilities, which compare favorably to much larger schools. The buildings, fields, courts and swimming pool are more efficient, functional, aesthetically pleasing and modern than most other liberal arts schools in the Pacific Northwest.

The focal point of Willamette’s athletic program is the Lestle J. Sparks Center, which opened its doors in 1974. The building is home to the Bearcat basketball, volleyball and swimming programs. Both the Henkle Gymnasium and Cone Fieldhouse in Sparks Center are large enough to hold partial track & field, baseball and softball practices during the winter. Sparks Center also features handball and racquetball courts, a fitness and weight room, classrooms, locker rooms and offices for the departments of athletics and exercise science. An addition to Sparks Center, which cost more than $1 million, was completed in the fall of 1995.

Just outside the main doors to Sparks Center is Willamette’s soccer field.

Across the main campus parking lot from Sparks are six outdoor tennis courts, which were resurfaced in 1993.

Facilities for football, baseball, cross country, and track and field are located two blocks south of campus, near Bush's Pasture Park. Ogdahl Field at McCulloch Stadium plays host to Willamette University football. Recent upgrades at the stadium include new lighting and a FieldTurf™ playing surface. Charles Bowles Track, also located at McCulloch Stadium, hosts track and field events in the spring. The cross country teams train on the course at Bush's Pasture Park, where they host the annual Willamette Invitational. In the fall of 2005, the course was the site of the Northwest Conference Championships and the NCAA West Region Championships. Roy S. "Spec" Keene Stadium (built in 1989) at John Lewis Field is similar to some major college baseball facilities. Willamette’s complex, complete with covered batting cages, has hosted numerous championship tournaments.

To the east of campus, near the Tokyo International University of America (TIUA), is the softball complex, which was completed in the summer of 1999. The stadium features covered dugouts, batting cages, bleachers and an electronic scoreboard.

The remaining two sports sites, beyond walking distance from the campus, are for golf and rowing.

The golf teams have had a long-standing relationship with Illahe Hills Country Club, where the annual Willamette Invitational is held. The teams also are welcome at Creekside Golf Club. The rowing team holds its practices on the Willamette River and has its own boathouse and dock in West Salem.

The same facilities are used to support Willamette’s broad-based intramural program, which includes such sports as soccer, volleyball and basketball. The University also offers lacrosse and rugby on the club level and those teams travel and compete throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Three professional sports teams have held their preseason camps at Willamette. The New York Giants trained four times and the Pittsburgh Steelers once at Willamette’s football facility in the 1950s and 1960s, and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers prepped in Cone Fieldhouse prior to the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.