Iconic Spokane location named top 10 college bar by The Athletic

Jack and Dan's has been serving Gonzaga faithful for over 100 years in Spokane

Gonzaga Bulldogs mascot, Spike, at the McCarthey Athletic Center. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

College football staff writers at The Athletic voted on the best college bars in America, and as expected, the list is primarily spots in SEC and Big Ten country. From Oxford to Clemson to South Bend to Madison, the list is made up of bars located near huge state schools and high-level football programs.

Except one.

Jack and Dan's, a 100+ year old bar located just off Gonzaga's campus in Spokane, WA, came in at No. 6 on this list - unsurprisingly, the only bar affiliated with a school that does not support college football.

The five bars ahead of Jack and Dan's on the list are The Airliner in Iowa City, IA (Iowa), The Boot in New Orleans, LA (Tulane), Crunchy's in East Lansing, MI (Michigan State), The Esso Club in Clemson, SC (Clemson), and He's Not Here in Chapel Hill, NC (North Carolina).

The rest of the list includes The Library in Oxford, MS (Ole Miss), Linebacker Lounge in South Bend, IN (Notre Dame), Nick's English Hut in Bloomington, IN (Indiana) and Wando's in Madison, WI (Wisconsin).

Founded in 1909, the building now known as Jack and Dan's has been serving beer continuously since Prohibition ended back in 1933. It was named Joey's Tavern in 1947 after Joey August, who coached the Gonzaga boxing team that won the national championship in 1950.

It was then purchased by former Gonzaga student Jack Stockton and his friend Dan Crowley in 1961, although it was not renamed Jack and Dan's until 1975. Jack Stockton is the father of Gonzaga's legendary point guard John Stockton and grandfather to David and Laura Stockton, who each played at Gonzaga as well.

Gonzaga alum and NBA legend John Stockton in attendance during the Zags’ Nov. 3, 2023, exhibition game against Lewis-Clark State. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Jack and Dan's has been recognized before as one of the best college bars in America, coming in at No. 6 on a list published by Sports Illustrated back in 2005 - just a few years into Mark Few's tenure as Gonzaga's head coach. It is the only bar in the top ten of both lists, which were published 20 years apart.

Jack and Dan's has been a popular hangout for current Gonzaga students, alumni, and the Spokane community for decades, and the bar's popularity far exceeds the meteoric rise of Gonzaga's basketball program from unknown mid-major to national powerhouse.

"I was here before John ever bounced a ball in the pros," said Jack Stockton back in 2005, alluding to his son's illustrious pro career but also foreshadowing the bar's continued fame as coach Few has lifted this program to national prominence over the past 25 years.