Herkimer's athletic program began with five sports in 1970, under the direction of Tom LaPuma, and has grown to include 19 varsity offerings. With its growth has come great success with 60 NJCAA National Championships, 128 Region III Championships, 169 Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference championships, and 31 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year awards as of Spring 2020. Herkimer's men's
lacrosse team had a lengthy streak of success from the late '80s through the 2000s, winning the national championship in 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003 and 2005. At times, several players were
Iroquois, believed to be the largest Native American contingent in a collegiate lacrosse team. The Herkimer Generals athletics program has won the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Cup four times, in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2020. The award recognizes Herkimer as first in the nation among two-year non-scholarship athletic programs. Herkimer College has an esports team competing nationally and the college has an esports arena on campus. ==Notable people==