Miami RedHawks

Miami RedHawks
University Miami University
Conference Mid-American Conference, National Collegiate Hockey Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletic director David Sayler
Location Oxford, Ohio
Football stadium Yager Stadium
Basketball arena Millett Hall
Baseball stadium Stanley G. McKie Field at Joseph P. Hayden Jr. Park
Other arenas Goggin Ice Center
Mascot Swoop
Nickname RedHawks
Colors Red and White[1]
         
Website www.miamiredhawks.com

The Miami RedHawks are the college athletics teams of Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. Miami offers 18 different varsity-level sports for men and women. All teams play in NCAA Division I and compete in the Mid-American Conference, with the exception of the RedHawks hockey team, which has played in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference since 2013–14. The Redhawks are arch-rivals with the Ohio Bobcats.

Sports teams

A member of the Mid-American Conference, Miami sponsors teams in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[2]

Notes
  1. ↑ The ice hockey team competes as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
  2. ↑ Synchronized skating is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating, not by the NCAA. Most synchronized skating teams are clubs not affiliated with any college or university; Miami is one of about 15 schools that sponsor varsity or club teams.

Football

The Miami University RedHawks football team is one with a rich tradition of history. The school boasts the longest continuous college football rivalry West of the Allegheny Mountains[3] against the Cincinnati Bearcats, and has one of the oldest football programs in the country, dating to the year 1888.

Cradle of Coaches

Main article: Cradle of Coaches

Miami University is most notable for having many quality coaches start their coaching career in some capacity at its school. Some notable college football coaches who coached at Miami University include John Pont, Ara Parseghian, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Weeb Ewbank, Jim Tressel, and Terry Hoeppner.

Baseball

A notable baseball-team alumnus is Walter Alston, who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ice hockey

Miami fans gather before a hockey game against Nebraska-Omaha.

The RedHawks on ice played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) before its disbanding in 2013, and fielded one of the best teams in the league in recent years. In 2006, the RedHawks earned the first #1 national ranking in school history and were CCHA regular season champs. They made it to the championship game, but lost to Michigan State. Beginning in the 2013-2014 season, they will play in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

Instead of playing in the Mid-American Conference ("MAC"), the mid-major conference most Miami varsity sports play in, the RedHawks compete against the larger schools of the CCHA such as the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans, who normally compete in the Big Ten.

In 2006 Miami University replaced the old Goggin Ice Arena from 1976 with the new $34.8-million state-of-the-art Goggin Ice Center, with a capacity of around 4,000. Both buildings are named for former University vice-president Lloyd Goggin.[4]

In 2008 the RedHawks set team records for winning percentage and wins with .797 and 33 respectively. That year the RedHawks captured their first #1 seed in school history and advanced to the quarterfinals in the NCAA tournament, losing to Boston College. The team was led that year by All-Americans Ryan Jones and Alec Martinez.

The 2009 RedHawks became the first Miami team to reach the Frozen Four in the history of the program. The team made it to the championship game and carried a 3-1 lead into the final minute before giving up 2 extra attacker goals and ultimately losing in overtime, 4-3 to college hockey powerhouse Boston University.

Synchronized skating

Miami's synchronized skating team began in August 1977 as a "Precision Skating Club" at Goggin Ice Center.[5] The program achieved varsity status by 1996,[6] and is also home to one of the first varsity synchronized skating teams in the country.

They are the 1999, 2006, and 2009 U.S. national champions.[6][7][8] Miami won a silver medal at the 2007 International Skating Union World Synchronized Skating Championships. This is the highest finish for any US skating team and the first medal ever won by Team USA for synchronized skating.[9]

Miami created a junior-varsity level team beneath the senior level.[6] After serving as the coach of Miami's program for 25 years, Vicki Korn announced her retirement in May 2009.[6]

Golf

The men's golf team has won 13 Mid-American Conference championships: 1948, 1950, 1970, 1974, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 (co-champions), 1996, 2015. RedHawks who have had success at the professional level include: Bob Lohr (one PGA Tour win) and Brad Adamonis (one Nationwide Tour win).[10]

Club sports

Men's lacrosse

The men's lacrosse team represents Miami University and currently competes in non-varsity lacrosse in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division I level as a member of the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC).[11] The RedHawks lacrosse team plays home games in Yager Stadium located in Oxford, Ohio. The team is coach Chuck Wilson. Miami finished the 2010 season second place in the CCLA and won its first CCLA play off game in over ten years. Miami boasted a 9-4 record, including 5-0 at home.[12]

Rugby

Founded in 1968, the Miami University Rugby Football Club plays college rugby in Division I in the MAC Conference. Miami reached the national playoffs in 2009 and again in 2010.[13] Miami rugby was named the school's top performing and respected club among all of Miami's club sports in 2009 and in 2010.[14] Miami rugby is supported by the Miami University Men’s Rugby Football Club Alumni Association, which provides resources to the team.[15] Miami rugby has been led since 2007 by Jared Moore.

Team name

Miami University Redskins logo

Before the early 1930s, the Miami University nicknames were interchangeable, including the Miami Boys, the Big Reds, and the Reds and Whites. The first glimpse of the Miami University Redskins was in 1928, when a Miami student referred to their team as the Big Red-Skinned Warriors.[16] By 1931, the Redskins had stuck as the Miami University nickname, and was the official nickname of the Miami University athletics program for nearly seventy years.

In mid-1997, at the urging from Dr. Myrtis Powell who went to the Oklahoma-based Miami Tribe for support, the Miami University Redskins officially changed their names to the RedHawks, which they remain today. It was during the 1997-1998 basketball season that the new mascot of Miami, Swoop the Redhawk, was revealed during a game.

Notable athletics alumni

See also

References

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