Norm the Niner

Norm the Niner
Norm at Jerry Richardson Stadium during a home football game in 2014
University	University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Conference	C-USA
Description	Gold Miner
Origin of name	Student vote
First seen	1949

Norm the Niner is the athletics mascot of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Norm is a student dressed in appropriate Charlotte 49ers athletics uniforms with a headpiece. Norm made his debut in 1949, with periodic updates to design and wardrobe occurring in the years since. Norm is rarely seen without his trusty pick-axe and never takes his slouch hat off. As a member of the spirit squad, Norm the Niner travels with the cheerleaders to away athletics events, to many events around the university and often makes appearances around Charlotte and the surrounding region. <ref name=Norm the Niner's Home Page>"Norm the Niner's Home Page". Charlotte 49ers. Retrieved 2015-03-17. </ref>^[1]

History

The nickname "49ers" derives from the fact that the university's predecessor, Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina (CCUNC - established in 1946) was saved from being shut down by the state in 1949 by Bonnie Ethel Cone, when the Charlotte Center became Charlotte College. Due to this "49er spirit" that Cone felt embodied the University, referring to the settlers that endured much hardships in traveling across the United States to seek fortune in the California Gold Rush, students of the fledgling UNC Charlotte chose "49ers" as the school's mascot. The fact that the site of the U.S.'s first major gold discovery, Reed's Gold Mine, is located nearby may also be a contributing factor to the nickname. The fact that the University's Main Campus front entrance is located on North Carolina Highway 49 is pure coincidence.

Prior to the "49ers" moniker, the athletic teams were known as the "Owls" due to CCUNC's beginnings as a night school. ^[2]

In 2011 Norm was named the 45th of 50 top college basketball mascots by Bleacher Report.^[3]

Norm greeting the fans at a home football game

References

↑ "Meet Norm the Niner". Niner Time (nineronline). Retrieved 2015-03-17.
↑ "The 49ers". University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
↑ "45. Norm the Niner: UNC Charlotte". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2015-03-17.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Academics	Charlotte Research Institute University of North Carolina

Athletics	C-USA Halton Arena Halton-Wagner Hayes Stadium Irwin Belk Track and Field Center Jerry Richardson Stadium Miltimore-Wallis

Student life	Belk Gymnasium The SAC Student organizations University City

History	People Norm the Niner

Charlotte 49ers football

Venues	Memorial Stadium (1946–1948) Jerry Richardson Stadium (2013–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games

Culture & lore	Norm the Niner Fight Song

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders

Seasons	1946 1947 1948 2013 2014 2015 2016

Charlotte 49ers men's basketball

Venues	Local high school gyms (1965–1970) Belk Gymnasium (1970–1976; alternate, 1976–1996) Bojangles' Coliseum (1976–1988, 1993–1996) Charlotte Coliseum (1988–1993) Dale F. Halton Arena (1996–present) Time Warner Cable Arena (alternate, 2007–present)

Culture & lore	History Norm the Niner

People	Head coaches Notable players

Seasons	1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

Mascots of Conference USA

Norm the Niner (Charlotte)
Roary (FIU)
Owlsley (Florida Atlantic)
Champ and Tech (Louisiana Tech)
Marco the Buffalo (Marshall)
Lightning (Middle Tennessee)
Scrappy (North Texas)
Big Blue (Old Dominion)
Sammy the Owl (Rice)
Seymour d'Campus (Southern Miss)
Blaze (UAB)
Paydirt Pete (UTEP)
Rowdy (UTSA)
Big Red (Western Kentucky)

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