New Hampshire Wildcats
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The New Hampshire Wildcats, or 'Cats, are the athletic teams of the University of New Hampshire. The wildcat is the school's official mascot, the colors are UNH Blue and white. There are 21 varsity sports at the University, 25 sport clubs and 23 different Intramural sports.
The men's and women's varsity teams compete at the NCAA Division I level and Division I-AA for football. The Wildcats compete in the America East, Atlantic Ten and Hockey East Conferences. In September 2006, UNH will be in compliance with Title IX for the first time due to four sports being cut and one trimmed in size because of budget constraints.
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[edit] Sports
UNH is a member of the America East Conference for: basketball, cross country, track and field, skiing, soccer, swimming & diving, and tennis; and women's crew, field hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball. They also compete in Hockey East in men's and women's ice hockey, and at the Division I-AA level in the Atlantic Ten Conference for football.
[edit] Former sports
In 1997, the University cut baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, and men's lacrosse from its program.
On January 31, 2006, Athletics Director Marty Scarno announced in the 2006 academic year the University was cutting women's crew, men's swimming & diving, and men's and women's tennis at the varsity level, and trimming the size of the men's ski team from 27 to 12. The reason given was the Athletic Department would save $500,000 towards a $1,000,000 budget shortfall, and be in compliance with Title IX for the first time.
[edit] Facilities
The Football team plays on Mooradian Field in Cowell Stadium. Bremer Field is home to both soccer teams. Memorial Field is home to lacrosse and field hockey. Hockey is played in the Towse Rink at the Whittemore Center Arena. The Lundholm Gymnasium is home to basketball, gymnastics, volleyball. Henry C. Swasey Pool is home to the swim teams. The Reggie F. Atkins Track Facility is the site of outdoor track, while the Paul Sweet Oval is home to indoor track. The Lundholm Gym, Paul Sweet Oval and Swazey Pool are all located in the Field House. The Tennis Courts, located next to the Field House, are where the tennis teams compete.
[edit] Mascot & nickname
The official mascot and nickname is the Wildcats. The Athletic Department holds annual mascot try-outs for selecting male and females to wear the "Wild E. Cat" costume at various sporting events and occational university functions. Those selected as the athletic department's icon are cheerleaders.
[edit] 'Wildcats'
The Wildcat became the official college mascot and nickname in February 1926. Students cast their votes using a ballot which appeared in the February 26, 1926, edition of The New Hampshire. The "Durham Bulls," a nickname given to the Hockey team by the local media, was a close runner-up. Other votes for the mascot included a husky, an eagle and even a unicorn. It was argued in an opinion piece in The New Hampshire, in part that: The Wildcat is small and aggressive -- like New Hampshire. The actions of the wildcat are more symbolic of a New Hampshire team on the field than those of the sluggish bull. Furthermore, the actual mascot, if a wildcat, could be more easily transported from place to place than a bull.
[edit] Live mascots
The first live mascot of the University was "Mazie," a cat who was captured by a farmer in Meredith, New Hampshire. Maizie made her first appearance at the 1927 Homecoming game, and died in 1929. The second mascot, "Bozo", was purchased in 1932 but disappeared in Spring 1933.
The third cat was purchased in 1934, and was to be named for the first New Hampshire player to score in the game against Maine. Charles scored the first touchdown, but Henry kicked the first field goal; neither name was chosen and the cat was named "Butch III." Butch III lived behind the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house in a cage and was the only mascot to be stolen by a rival school. Butch III was stolen in 1939, a week before a football game against Harvard and just after the Wildcats beat Tufts. There were no claims of responsibility, but the cat was found in a garage in Woburn, Massachusetts with "HARVARD 60, N.H. 0," written on the top of the cage.
"Butch IV" was the fourth mascot and was purchased in 1940, but lived only a week. Since 1940, the only live mascot has been "Wild E. Cat," a cheerleader dressed in a wildcat costume. However, in 1970, a fan's pet wildcat appeared at some football games.
[edit] Official colors
| UNH Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
| — Color coordinates — | ||
| Hex triplet | #00337F | |
| RGBa | (r, g, b) | (0, 51, 127) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (216°, 100%, 50%) |
| a: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | ||
The official colors of the University and used by the athletic teams are UNH Blue and white. UNH Blue is a dark blue matching Pantone color 288. [1]
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- UNH Athletics Press Release - UNH Announces Athletic Reorganization - January 31, 2006
- UNH Museum - The Wildcat Mascot
- UNH Magazine - Fall 2004, pg 64 (PDF)
| America East Conference |
|---|
| Albany • Binghamton • Boston Univ • Hartford • Maine • New Hampshire • Stony Brook • UMBC • Vermont Affiliate:Quinnipiac (men's lacrosse) |
| Atlantic 10 Football Conference |
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| Delaware • Hofstra • James Madison • Maine • Massachusetts • New Hampshire • Northeastern • Rhode Island • Richmond • Towson • Villanova • William & Mary |
| Hockey East |
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| Men's Division: Boston College • Boston University • Maine • Massachusetts • UMass Lowell • Merrimack • New Hampshire • Northeastern • Providence • Vermont Women's Division: Boston College • Boston University • UConn • Maine • New Hampshire • Northeastern • Providence • Vermont |
