Oakland Golden Grizzlies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oakland Golden Grizzlies | |
 |
|
| University | Oakland University |
|---|---|
| Conference | Mid-Continent Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Tracy Huth |
| Location | Rochester, MI |
| Varsity Teams | 16 |
| Stadium | N/A |
| Arena | Athletics Center O'Rena |
| Mascot | |
| Nickname | Golden Grizzlies |
| Fight Song | |
| Colors | black and gold
|
| Homepage | ougrizzlies.com |
Oakland University Golden Grizzlies consist of 16 sports teams competing in the Mid-Continent Conference and Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The 16 athletic teams are: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's and women's track, and volleyball.
[edit] History
The Golden Grizzlies were known as the Pioneers until the school moved from Division II in 1997. The school colors are black and gold. Several OU grads have gone on to notable athletic careers, including Anita Rapp won a women's soccer gold medal with Norway in the 2000 Summer Olympics, while Don Kirkwood pitched for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays between 1974 and 1978.
[edit] National championships
Oakland University won ten national NCAA Division II titles and 16 teams were national runner-up in NCAA Division II. Men's swimming and diving won five championships and finished as runner-up 10 times. Five women's swimming and diving teams also finished first and three came in second. The men's soccer team was NCAA Division II runner-up in 1986, 1994, and 1996.
The Oakland men's club ice hockey team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Division II national championship in 2004, was national runner-up in 2005, and returned in 2006 to once again win the championship. They moved to the ACHA Division I in the 2006-2007 season and preceded to win the National Championship over Penn State, who has made the championship for ten consectutive years, by a score of 5-1.
National Championships (10):
- 1980: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1990: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1991: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1992: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1993: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1994: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1994: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1995: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1996: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1997: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
National Runners-up (16):
- 1979: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1981: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1983: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1984: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1986: Men's Soccer - NCAA Division II
- 1987: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1988: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1989: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1990: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1991: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1993: Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1994: Men's Soccer - NCAA Division II
- 1995: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1996: Men's Soccer - NCAA Division II
- 1996: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
- 1997: Women's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Division II
Club Team National Championships (3):
- 2004: Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division II
- 2006: Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division II
- 2007: Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division I
Club Team National Runners-up (1):
- 2005: Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division II
[edit] Conference affiliation
The Golden Grizzlies first joined a Division I conference in 1998 when they joined the Mid-Continent Conference.
| Years | Conference |
|---|---|
| 1998-present | Mid-Continent Conference |
[edit] Sports
[edit] Baseball
[edit] Basketball (men's)
Oakland University qualified for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament for the first time in 2005. The Golden Grizzlies were given a #16 seed after defeating Alabama A&M in the opening-round game at Dayton, Ohio on March 15, 2005. Oakland was eliminated three days later by North Carolina in their first-round matchup. In 2005, Rawle Marshall, who led the team to its first tournament berth, became the first player from the university to make an NBA roster, signing with the Dallas Mavericks.
On March 7, 2006, the women's basketball team defeated Western Illinois University to capture the 2006 Mid-Continent title. On March 19, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the #16 Grizzlies lost to #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 68-45. Both basketball teams host games at the Athletics Center O'Rena.
