| Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans | |
| University | University of Arkansas at Little Rock |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Sun Belt Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Chris Peterson |
| Location | Little Rock, AR |
| Varsity teams | 15 (6 men's, 9 women's) |
| Basketball arena | Jack Stephens Center |
| Baseball stadium | Gary Hogan Field |
| Soccer stadium | Burns Park Soccer Complex |
| Other arenas | Donaghey Student Center Aquatic Center |
| Nickname | Trojans |
| Fight song | |
| Colors | Maroon, Silver, and Black
|
| Homepage | UALRTrojans |
The UALR Trojans is the name by which the athletic teams of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are known. The Trojans are a non-football member of the Sun Belt Conference. The University offers 6 men's and 9 women's varsity sports.
For the 2005-2006 basketball season, the Trojans moved into the $25 million Jack Stephens Center. This new facility almost doubled the seating capacity of the old UALR gym, with 5,600 seats and 149,000 square feet (13,800 m2) of space.
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In the years since becoming a four-year university, UALR has won slightly more games than they lost. However, during the six year coaching tenure of Mike Newell, the Trojans made a big splash on the national stage. Appearing in their first ever NCAA tournament game in 1986, the 14th seeded UALR beat the heavily favored and 3rd seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish, coached by Digger Phelps, now a college basketball analyst for ESPN, 90 to 83. The Trojans lost in the second round to North Carolina State, 80 to 66 in two overtimes.[1]
The 1986 NCAA Tournament success led to post-season appearances for the Trojans in each of the next four seasons. In 1987, UALR beat Baylor, Stephen F. Austin and California to make it to the National Invitation Tournament finals in New York City. The Trojans lost to both LaSalle and Nebraska to finish fourth. The next season, UALR lost to Louisiana Tech in the first round of the NIT.
The Trojans returned to the NCAA tournament in 1989 and 1990, losing to Louisville 76-71 in 1989 and to eventual tournament champion UNLV 102-72 the next season.
With five tournament appearances out of six seasons in Little Rock, Newell departed after the 1990 season and the Trojans didn't return to post-season play until the 1996 NIT under coach Wimp Sanderson, the Trojans' most recent tournament game.
The Trojans played in the 2011 NCAA Tournament after winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship; it is the first appearance for the Trojans since 1990.
UALR plays its home games in the recently built Jack Stephens Center, an on-campus facility that seats 5,600 plus fans. Prior to this home, the Trojans played at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Previous to that, UALR's home games were played in Barton Coliseum on the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock.
Though the football program has long since been disbanded, the Trojans were a national powerhouse when the school was known as Little Rock Junior College. Coach Jimmy Karam revived a program in 1947 that hadn't played football since 1933. [2] The team won the 1947 Coffee Bowl 31-7 against Coffeyville Junior College and played in the 1948 Junior Sugar Bowl, losing 18-7 to South Georgia. In 1949, the team went undefeated and won the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, defeating Santa Ana Junior College 25-19 and earned the junior college national championship. The LRJC team had played their way to the Junior Rose Bowl by winning the Little Rock Shrine Bowl for the right to meet the California junior college champion.[3]
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