Miami RedHawks

Miami RedHawks
University Miami University
Conference(s) Mid-American Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletics director Brad Bates
Location Oxford, OH
Varsity teams
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
Fight song
Colors Red and White

         

Homepage Miami University Redhawks Website

Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, features 18 different varsity level sports teams for men and women, all of which are known as the Miami RedHawks. All teams play in the NCAA's Division I league inside the Mid-American Conference, with the exception of the RedHawks hockey team, which plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Contents

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[1] against the Cincinnati Bearcats, and has one of the oldest football programs in the country, dating to the year 1888.

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.

Men's basketball

Ice hockey

The RedHawks on ice play in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), and field one of the best teams in their league. 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.

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.[2]

In 2008 the RedHawks set team records for wining 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 lead 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.[3] The program achieved varsity status by 1996,[4] 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.[4][5][6] 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.[7]

Miami created a junior-varsity level team beneath the senior level.[4] After serving as the coach of Miami's program for 25 years, Vicki Korn announced her retirement in May 2009.[4]

Team name

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.[8] 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. The mascot of the Miami Redhawks is Swoop the Redhawk.

Notable athletics alumni

See also

Miami RedHawks men's lacrosse

External links

References