Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans

Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans
University	University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
NCAA	Division I
Athletic director	Chasse Conque
Location	Little Rock, Arkansas
Varsity teams	10 total 4 men's 6 women's
Arena	Jack Stephens Center
Baseball stadium	Gary Hogan Field
Soccer stadium	Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex
Other arenas	Donaghey Student Center Aquatic Center
Nickname	Trojans
Colors	Maroon       Silver
Website	www.lrtrojans.com

The Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans, branded as the Little Rock Trojans, is the name of the athletic teams of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 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 2005–06 basketball season, the Trojans moved into the $25 million Jack Stephens Center. This new facility almost doubled the seating capacity of the old Little Rock gym, with 5,600 seats and 149,000 square feet (13,800 m²) of space.

On July 1, 2015, the Trojans officially announced they would no longer be branded as "Arkansas–Little Rock" or "UALR," but will be the Little Rock Trojans effective immediately.^[1]

Teams

A member of the Sun Belt Conference, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock sponsors teams in six men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports:^[2]

• * = The swimming team competes as an affiliate member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Current staff

• Athletic Director – Chasse Conque
• M Basketball coach – Chris Beard
• W Basketball coach – Joe Foley
• Baseball coach – Chris Curry
• M Golf coach – Jake Harrington
• W Golf coach – Bridgett Norwood
• W Soccer coach – Adrian Blewitt
• Swimming and Diving coach – Amy Burgess
• M/W Cross Country/Track and Field coach – Milton Williams
• W Volleyball coach – Van Compton

Basketball

In the years since becoming a four-year university, Little Rock has won slightly more games than they've 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 Little Rock 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.^[3]

The 1986 NCAA Tournament success led to post-season appearances for the Trojans in each of the next four seasons. In 1987, Little Rock 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, Little Rock 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.

Little Rock plays its home games in the Jack Stephens Center, an on-campus facility that seats 5,600. Prior to this home, the Trojans played at Alltel Arena (now Verizon Arena) in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Previous to that, Little Rock's home games were played in Barton Coliseum on the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock.

Football

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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Baseball

References

External links

• Official website

Sports teams based in Arkansas Baseball TL: Arkansas Travelers Northwest Arkansas Naturals Basketball ABA: Conway Cyclones Texarkana Panthers Football WFA: Arkansas Wildcats Roller derby WFTDA: Northwest Arkansas Roller Derby College athletics NCAA Division I Arkansas Arkansas State Arkansas–Little Rock Arkansas–Pine Bluff Central Arkansas NCAA Division II Arkansas Tech Arkansas–Fort Smith Arkansas–Monticello Harding Henderson State Ouachita Baptist Southern Arkansas NCAA Division III Hendrix Ozarks NAIA Central Baptist John Brown Lyon Philander Smith Williams Baptist NJCAA Arkansas Baptist Mid-South North Arkansas NCCAA Central Baptist Crowley's Ridge Ecclesia High school athletics AAA: Class 7A high schools Class 6A high schools Class 5A high schools Class 4A high schools Class 3A high schools Class 2A high schools Class 1A high schools