Virginia Commonwealth University

Athletics

Though VCU does not have a American football team, it currently sponsors nine varsity teams in NCAA Division I play through the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). These teams include basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, field hockey, track and field, and cross country. Other sports not sponsored by the university include men'shttp://www.studentorg.vcu.edu/mensrugbyvcu and women'shttp://www.studentorg.vcu.edu/WomensRugby/ rugby, hockeyhttp://www.vcuhockey.org and men's and women's lacrosse. VCU's mascot is Rodney the Ram, and the teams as well as students are called VCU Rams.

Related Topics:
NCAA - Colonial Athletic Association - Basketball - Baseball - Volleyball - Soccer - Tennis - Golf - Field hockey - Track and field - Cross country - Rugby - Hockey - Lacrosse

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It has been said that VCU does not have a football team because at the time of its merger Virginia's other universities did not want support to be drawn away from their existing teams, though the exact reason is unknown. Probably the thought of giving 75 expensive scholarships to academically suspect men to bump into each other on Saturday afternoons deterred VCU's founders. Sweatshirts are sold in campus bookstores that read "VCU Football - still undefeated" as a lighthearted protest to the lack of a team. The current university president, Eugene P. Trani, has been quoted as saying that he will not allow football to come to VCU under his watch due to the extra incurred cost. VCU does not currently have a stadium that would be suitable for hosting football-related events.

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Facilities

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• The Diamond
• Baseball
• Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Sports Backers Stadium
• Soccer
• Track and Field
• Cary Street Field
• Field Hockey
• Thalhimer Tennis Center

Championships

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The VCU men's basketball team defeated George Mason to win the 2004 CAA championship and received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Rams were seeded #13 in the East Rutherford Region and faced #4 Wake Forest in the first round in Raleigh, N.C. VCU led for much of the second half before the Demon Deacons prevailed 79-78. The VCU Rams are coached by Jeff Capel who is the youngest coach in Division I. The 30-year-old Capel has compiled a 60-31 record (.659) during his three seasons as head coach of the Rams, including a 39-15 mark (.722) in the Colonial Athletic Association. VCU was 19-13 this past season and finished second in the CAA with a 13-5 record. The Rams received an NIT bid, their second straight post-season appearance.

Related Topics:
George Mason - Wake Forest

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The VCU men's tennis team was ranked 14th pre-season by the International Tennis Federation (ITA) in 2005, and has been nationally ranked in the top 50 since 1993. Beginning the 2004-2005 season, The Rams have had 12th-straight NCAA tournament appearances and nine-consecutive Colonial Athletic Association tournament crowns. In 2000, the men's team reached the NCAA Finals after defeating Illinois (Quarterfinals) and Tennessee (Semifinals) respectively. In the finals, Stanford rallied to win the doubles and swept Virginia Commonwealth in the singles to claim its 17th NCAA men's tennis title 4-0.

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The nationally ranked men's and women's soccer teams have both won CAA championships, having then advanced to national finals as well.

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Other Organizations

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VCU has numerous student organizations which includes The Black Awakening Choir which won first place in the 2005 Baptist Student Union National Choir Competition in Atlanta, GA. In addition, VCU boasts a well-established net of ethnic and cultural organizations such as the Muslim Student Association, African Student Union, Latino Student Association and the Vietnamese Student Association, among many others.

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